As one of the resident Texas Tech fans I can chime in.
When we recruited Vasher, his ceiling was Michael Crabtree (ie a top 10/15 overall pick). He has flashed that potential periodically during his time at Tech, but there have been a lot more lows than highs. He’s been “suspended” for academic issues 3 times now, he basically wasn’t attending classes and struggled to maintain grades. He has also been reprimanded for attitude and ignoring coaches on multiple occasions, including a period where he was benched and quit the team before coming back. On the field, he regularly takes plays off and doesn’t always give 100%. His blocking is actually pretty good and he has a unique ability to make absurd 1 handed catches in traffic (as seen on the highlights above), but he also routinely drops some of the easy catches.
Again, the potential is there to be an all pro, but the mental/character are a pretty big barrier. Some of those issues may be less relevant once he is in the NFL... but I think there is a lot to also be cautious about. I wouldn’t invest anything more than a 6th or 7th on him... basically locking him up as a priority UDFA.
The two Tech prospects I like this year are OG Jack Anderson and CB Zech McPherson.
Anderson was being projected as an early day 2 draftee had he left school last year. He elected to stay and had a rough year under an awful coaching staff. His Dad played in the NFL, he’s got a great motor, solid technique, and the right balance of nastiness with focus. He’s currently being slotted late 5th or early 6th round... think he’d be a great scheme fit for the Chiefs.
McPherson was a rotational guy at Penn State before transferring to Tech to finish out college. He’s got elite speed, but is only a slightly above average athlete overall. He plays with a high football IQ and just has that “playmaker” persona. I’ve seen him mocked 5th to UDFA. Not a huge need for KC, but definitely a late round option for some team with good upside. [Reply]
Agree the measurements look bad, but he has proven to be pretty tough at the college level. Contact nor injuries have been an issue, and he’s good at fighting through multiple defenders for extra yards. NFL is obviously a different beast. Again, per my post above, my concerns would be about the mental side of the game and consistency/attitude.
His body actually isn’t all that different from Julio Jones (6-3, 220lbs). [Reply]
Originally Posted by Kellerfox:
Agree the measurements look bad, but he has proven to be pretty tough at the college level. Contact nor injuries have been an issue, and he’s good at fighting through multiple defenders for extra yards. NFL is obviously a different beast. Again, per my post above, my concerns would be about the mental side of the game and consistency/attitude.
His body actually isn’t all that different from Julio Jones (6-3, 220lbs).
You are correct, I recalled him being a “short” 6-5 (really 6-4 rounded up). Looks like Tech has him listed as 6-6 now. He must have grown a bit over the last year and a half while being on and off the team intermittently. A true 6-6 is very different from Julio Jones’ 6-3. [Reply]