Height: 6’2”
Weight: 209
Number: #13 in 2019, #0 in 2020
Wide receivers are one of my favorite positions to watch, especially with how much talent there has been at the position over the past few years. Receivers like D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown, and Ceedee Lamb are just a few of many receivers that have come out in the past two drafts that look like they’re going to be stars. It seems like there is another talented group coming into the league in 2021. One of the stars of the group is Minnesota receiver Rashod Bateman, a junior who has already declared for the 2021 NFL draft. Let’s take a look at what I saw from the talented wideout.
Background: Rashod Bateman was a 4-star recruit from Tifton, Georgia. As a freshman, he had 51 receptions for 704 yards and 6 touchdowns, and as a sophomore, he broke out with 60 receptions for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2019 Bateman was First-Team all Big 10, and he took home the honor of Big 10 receiver of the year.
Pros: Bateman is a very polished route runner. He excels in intermediate and deep routes, with concise movements that help him get open consistently. Bateman has very good hands, and almost always comes down with the ball in contested catch situations, as shown by how he’s able to make the catch with a safety closing in on him in the gif below.
I also found that Bateman does an excellent job of tracking the ball, and he is always in position to make a play. Below you can see Bateman adjust to an underthrown deep ball and come up with the contested catch.
I did not see many cornerbacks try to press Bateman at the line of scrimmage, but Bateman showed the skillset to get off of press coverage. Below you can see Bateman use a double move off the line of scrimmage in order to get instant separation.
Bateman shows good speed, especially given his size, and along with his tracking and route-running gives him the skill set to be a great big-play receiver in the NFL.
Cons: Although Bateman is a good route runner, a lot of his routes were deep and did not involve multiple cuts. I did not think Bateman looked particularly quick on the few routes he ran with multiple breaks, but it should be noted that this was based on a very small sample size. He also has occasional focus drops. Bateman may not be the most versatile receiver in terms of where he lines up, but this should not be an issue for teams that allow him to play to his strengths.
Overview: Bateman is an extremely polished and pro-ready receiver. Any team that drafts Bateman will know exactly what they are getting, and that is a reliable target that can bolster the deep passing attack for any offense. He has the speed and route-running ability to get open, and the ball-tracking ability as well as the contested catch ability to make the most of each opportunity. Based on his 2019 tape, I fully expect Rashod Bateman to be drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
