Originally Posted by :
Powell was a top-50 prospect nationally coming out of Greenville, North Carolina, but struggled during his first four years on campus to get playing time ahead of talented pass catchers Mike Williams, Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross, Hunter Renfrow, Deon Cain, Ray-Ray McCloud, Amari Rodgers, Artavis Scott and Diondre Overton (plus Jordan Leggett at tight end). He played in nine games as a reserve in 2016 (12 receptions, 87 yards, 7.3 average) and 14 games in 2017 (eight receptions, 57 yards, one touchdown, 7.1 average; three kick returns, 65 yards, 21.7 average). Powell redshirted his third year with the national-champion Tigers but played in four games (five receptions, 63 yards, 12.6 average; four kick returns, 117 yards, 29.3 average) as a backup while maintaining the year of eligibility. He was a larger part of Clemson's offense in 2019 (15 receptions, 122 yards, 8.1 average, two touchdowns). With Higgins off to the pros and Ross sidelined due to a spinal condition, Powell played well enough to earn third-team All-ACC honors (53 receptions, 882 yards, 16.6 average, seven touchdowns). He accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. -- by Chad Reuter
Overview
Unique evaluation as a wideout who came into the program as a four-star recruit, never beat out talent in front of him and then put together impressive tape in his single season as full-time starter. Powell is well-skilled beyond the career production as he's clearly taken in the coaching and learned from others at the position. He's smooth but will have to win with route polish and competitiveness as his long speed and separation burst appear to be very average, which could lead to a higher number of contested catches outside the Clemson offense. The tape is good but the testing will be important as teams grapple with the single season of production. Powell will be an NFL backup, at worst. Strengths
Moves around the field with smooth gait.
Leverages route turns against tight man coverage.
Sneaky hand fighting to create separation.
Clears out catch space at the top of his routes.
Showed and proved as downfield ball-tracker and body-stacker.
Athletic in air with outstanding body control and catch instincts.
Plucks it at high-point and hides it away from swatting hands.
Plus hand-eye coordination through noisy catch-points.
Quarterback's friend with sudden but soft hands.
Will go get the football where it is thrown.
Gets run-ready even before completing hitch catch.
Not overly elusive but makes tacklers miss after catch.
Has ability as a stalk and wall-off blocker.
Weaknesses
Only one year over 15 catches and 125 yards in a season.
High-cut with limited wiggle in his movements.
Expect average release success against press.
Drive gear doesn't seem to generate panic in cornerbacks.
Route fakes lack salesmanship.
Below-average separation burst.
Route asks were rather basic at Clemson.
Dropped easy would-be touchdown catch headed into end zone against Virginia Tech.
Originally Posted by kcbubb:
Powell doesn’t seem to have great short area quickness. I watched the eagles in preseason and even though Devonta smith didn’t do a lot, you could see his quickness in his cuts. I don’t see that in Powell. He seems like he might be pretty good a lot of things but not exceptional at anything. I’m not as excited about him as I once was.
I wonder if you were more willing to accept Devonta Smith's lack of production in the preseason because he was a generational receiver in college drafted in the first round versus our fifth round pick who was always a work in progress.
It might just be possible that you had unwarranted excitement that we stole some guy in the 5th round who was only slightly inferior to Devona Smith.
And if you got sucked into that hype trap, it's on you, not Powell or Veach or the Chiefs. [Reply]
The point with bringing up Devonta smith is that Powell is not quick, slow building up to speed, looks like more of a track guy where his speed doesn’t translate to the field. I wasn’t comparing the players just asking about his skill. What is Powell’s strength? I don’t see him pushing Robinson or any of other receivers. Fountain is probably better. [Reply]
I wish we had a guy trying to make the team that could push our wr group. You can see the competition on d-line. WRs look pretty comfortable on the sideline during these games. If we had a guy like this maybe the competition would be better??
Originally Posted by BuckeyeTheDog:
Personally, I’ve never believed in Powell’s game.
To me, it’s a wasted pick.
Hope I’m wrong.
This is a very complex offense. I will give him a year or two before passing judgment. What receiver has come in here as a rookie and dominated? [Reply]
Originally Posted by tredadda:
This is a very complex offense. I will give him a year or two before passing judgment. What receiver has come in here as a rookie and dominated?
Pretty much this. Probably stash him on PS for a bit. [Reply]
