6’2 ft // 210 lbs

Bateman has experience playing outside and in the slot. He uses a variety of releases to beat press coverage and is a very precise/clean route runner. He doesn't drift at the top of his route and generates tremendous separation on double moves. His instincts are on display when the play breaks down, showing a knack for adjusting and uncovering to provide an outlet when the quarterback scrambles.

Bateman also has strong hands and attacks the ball in the air. He rarely lets the ball get into his chest. You can see how much confidence he has in his hands when he's working in the middle of the field. He does not slow down and gather before the catch. Instead, he accelerates through the catch point. He's very physical and aggressive after the catch. He routinely breaks tackles and generates big yards on underneath and intermediate throws.

You want guys with different sizes and skill sets at the position. With that in mind, Bateman would be the power forward. He uses his size and physicality to overwhelm defenders. He's going to be an outstanding red-zone target at the next level.

Daniel Jeremiah sees some similarities to Michael Thomas when he was coming out of Ohio State. Both guys have an ideal blend of size and strength. They have the versatility to play outside or in the slot. Thomas has emerged as one of the premier players at his position. He's a high-volume pass catcher and his win rate on third downs is outstanding. If Bateman can land with the right quarterback, he could make a similar impact.

Projection; mid first round // trade down target.

 

He’s a step down from Chase/Smith but more polished than Waddle. He’s less agile than all 3. He’s more stiff (can’t find a better word) than them. 

I am sure Bateman has potential but eagles don’t draft well enough to trade down and pick the best WR available. They must get chase or smith. If not them then they can consider other positions at #6

I’d be pretty disappointed to come out with a we in round 1 and not have it be chase/smith/waddle. Maybe just my preference though.

11 minutes ago, ibleedgreen1990 said:

I’d be pretty disappointed to come out with a we in round 1 and not have it be chase/smith/waddle. Maybe just my preference though.

This

1 hour ago, ibleedgreen1990 said:

I’d be pretty disappointed to come out with a we in round 1 and not have it be chase/smith/waddle. Maybe just my preference though.

Bateman might be this years Justin Jefferson in that departement. Not viewed as a top 3 prospect at the position and therefor doesn’t get the attention he deserves but likely a high volume type of receiver at the next level.

He reminds me of (Allen) Robinson with a bit of Thomas and Jefferson sprinkled in.

1 hour ago, Ray75 said:

Bateman might be this years Justin Jefferson in that departement. Not viewed as a top 3 prospect at the position and therefor doesn’t get the attention he deserves but likely a high volume type of receiver at the next level.

He reminds me of (Allen) Robinson with a bit of Thomas and Jefferson sprinkled in.

He definitely looks like a solid receiver. A lot of the plays in the video look like busted coverage against smaller schools. I honestly don’t know much about him beyond the highlight video.

that said the highlight videos of the other guys look far more impressive to me. My personal preference would be waddle, smith, then chase. 

2 hours ago, ibleedgreen1990 said:

He definitely looks like a solid receiver. A lot of the plays in the video look like busted coverage against smaller schools. I honestly don’t know much about him beyond the highlight video.

that said the highlight videos of the other guys look far more impressive to me. My personal preference would be waddle, smith, then chase. 

Mine the complete opposite; Chase, Smith en then Waddle.

What I do believe it’s that our WR corps needs an Alpha. A reliable go to WR in the vein of my favorite prospect for the Eagles in april; Justin Jefferson. Someone that is always open, always ready to make a play, always finding a way to help out the QB,.

Just look at what Hopkins has done for Murray in Arizona. What Brees has in Thomas. What Brady had in Edelman. Big Ben in AB.

That is what I want for my QB and Chase fits that discription best IMO. To a lesser degree Bateman also has that in him.

 

 

I do like him quite a bit and would most definitely be on board with taking him with our 2nd should we address a position other than WR with our 1st.  

6 hours ago, Ray75 said:

Mine the complete opposite; Chase, Smith en then Waddle.

What I do believe it’s that our WR corps needs an Alpha. A reliable go to WR in the vein of my favorite prospect for the Eagles in april; Justin Jefferson. Someone that is always open, always ready to make a play, always finding a way to help out the QB,.

Just look at what Hopkins has done for Murray in Arizona. What Brees has in Thomas. What Brady had in Edelman. Big Ben in AB.

That is what I want for my QB and Chase fits that discription best IMO. To a lesser degree Bateman also has that in him.

 

 

We kinda had that for Carson in ertz already. People got upset that he didn’t spread the ball around more. But I can see what you’re saying. You want someone out an can go to every play.

 

For me that all about separation. Preferably through consistent route running. That’s why I like waddle the best. He is like a faster Antonio brown to me. Smith gets even more separation but it seems to come from outrunning people. Would be down for any of the three through. Not sure about taking waddle at 3. Maybe we can trade back and still get him if we get to 3.

On 12/28/2020 at 9:52 AM, The Holy Vagabond said:

He’s a step down from Chase/Smith but more polished than Waddle. He’s less agile than all 3. He’s more stiff (can’t find a better word) than them. 

He's way better than Smith. 

Taking Smith over Bateman is the exact same as taking Reagor over Jefferson.

3 hours ago, RastaPasta said:

He's way better than Smith. 

Taking Smith over Bateman is the exact same as taking Reagor over Jefferson.

I don’t agree. 

4 hours ago, RastaPasta said:

He's way better than Smith. 

Taking Smith over Bateman is the exact same as taking Reagor over Jefferson.

I believe it would be the exact opposite. Everyone told the Eagles Jefferson is the guy to take. They would be doing that with Smith this year. Smith is also ranked as the high wr, as he is likely to win the heisman. If we take Bateman while Smith is on the board most everyone will be like "wtf!?" 

Honestly curious why you are so high on Bateman. I dont watch college all so I dont see the whole game. But im watching highlights and honestly not very impressed. One series of highlights comes in a game where they are getting completely destroyed by Iowa and the one highlight is him catching the ball after the DB falls down (1:25). Another highlight in the same game is where he finds a nice soft spot in a zone and then runs right up to three defenders and basically gives up (2:10). Would prefer him try to run by them or try to muscle his way through. 

Time stamps from the below video.

 

16 minutes ago, ibleedgreen1990 said:

I believe it would be the exact opposite. Everyone told the Eagles Jefferson is the guy to take. They would be doing that with Smith this year. Smith is also ranked as the high wr, as he is likely to win the heisman. If we take Bateman while Smith is on the board most everyone will be like "wtf!?" 

Honestly curious why you are so high on Bateman. I dont watch college all so I dont see the whole game. But im watching highlights and honestly not very impressed. One series of highlights comes in a game where they are getting completely destroyed by Iowa and the one highlight is him catching the ball after the DB falls down (1:25). Another highlight in the same game is where he finds a nice soft spot in a zone and then runs right up to three defenders and basically gives up (2:10). Would prefer him try to run by them or try to muscle his way through. 

Time stamps from the below video.

 

He plays like a true alpha from what I see and has since he was a true freshman. He has super strong hands and catches almost everything away from his body. He's got a long, but stout body and enough speed to play any WR position. His routes are really nice, too. He doesn't drift upfield allowing defenders to pick off passes in front of him, and he trusts his hands enough to accelerate through the catch point, rather than try to gather himself and suck it into his gut.

I think he'd be a great X for the Eagles, moving Fulgham to the slot, with Reagor at Z. Or Reagor in the slot with Watkins/Hightower at Z. 

 

5 minutes ago, RastaPasta said:

He plays like a true alpha from what I see and has since he was a true freshman. He has super strong hands and catches almost everything away from his body. He's got a long, but stout body and enough speed to play any WR position. His routes are really nice, too. He doesn't drift upfield allowing defenders to pick off passes in front of him, and he trusts his hands enough to accelerate through the catch point, rather than try to gather himself and suck it into his gut.

I think he'd be a great X for the Eagles, moving Fulgham to the slot, with Reagor at Z. Or Reagor in the slot with Watkins/Hightower at Z. 

 

I respect that he is your draft crush, I just dont see it. To me he looks like Jordan Mathews that played against lower competition. In three seasons he has 19 TDS and 2300 yards. I dont see a player that creates separation. Like I said I dont watch full games but his highlights dont have a lot of true jump ball scenarios where he wins. If he allows NFL dbs to stick to him like this he will not produce. This guy would worry the heck out of me. If he could only get one thousand yard season in 3 years against college dbs why should we assume he can be more consistent against tougher competition?

Id take him in the second maybe depending on who else is there but there is absolutely no way I touch him with the top three guys still there. Like I said though I get everyone has their guys. Mine is Waddle and im sure a lot of people would disagree with that too.

14 minutes ago, ibleedgreen1990 said:

I respect that he is your draft crush, I just dont see it. To me he looks like Jordan Mathews that played against lower competition. In three seasons he has 19 TDS and 2300 yards. I dont see a player that creates separation. Like I said I dont watch full games but his highlights dont have a lot of true jump ball scenarios where he wins. If he allows NFL dbs to stick to him like this he will not produce. This guy would worry the heck out of me. If he could only get one thousand yard season in 3 years against college dbs why should we assume he can be more consistent against tougher competition?

Id take him in the second maybe depending on who else is there but there is absolutely no way I touch him with the top three guys still there. Like I said though I get everyone has their guys. Mine is Waddle and im sure a lot of people would disagree with that too.

To be fair, one under 1k year was his true freshman season. The other was this season he opted out of, waivered back in, and then opted back out of. He also doesn't have QB pedigree and everything else around him that makes Alabama players often look better than they actually are. He just came in and demanded touches in the offense from Day 1.

20 minutes ago, ibleedgreen1990 said:

I respect that he is your draft crush, I just dont see it. To me he looks like Jordan Mathews that played against lower competition. In three seasons he has 19 TDS and 2300 yards. I dont see a player that creates separation. Like I said I dont watch full games but his highlights dont have a lot of true jump ball scenarios where he wins. If he allows NFL dbs to stick to him like this he will not produce. This guy would worry the heck out of me. If he could only get one thousand yard season in 3 years against college dbs why should we assume he can be more consistent against tougher competition?

Id take him in the second maybe depending on who else is there but there is absolutely no way I touch him with the top three guys still there. Like I said though I get everyone has their guys. Mine is Waddle and im sure a lot of people would disagree with that too.

Bateman is not a top 10 option, he could be a target mid first round if we trade down that is.

3 minutes ago, Ray75 said:

Bateman is not a top 10 option, he could be a target mid first round if we trade down that is.

Agree with you here for sure

13 hours ago, RastaPasta said:

To be fair, one under 1k year was his true freshman season. The other was this season he opted out of, waivered back in, and then opted back out of. He also doesn't have QB pedigree and everything else around him that makes Alabama players often look better than they actually are. He just came in and demanded touches in the offense from Day 1.

Agreed! He has Justin Jefferson 2.0,  Allen Robinson 2.0, young Brandon Marshall written all over him.

I like Bateman a lot, especially for the Eagles. Good size, good hands, good route runner, reliable target, gets separation, good YAC guy, can play both on the outside and in the slot, very physical. Won’t be the fastest though. He can do what Fulgham did during that amazing stretch on a consistent basis. 

I would not touch him in the top 10 but if we trade back and fetch some more picks, I’d be all over him in that 14-20 range.

If our pick comes up and Howie is intent on not taking Chase or Parsons and Sewell is off the board as expected, I would not be upset if a team picking in the lower teens wanting to trade up for a QB offers us their 2nd and next year's 1st to do so and we take Bateman there.  That would be tremendous value all around - I do think Bateman is going to be a stud in the NFL and having extra early picks to re-stock the roster with young talent is just what this team needs.  

**Bump**

If we pass on a WR in the 1st, hoping Bateman is our pick at 37.  

I'm super high on this guy after watching some film.  The guy catches everything...his highlight reel is on par with what Odell Beckham Jr. looked like in his prime.  He could end up being the best WR in the entire class, imo.

 

 

On 2/13/2021 at 6:27 PM, Ace Nova said:

I'm super high on this guy after watching some film.  The guy catches everything...his highlight reel is on par with what Odell Beckham Jr. looked like in his prime.  He could end up being the best WR in the entire class, imo.

 

Yep.  He's at the top of my WR wish list if we pass on Chase. 

 

 

That would be exceptional speed for what he does and his skill set.