Ryan Switzer’s a really good football player and unfortunately, someone like Bill Belichick is going to draft him and I’m going to be upset.
That’s because all white, slot receivers are made to play for Bill, right? That’s what the timeline tells me anyway.
The same timeline will probably compare Switzer to either a current or former white, slot receiver. He’s either Wes Welker, or Danny Amendola, or maybe even Brandon Stokley. Y’all know the drill. Chris Hogan also agrees.
Anyway, for now, I just want to focus on Ryan Switzer.
Switzer’s a security blanket.
A 5’10” ball of warmth and comfort with a ridiculous set of hands and a penchant for making things happen over the middle and after the catch.
The knock on Switzer, other than his height, is that he’s going to be “specialized” at the next level. He’s probably not going deep for you, or at least not very often. He’s not going to blow you away with his blocking (he mixes it up, but again, it’s a size thing). Instead, he’ll sit in the slot. All day. And that’s exactly where you want him. Ryan Switzer’s automatic from the slot.
While Seth Roberts has had a handful of clutch moments and catches to his name, in addition to bringing a plus-blocking skill set to the table, he’s not nearly as consistent as you need him to be. With Amari Cooper on one side and Michael Crabtree split out on the opposite end, chances are, your slot receiver is going to be blessed with plenty of one-on-one opportunities. Said slot receiver needs to have the ability to capitalize on these opportunities and simply gobble up targets.
Adios, Seth. Come on down Number 3.
Number 3 does this; the hands definitely work. He consistently attacks the ball.
This is where Ryan’s going to make his money at the next level, however:
Size is noteworthy (for better or worse), but not necessarily a deterrent, if that makes sense.
Obviously the NFL is a different game, and the hits will keep coming and the players delivering those hits a bigger and stronger. You worry about him taking too many of those over time, but I think he manages to avoid such hits more often than not due to his quickness and above average awareness.
He’s also low-key yolked, as well:
Speaking of young Switz, dude works out. pic.twitter.com/6XSdvhDVJ0
— ryan (@StillRyanFive) January 21, 2017
Back to the film.
He’s so comfortable working the middle of the field. You also get a good feel for his quickness in these cut-ups. He’s going to move the chains for you all Sunday afternoon:
Could you imagine him in the East Bay? Almost a luxury for a quarterback like Derek Carr:
One thing I’d advise against is sliding a safety down.
Switzer will keep eating you up, taking all of the intermediate stuff.
Going back to the size thing, and as we saw in a handful of these videos: one thing that works against that (his stature) in a sense is that quickness we briefly mentioned. Off the line, in and out of breaks, he’s easily able to gain the separation needed to work against bigger defensive backs. These are some looks from the Senior Bowl that’s going on this week in Mobile:
Watch Switzer come off the LOS. pic.twitter.com/nVugNJjtdj
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 25, 2017
Ryan Switzer, anyone? pic.twitter.com/lqAL7LyjKf
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) January 24, 2017
Size shouldn’t stop the red zone opportunities, either:
I think you have to target a player like Ryan Switzer in the second round if you’re Oakland. I don’t see how he makes it to the third unless there’s some off-the-field stuff we don’t know about (everything I’ve heard and read points in the complete opposite direction, for what that’s worth) or if the league truly gets hung up on his size.
At the end of the day, for the Raiders, Switzer is going to absolutely vacuum up targets. With Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper commanding attention on the outside, the slot becomes a goldmine. Ryan Swizter’s sure-hands and ability after the catch will add a completely different layer to this Oakland offense. Don’t overthink this one.
Catch me on Twitter: @StillRyanFive
