Jaydon Mickens

in our view

Mickens led the Huskies in receptions (50) and receiving yards (597) over the 2015 regular season and has been Washington's most consistent pass-catcher the past three years. However, he projects as just a late-round or free agent in the NFL as Mickens is more elusive than explosive and lacks ideal size. His best bet of making an NFL roster is as a slot receiver and punt returner.

mickens will drop an occasional easy one trying to make a move before he has the ball secured and needs to do a better job of protecting the football, too often swinging it loosely around defenders.

Mickens only has four career punt return attempts (for a total gain of 21 yards) and hasn't returned kicks since 2012 (when he averaged 21.5 yards on 19 attempts) but with John Ross out, the Huskies may ask the senior to take over the position. He may need to do so (and do it well) to assure being drafted as Mickens, while quick, is not a true blazer and comes with obvious size and strength limitations.

strengths

As Mickens' size implies, his game is built on quickness and agility. He possesses enough burst to force cornerbacks to think twice about pressing him at the line of scrimmage and is a savvy route-runner, incorporating varying gaits and fakes to create separation. He does most of his damage on quick throws to the perimeter and occasional deep balls.

mickens is generally a reliable hands-catcher and has shown the ability to absorb a big hit and hang on to the ball. he made some terrific grabs a year ago, showing the ability to adjust to poorly thrown passes behind him.

WEAKNESSES

2015