Here's what our scouting reports had to say about Blaine Gabbert's newest target:
Blackmon is the Andrew Luck of wide receivers in many ways. He entered the 2011 season one of the top receiving prospects in the nation and was considered a top five draft selection as of January, when actual football games ceased. Then, the fine tooth combs came out, and we all noticed that Blackmon is a little short, does not have DeSean Jackson speed, and was helped more than a little by his system. Meanwhile, Michael Floyd and Kendall Wright became more fashionable prospects. "Is Floyd better than Blackmon" became a meme in the draft under-net a few weeks ago, just as "Luck versus RGIII" was a ready source of cash for many of us (including me!) in March. In some cases, constructive Blackmon criticism snowballed into something approaching Blackmon-bashing: it's okay to like Floyd or Wright better, but if you don't see a high first round pick here, then you don't know what a high first round pick looks like.
After all of the micro-scrutiny of Blackmon, you come away with tons of high-level production, lots of big plays, even more routine plays, and a prospect whose hands, ability to work the middle, and explosiveness after the catch cannot be questioned. Floyd is bigger and stronger, but he has bigger character questions, and Blackmon is faster, no matter what the stopwatches say. Both are top-15 picks, both can be go-to receivers.
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