UFA WRs (ESPN Insider Info)

[Jino]

Jabar Gaffney

Gaffney has adequate size to play the position and he has very good foot quickness. He is very smooth as a route runner and he has the ability to get into and out of his routes with very little wasted motion. He has a nice weave coming off the line and he runs very precise routes. He has excellent hands and he can catch the ball with his arms extended. He has great leaping ability and he will go up and battle you for the ball. He has good elusiveness with the ball in his hands after the catch and he shows good patience in following his blockers and finding an opening. He has excellent body control and change of direction skills and he is capable of turning a short gain into a big play. He does a decent job of finding the open spots in zone coverage but he struggles a little against tight man to man coverage. He has very good speed however he fails to play up to his potential running ability. He plays like he is holding something in reserve and occasionally his immaturity shows. He is inconsistent in catching the ball and despite his excellent hands he will lose his focus and concentration and drop some balls that should be caught. He is not a guy that is going to blow by a corner and get over the top quickly and he is a better short to intermediate route runner. He can be muscled out of his routes and he does not appear to like contact. He does not put much effort into blocking and he rarely makes an effort to finish his blocks.

Justin Gage

Gage is a tall wide receiver who has long arms and he is very smooth into and out of his cuts. He does not explode off the line of scrimmage however he builds speed as he goes and he is a very good route runner with a nice change of pace. He shows a great awareness and excellent timing in running routes; and even though he lacks top end speed he shows that he can move a defender and screen him from the ball. He has great hands and he can make the catch in a crowd and he is not intimidated going over the middle. He works hard at blocking down field and he maintains a good base. He is a very physical blocker and he can overwhelm some of the smaller defensive backs. He locks on well with his hands and works hard to finish his blocks. He will win most jump ball contests and he is a good target in the red zone with his ability to screen a defender from the ball. He lacks initial foot quickness and his speed is adequate but not great. He will take the ball up field after a catch however he lacks the elusiveness and the overall speed to be a serious homerun threat. He is gaining more awareness in attacking coverages and he is still young enough to show vast improvement.

Quincy Morgan

Morgan has adequate size to play the position and he has outstanding quickness and running ability. He has the ability to go to a second gear when he goes for the ball. He shows that he is capable of stretching the defense vertically and he is a threat to turn the short game into a big play. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands after the catch. For all of his ability he doesn't seem to take pride in the fundamental aspects of the game. He doesn't run good routes and he does a poor job of getting off press coverage. He is very inconsistent in catching the ball in that he will make a spectacular over the shoulder catch then drop the next two easy catches. He has good upper body strength and he is capable of doing a good job of blocking down field but he is inconsistent and just doesn't take an interest. He has concentration lapses and does not make the number of plays that he is capable of making. He has an abundance of ability however he is not a physical receiver and he does not accelerate out of his cuts and he allows himself to be muscled out of his routes too easily. He needs to work hard at the fundamentals of the game in order to get on the field more.

David Givens

Givens has good size and he shows that he has very good athletic ability. He is strong and it is difficult for a defensive back to muscle him out of his routes. He has a good surge off the line of scrimmage and his speed is somewhat deceptive. He is very smooth in his movement and he reaches his top speed very quickly. He shows the ability to move a defender who is in man coverage and he has a nice change of pace coming off the ball. He uses his hands and his foot quickness to beat press coverage and he has the strength to knock hands down and to push off a defender and be able to run his route. He runs precise routes and he shows a burst out of his cuts that can get him separation and he has excellent stop and start capabilities. He has excellent hands and he can catch the ball away from his body and he has a good feel for being able to screen a defender from the ball. He is a go to guy in the red zone as he has good leaping ability and he is very competitive for the jump ball. He has a decent feel for the open spots in zone coverage and although he lacks ideal top end speed he has the elusiveness to make people miss when he has the ball in his hands. At times he loses his concentration and may drop a ball that should be caught and he is very inconsistent with the effort he gives to the blocking phase of the game. He needs to work harder at becoming a team member and improving this part of his game.

Joe Jurevicius

Jurevicius is an 8 year veteran who is coming off his best year as pro in 2005. He is a possession receiver that has excellent size, strength and athletic ability. He is a smart, tough, physical receiver who can read coverages and find the open area. He has great hands, excellent concentration on the ball and he uses his big frame to shield off defenders. He has good body control and he does a great job of going up and catching the ball. He is a good route runner and he can find the soft spot in the zone. He can make the hard catch and he fearless about going over the middle and catching the ball in traffic. He is an excellent red zone receiver who can out jump and out muscle smaller DBs. He does not have burner speed but he has enough speed so he can hurt you running with the ball after the catch. He is a willing blocker but he is more willing than he is a blocker. He does not take great angles and he needs to more consistent in this area. Overall, Jurevicius has made sort of comeback after the last two seasons filled with injuries. He is 31 and if he stays healthy he should have several more productive years left. He is a good football player who finds away to get it done.

Brian Finneran

Finneran is a tall lanky wide receiver who has good upper body strength and he uses his hands well to get off press coverage. He works hard at the blocking phase of his game and he locks on very well with his hands when blocking down field. He has a good feel for getting to the open spots in zone coverage and he has a good awareness in attacking coverages. He has good leaping ability and with his height he can compete very well for the jump ball. His hands are above average and he generally catches what he should catch although he loses focus at times and he has difficulty making the over the shoulder catch. He lacks initial foot quickness and he is a long strider. It takes time for him to reach his top end speed and he is not going to run away from many people. He is not a deep threat and he is not a threat to go the distance with the ball in his hands. He does a better job against zone coverage than he does in attacking man to man coverage. He runs good routes but he lacks the acceleration coming out of his cuts to be able to get separation from defenders. He does not have a good surge off the line of scrimmage and he does not show the ability to move a defender who is in man coverage. He is a decent possession type of receiver who has become a fairly reliable down field blocker.

Marc Boerichter

Boerigter has very good size for the position. He has decent quickness but not great. He is tentative as he comes off the line and he does not have a burst when he comes out of his stance. He runs very well once he reaches his top end speed and he shows the ability to stretch the defense vertically. He struggles at times to get a release off the line of scrimmage and he seems to have a difficult time with a bigger defender who presses him at the line. He is a little raw in terms of his route running skills and he does not get good separation coming out of his cuts. He lacks awareness in running routes and attacking coverages and he has a difficult time getting open versus tight man to man coverage. He has good hands and he shows that he can be effective in the red zone and particularly on fade routes and he can catch the ball over some of the smaller defensive backs. He will go over the middle and make the catch and he can catch the ball with his arms extended however he does not adjust well to the ball in the air and he is a little inconsistent overall in catching the ball. It is almost like he loses his concentration and he drops a lot of balls that should be caught. As a blocker he lacks upper body strength and he is not aggressive. He will work hard to get his hands on a defender but he doesn't follow through. He can take the ball up field after the catch and he shows some big play capability and he does an adequate job on special teams.

Tim Carter

Carter has very good speed, excellent quickness and good size. He has excellent explosive off the ball and he has the ability and speed to run by defender. He is a deep threat receiver. He has good hands, he will make the hard catch and he has good run after the catch ability. He has good jumping ability and he is not afraid to go up for the ball in a crowd. He has good acceleration, he runs good pass routes and he is crisp coming into and out of his breaks. He has the ability to beat press coverage and he can get good separation from the defender on man coverage. He is a willing blocker but he is more willing than he is a blocker. He takes poor angles and he is often out of position to make a block. The problem with Carter is he has all this speed but he can not translate it into a consistent pass receiver. He lacks consistency in his route running; he does not come out of his break the same and he will round off the cuts and throw the time of the pattern off. He has decent awareness on the field but struggles at time read coverages. He is not a good route runner against zone and he has difficulty finding the open area. Overall, you are waiting for Carter to break out and take it to a different level but that has not happen yet. Health has been an issue and has slowed some of his development process down but right know he is a better athlete than he is a football player. He has the ability to make a major contribution.

[mrchslmnky]

It sounds like Jurevicius and Givens might be the best choices but I don't think either of them would be a long term solutuion.