Kevin Norwood On Day 3?
April 19th, 2014
Alabama’s TD maker could last
Everybody everywhere seems to be talking about the amazing depth among wide receivers available in the 2014 NFL Draft.
After the ousting of unorthodox mattress user Mike Williams in the aftermath of his brother stabbing him, the Bucs sure appear to be counting on this depth.
Sadly, the Bucs don’t have a fourth-round pick this year, not yet anyway. It was given to the Jets in order to complete the Darrelle Revis trade. But that doesn’t mean the Bucs can’t wheel and deal to get into the fourth round.
Former Jets scout and college quarterback Kevin Weidl is now a draft guru for BSPN, and he likes a few receiver talents that he thinks will be there on Day 3 of the draft. One that caught Joe’s eye is former Alabama WR Kevin Norwood.
Kevin Norwood, WR, Alabama
Norwood is one of my favorite prospects. He was relatively unheralded within the Alabama offense throughout his career, but he had a knack for coming up with clutch plays in big games.
Although clocking in with a 4.48 40-yard dash at the combine, the 6-foot-2, 198-pound receiver lacks elite explosiveness on tape and is more of a possession-type receiver. However, he is a quality route-runner who has a natural feel for the position and has strong overall field awareness.
One of the Norwood’s greatest strengths is his ball skills. He caught my eye throughout Senior Bowl week, where he appeared to have one of the more natural set of hands of the receiver crop in Mobile, Ala. That translated to his tape, where he displays above-average body control adjusting to throws outside of the strike zone. Norwood also has the toughness to work the middle of the field and shows the focus in traffic to consistently win in contested situations.
Norwood is still growing into his frame and must continue to develop his overall strength. However, he should be one of the wide receiver prospects teams could get great value for in the fourth-round range because of the unusual depth of this year’s receiver class. Norwood will be a strong fit for teams like the Broncos or Patriots, who rely on their receivers’ timing and reading coverages on the fly.
Norwood’s pegged as a slot receiver, but he seems to have the size, speed and skills to be versatile. Joe liked this stat from his junior year in 2012: 24 of his 29 receptions converted first downs. That’s impressive on any level. Last year, he led Alabama with seven touchdown catches.
No, Joe’s not overhyping Norwood, just giving an example of the type of quality that could be there late in the draft at receiver. Heck, as the Bucs’ receiving corps stands now, Norwood could compete for a starting job.
April 19th, 2014 at 11:08 am
He was Mr Clutch for Bama… so many huge possession catches.
April 19th, 2014 at 11:09 am
…Two huge national championship games…
April 19th, 2014 at 11:18 am
Value bomb.
April 19th, 2014 at 11:24 am
An admittedly biased Bama fan, I LOVE the idea of drafting this guy because of where we could get him and his abilities. He has outstanding hands and does make the necessary body adjustments when throws aren’t accurate.Two LSU games really stick out…the National Championship game in which he ate up the Honey Badger all night with a couple of circus catches, and the last second comeback at LSU in 2012 when he caught the first three consecutive passes of the winning drive. This guy is a stud as a possession/slot receiver, something we have lacked in Tampa Bay for ages. Even if we don’t draft him, he is the perfect example of the depth at WR in this draft, and why we shouldn’t draft one at #7, with the possible exception of Watkins.
April 19th, 2014 at 11:39 am
Trade down at #7 to Pitt or Dall ..take Carr and the guard on rd 2 (depth is weak) and take a WR with the 3rd rd pick and Norwood in the 4th (in return for our trade down. QB OG and 2 WR and I would be a happy camper.
April 19th, 2014 at 11:48 am
Thank you Joe for a good clean focused article on another player than JF. Very refreshing
April 19th, 2014 at 11:49 am
We’ll see. How does the league go several years with teams scraping the bottom of the barrel every year looking for quality receivers in FA or drafts to all of a sudden this year being 4 rounds of all-pros? Don’t believe the hype. There are decent WR’s to be had in later rounds but they are no where near as talented as the first couple of NFL ready receivers.
The best receivers are on the top, after that they all blend in with the woodwork. Just like every draft. Waiting to draft a WR because of the appearance of being deep will cost teams the cream of the crop. You’re more apt to draft a Julio Jones or a Victor Cruz in early rounds before waiting. For instance, don’t pass on a Mike Evans just because they can get a Benjamin in the 2nd. That’s absurd. Evans is way more NFL ready than Benjamin and has more upside at this point.
If it’s our pick and a WR is the next BPA and you have a choice between this drafts 7th ranked LB, 5th ranked RG or 3rd ranked WR. Take the 3rd ranked WR. We need the cream not just filler.
April 19th, 2014 at 12:11 pm
I don’t think he’ll last to the fourth…. I think there’s going to be feeding frenzy on WRs in the back half of the first all the way to to the top of the third. Teams like the Pats, Broncos, Steelers and Seahawks will be snatching all these talented wideouts.
April 19th, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Very good article on a good receiver. That is the breakdown i like to see the negative and the positives.
April 19th, 2014 at 12:21 pm
Norwood is a good 3rd day option at WR, but so is Devin Street/Pitt and Josh Huff/Oregon. And then there is Brandon Coleman, 6-6, 225 from the dreaded Rutgers (unfair swipe, good school, some good players) that is also an option.
There are WRs in this draft that will be taken as UDFAs, when last year they would have been 4th or 5th round picks.
April 19th, 2014 at 12:35 pm
Bigger upside than Williams!
April 19th, 2014 at 2:19 pm
Riiiiight! ^^^^
April 19th, 2014 at 2:26 pm
WRs everywhere! We need speed!
April 19th, 2014 at 2:31 pm
Another Bama fan here. Norwood is personification of the word mediocre. But there is nothing mediocre about effort or his feel for the game. He is at his best in finding soft spots between zones and giving his QB an open target when his more talented peers are covered. Plays the position like a vet, likely maxed out in both physique and technique. Jason Avant is a very good comparison.
April 19th, 2014 at 2:40 pm
First off roll damn tide!!! Second we used to have a gm who thought we were one player away so….. Goodbye 4th round pick
April 19th, 2014 at 4:11 pm
WR Tevin Reese (Baylor). Decent 6 or 7th Round prospect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTCloVsqYUA
April 19th, 2014 at 4:29 pm
Hey Joe, Im not a part of the Glennon Mob as you like to call it but your constant bashing of him and your JF mancrush has led me to ask you something. You say that Rookie QBs need time to develop and that they need the proper guidance. Mike Glennon became the first Rookie in NFL History to throw 10tds to 1int, He became the first Rookie in NFL History to throw a TD in each of his first eight games. You keep pointing to him leading us to having the leagues worst Offense. He did this with 3rd and 4th string RBs, no 2WR, a Pathetic Oline and the worst coaching in the NFL.
Im not saying that he is a Franchise QB. Im saying you are not giving the kid a fair shake.
Gatrbuc
April 19th, 2014 at 5:22 pm
Jordan Matthews in the 2nd and Jeremy Gallon in the 5th… Oh and whoever made the comment about Victor Cruz… I’m pretty sure he went un-drafted so you might want to use another example like Idk Dez AJ Calvin… lol seriously GOOGLE 🙂
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April 19th, 2014 at 6:12 pm
@Phillip
Thanks for the heads-up on Victor Cruz. …you’re right
I sorta realized it after I submitted.
I have a habit of lumping Cruz and Jones in a lot of conversations but you’re right, Calvin would have been the better argument. So for that, I say, Thankyou
April 19th, 2014 at 8:22 pm
i don’t care what the bucs do in the first three rounds, just as long as they pick up logan thomas/ 6″6 coleman and another linebacker in the later rounds. I don’t think a tight end or qb is necessary in this draft except fore the a fore mentioned logan thomas.
If they could trade down and go cb, O-line, DE (from stanford preferably) in the first three rounds I would be cool with that. As a new fan I can say that I am not sold on your starting runningback and would trade him, glennon, and vincent jackson for future high draft picks along with picks this year. let the team learn the systems and build a solid foundation and next years class will just fall in line with the seasoned group. NO window is closed, ATL will be a joke (bad o-line and no defense/running game), and carolina will have fired their coach cut their runningbacks leaving tampa bay to own the division for 3 to 4 years.
April 19th, 2014 at 8:38 pm
Find a dance partner, trade our pick and move down, get their pick and a second and a 4th.