Juron Criner AZ WR

[tony hipchest]

2 years ago, the steelers drafted 2 relatively unknown suprise pick wr's who turned out to be pretty good.

one thing they had in common was their experience, combining for 600 receptions in their college careers.

this guy fits the mold of what we have been, and will be looking for in a wr. read what pat kirwan said about him yesterday on sirius (copywrighted so i cant cut n paste it all)-

what if i told you there is a wr that at 6'3" 225 lbs and could jump 39 inch vert which in basketball terms means his elbows are above the rim. he has bigger hands than justin blackmon, and even though he had 209 receptions and 32 td's in his career is thought of as a 4th or 5th rounder because of his 40 time.

i heard this and immediately thought steeler's big guy and red zone threat. turns out the steelers took notice too.

read rest here and other reports on him as well- http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings...2012&genpos=wr

he improved on his 4.68 combine time at his pro day. several teams scouts, specifically the panthers and steelers didnt seem concerned and were heard marvelling at his phenominal body control.

link has youtube highlights.

[MDSteel15]

He's making me giddy.... He sounds like Colsten when he came out of college!

[tony hipchest]

"some describe him as sub par straight line speed, relies too heavilly on his size and has inconsistant hands. go back and look at the report in 2006 of the saints m. coulston and its similar. those reports were wrong and damaged coulston enough."

-pat kirwan

now im not suggesting he is the next coulston (i havent even seen him play). im just saying he seems to be the exact type of player the steelers would pounce on were he available in the 4th or 5th round.

[cbrunn]

i love him too and a big target that Ben always been wanting ...but i don't think he makes it to the 4th or 5th round ...

here another WR we could probably get in the 7th Chris Summers

Career 188 2712 14.4 26

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings...2012&genpos=WR
Dates: 03/06/12
Height: 6047
Weight: 215
40 Yrd Dash: 4.57
20 Yrd Dash: 2.72
10 Yrd Dash: 1.62 225 Lb. Bench Reps:
Vertical Jump: 31
Broad Jump: 10'01"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.48
3-Cone Drill: 7.3

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Here is a report from him in Senior Bowl practice in Feb.


WR Juron Criner of Arizona is playing much better. He's a terrific athlete and dominant when on his game. Despite taking an elbow in his neck from Ryan Steed of Furman, Criner was able to get off the line, separate from the defender and make a nice catch. Criner just made another terrific over the shoulder reception down the field, beating DeQuan Menzie of Alabama.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1rGu6mcYB

[PhantomJB93]

If we're big on him, I could see us taking him as early as the third round. We have a tendency to snag mid-round prospects we're high on a little earlier than they're supposed to go (see: Cortez Allen, Jason Worilds, Emmanuel Sanders, etc). After the first round, the Steelers seem to pick players where they think they're worth picking, rather than where they're expected to be picked.

I've actually been pretty big on Criner myself for a while now and have been hoping we would take him somewhere. He would make an awesome compliment to our small, speedy receiving corps and would make losing Wallace next offseason a lot less devastating.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Originally Posted by PhantomJB93

If we're big on him, I could see us taking him as early as the third round. We have a tendency to snag mid-round prospects we're high on a little earlier than they're supposed to go (see: Cortez Allen, Jason Worilds, Emmanuel Sanders, etc). After the first round, the Steelers seem to pick players where they think they're worth picking, rather than where they're expected to be picked.

I've actually been pretty big on Criner myself for a while now and have been hoping we would take him somewhere. He would make an awesome compliment to our small, speedy receiving corps and would make losing Wallace next offseason a lot less devastating.

Something tells me if we draft a WR in the 3rd, it could be Devier Posey from Ohio St. Haley personally worked him out at the OSU pro day.

[tony hipchest]

just 2 guys opinions-

Sigmund Bloom‏@SigmundBloom
Lance Lewis might have the best ball skills in this class of WR. Shades of Brandon Lloyd/Denarius Moore.


(nlf draft lead writer for bleacher report )

Russell Lande‏@RUSSLANDE
@SigmundBloom - I would put J. Criner at the top of the list for ball skills as he has rare hands, body control and hand/eye coordination.


(nfl draft expert for gm jr. scouting and the sporting news)

[Steel Glory]

I had already planned on slotting this guy in as a third rounder in my final mock before the draft. We have enough speed guys that his 40 time shouldn't worry us that much. He doesn't play that slowly