Robert Herron, wide receiver, Wyoming
5'9⅛", 193-pounds
Mocking the Draft overall ranking: 109
Mocking the Draft positional ranking: 17
Robert Herron vs Texas (2012) (via DCheeseB)
Strengths:
Herron is a big time play maker that can do things as both a runner and a receiver. He possesses very good speed in space and has the knack of getting open very easily. Above average agility makes him very difficult to stay with. His ability to get off the line of scrimmage very quickly is excellent, making him quite difficult to be jammed. Once with the ball in his hands, he has the ability to get a lot of yards after the catch due to his strength, vision and speed. He adjusts well on the ball when thrown deep. He has large hands for his size (9'3/4")and generally is pretty sure handed. Has the ability to play special teams at the next level even though he did not do a lot of that at Wyoming. He is the type of receiver that can play in either the slot or the outside but probably more suited for the slot. He may not see the toughest competition week in and week out but has always came up big against the best competition.
Weaknesses:
His height is less than desirable with him standing just under 5'10". He did not run a complete NFL route tree while at Wyoming. He also had the tendency to not always run the sharpest routes. He was able to get by due to his speed and athletic ability against most opponents. Even though he has the ability to be a very good special teams player, he rarely got the chance to show his abilities in that department in college. Was not considered the best of blockers and his effort in that department has been questioned. Lastly Herron has had durability issues. He missed 4 games in 2012 with a shin injury, missed time with a concussion and another unspecified injury in 2010.
Robert Herron shines on Day One of 2014 Senior Bowl practices (via tony romes)
Bottom Line:
Herron is not that far off from the wide receivers at the top of this draft. Just more proof this draft is extremely deep for wide-outs. What separates him from those that will likely go in the 1st round is questions about his durability, level of competition and his lack of polish in some of the fundamentals. What makes him such a intriguing prospect is his speed, agility and big play potential.
He is coming off of a senior season where he had 72 receptions for 932 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns in 12 games for the Cowboys. For a career he hauled in 152 receptions for 2,025 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns. His stats at Wyoming prove that as he averaged 21 yards per catch in 2012, and in 2013 was pulling in 13 yards per catch.
At his pro-day he blazed the field with unofficial 4.29 and 4.25 second 40-yard dashes. The slowest time recorded by any scout in attendance was 4.33 seconds. He had a 35.5" vertical jump and a 10'5" broad jump at the NFL Combine.
With a little more grooming, Herron has the ability to be a very good number 2 or 3 WR in this league for a long time. He is most commonly compared to the Cleveland Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin.
Projected Rounds: 3rd-4th rounds
Projected Likely Destinations: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys.