Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
2nd in my series of “my guys” is Zay Flowers. When I first started watching the receivers, Flowers is the one who stood out to me just based on his movement skills. I then sorta dismissed him because of his size. 5-9, 182. Slot only I thought. But unlike most small guys, he plays a great deep game. BC actually used him mostly as an outside receiver. He’s got great long speed (4.42), runs impressive routes, and tracks the long ball well for a little guy. His weakness is drops, which I hate, but can be improved.
Vikings need a receiver who has the speed and tracking skills to play deep, the route running to excel over the middle and the shifty YAC to play the short game. Most of all, the Vikings need a guy who can make teams pay for doubling and tripling Jefferson. Flowers might be that guy. I’ve heard comps to Steve Smith and Tyler Lockett, but I think the best might be Antonio Brown. NFL.com has him at 16, but everywhere else he's ranked in the mid 20s to the early 30s.
I get a Tavon Austin vibe when I watch him. Ideally I would prefer a bigger body at the position and I also thought slot guy based on stature. He is certainly explosive and has some deep speed, which the Vikings need in abundance. I also watched him against Notre Dame this year and he didnt do anything in a 44-0 drubbing. Another thing that bothered me when looking at his stats, which I check on everyone because I want to know who they produced against, was a 2 catch 35 yard performace against UConn. Like really, UConn? He's probably more of a second round prospect in normal years, but he'll get pushed up due to a lack of quality at the position.
It's really a tough call with the WR's this year. I still heavily favor Hyatt out of the bunch, but the rest is pick your flavor and what fits your offense best.
Zay has the fire and attitude to be a very good NFL WRer. Feisty. Same as Diggs and JJ. But the dude is small. Probably not as big a deal with the offensive rules in today's NFL than in the past.
Tyreek Hill is 5' 10'' and arguably one of the best NFL WRs. Not saying Flowers will be that good, but Hill has changed how teams consider what size an NFL WR needs to be.
@"HappyViking" said: Tyreek Hill is 5' 10'' and arguably one of the best NFL WRs. Not saying Flowers will be that good, but Hill has changed how teams consider what size an NFL WR needs to be.
I agree, but think Tyreek Hill is a one of one, extremely unique player. There seems to be a lot of receivers in this draft in that 5'9" to 6' range. Smith-Njigba, Addison, Flowers, Downs, and Hyatt. Not a lot of size at the top end
@"supafreak84" said:@"HappyViking" said: Tyreek Hill is 5' 10'' and arguably one of the best NFL WRs. Not saying Flowers will be that good, but Hill has changed how teams consider what size an NFL WR needs to be.
I agree, but think Tyreek Hill is a one of one, extremely unique player. There seems to be a lot of receivers in this draft in that 5'9" to 6' range. Smith-Njigba, Addison, Flowers, Downs, and Hyatt. Not a lot of size at the top end
exactly, some guys frames can take a beating, some guys with comparable measurables cant, typically undersized guys dont fare well in the NFL, not a rule, just a norm.
Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project.
@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project.I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.
@"supafreak84" said:@"HappyViking" said: Tyreek Hill is 5' 10'' and arguably one of the best NFL WRs. Not saying Flowers will be that good, but Hill has changed how teams consider what size an NFL WR needs to be.
I agree, but think Tyreek Hill is a one of one, extremely unique player. There seems to be a lot of receivers in this draft in that 5'9" to 6' range. Smith-Njigba, Addison, Flowers, Downs, and Hyatt. Not a lot of size at the top end
And we have seen a litany of BIG WRs be busts as well. Mike Williams, Laquon Treadwell, Josh Doctson, John Ross, Kevin White, Rashid Bateman.This guy has some game and we have seen 5'10" - 6'1' WRs with speed and route running be more effective in today's NFL (Hill, St. Brown, Chark, Diggs, Godwin, AJ Brown)
@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.
@"TBro" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.
@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.
@"TBro" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.
@"supafreak84" said: I get a Tavon Austin vibe when I watch him. Ideally I would prefer a bigger body at the position and I also thought slot guy based on stature. He is certainly explosive and has some deep speed, which the Vikings need in abundance. I also watched him against Notre Dame this year and he didnt do anything in a 44-0 drubbing. Another thing that bothered me when looking at his stats, which I check on everyone because I want to know who they produced against, was a 2 catch 35 yard performace against UConn. Like really, UConn? He's probably more of a second round prospect in normal years, but he'll get pushed up due to a lack of quality at the position.It's really a tough call with the WR's this year. I still heavily favor Hyatt out of the bunch, but the rest is pick your flavor and what fits your offense best.
Thanks for bringing up Austin because that’s exactly why I love Flowers. Because he’s not Austin. Austin came to WV as a running back and became a RB/Slot receiver/gadget player in their offense.
Flowers was an outside receiver at BC. 75% of his routes were from the outside. This is why he compares more to players like AB, Lockett, Steve Smith, Tyreek and Waddle than to the RonDales and WanDales of the world.
He's got to work on his hands, but Flowers is my pick for best WR from this class.
@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.
@"StickyBun" said: Zay has the fire and attitude to be a very good NFL WRer. Feisty. Same as Diggs and JJ. But the dude is small. Probably not as big a deal with the offensive rules in today's NFL than in the past.The narrative that typically follows smaller receivers is that they're limited to the slot, where they can use their quickness and YAC more effectively. While Flowers can do that, he's first and foremost an outside receiver.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said: I get a Tavon Austin vibe when I watch him. Ideally I would prefer a bigger body at the position and I also thought slot guy based on stature. He is certainly explosive and has some deep speed, which the Vikings need in abundance. I also watched him against Notre Dame this year and he didnt do anything in a 44-0 drubbing. Another thing that bothered me when looking at his stats, which I check on everyone because I want to know who they produced against, was a 2 catch 35 yard performace against UConn. Like really, UConn? He's probably more of a second round prospect in normal years, but he'll get pushed up due to a lack of quality at the position.It's really a tough call with the WR's this year. I still heavily favor Hyatt out of the bunch, but the rest is pick your flavor and what fits your offense best.
Thanks for bringing up Austin because that’s exactly why I love Flowers. Because he’s not Austin. Austin came to WV as a running back and became a RB/Slot receiver/gadget player in their offense.
Flowers was an outside receiver at BC. 75% of his routes were from the outside. This is why he compares more to players like AB, Lockett, Steve Smith, Tyreek and Waddle than to the RonDales and WanDales of the world.He's got to work on his hands, but Flowers is my pick for best WR from this class.
The stature and short area burst reminds me of Austin, who put up huge stats at WV working all over the field. I'd be okay taking Flowers though because we need an explosive playmaker at receiver, just a little leery taking a guy that small (5'9"/180). I'd take him over Addison and probably even Smith-Njigba for his big play capability.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.
@"supafreak84" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.What's more, I've seen so many of these speed only receivers bust in the NFL. John Ross, Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Kevin White, Breshad Perriman, Philip Dorsett, AJ Jenkins, Troy Williamson, Mike Wallace, Stephen Hill, Will Fuller, Ruggs...Deja Vu, because we had this same argument about Jameson Williams last year.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.What's more, I've seen so many of these speed only receivers bust in the NFL. John Ross, Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Kevin White, Breshad Perriman, Philip Dorsett, AJ Jenkins, Troy Williamson, Mike Wallace, Stephen Hill, Will Fuller, Ruggs...Deja Vu, because we had this same argument about Jameson Williams last year.
Does anyone have an updated Top 30 Visit list for the Vikings? The only WR's I've seen confirmed are Addison and Johnston. No way I'm drafting Hyatt at 23 or even with a trade down without having him in for a private workout to address all the issues you bring up. If the receivers continue to slide down in the first, I would much rather take Addison or Flowers at 23. I know Supafreak84 loves him, but I still have him as a day 2 pick for me. The other potential first rounders that have confirmed visits are Emanuel Forbes, Schmitz, Brian Branch, and Keion White.
@"TBro" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"TBro" said: Of all the receivers with a first round grade that could be available at 23, I think Flowers has the best chance of being an impact player on this offense. Smith-Njigba will be long gone, and the others continue to fall down the board at rapid speed. His versatility is unquestioned. You can line him up anywhere. If you are convinced he can take the pounding, I would have no problem if they took him at 23. Personally, I'm still hoping for a trade down so we can add more picks. Too many holes to fill not to move down if we get a good offer. I'm not sold on Hooker as a QBOTF. Great athlete, but he is a major project. I'm taking Jalin Hyatt. There is not a better deep threat in this draft and he went for 207 yards with 5 TD's against Alabama this year as well as blowing up the rest of the SEC. I have no idea why he is getting overlooked in comparison to some of these other receivers. I think it's ridiculous. I could make an argument there would not be a better fit or more impactful player at #23.What's more, I've seen so many of these speed only receivers bust in the NFL. John Ross, Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Kevin White, Breshad Perriman, Philip Dorsett, AJ Jenkins, Troy Williamson, Mike Wallace, Stephen Hill, Will Fuller, Ruggs...Deja Vu, because we had this same argument about Jameson Williams last year.
Does anyone have an updated Top 30 Visit list for the Vikings? The only WR's I've seen confirmed are Addison and Johnston. No way I'm drafting Hyatt at 23 or even with a trade down without having him in for a private workout to address all the issues you bring up. If the receivers continue to slide down in the first, I would much rather take Addison or Flowers at 23. I know Supafreak84 loves him, but I still have him as a day 2 pick for me. The other potential first rounders that have confirmed visits are Emanuel Forbes, Schmitz, Brian Branch, and Keion White.
That list scares me. It doesn't make any sense. Emmanuel Forbes is skinnier than the needle. Schmitz interest had to come before signing Bradbury because there's no way this team takes a center anywhere near where JMS goes. Branch is a safety/corner tweener, but not big enough for safety and not fast enough for corner. He's the most confusing player in this draft IMO. And Keion White is a mystery as well.I think teams sometimes visit with players they have questions on rather than players they necessarily like. Hoping that's the case here.
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