Quote: @pattersaur said:
Alright Hawkeye fan lurkers... we know you’re out there. Riders of Rohan, what say you?! Is this a good pick?
Feels like at bare minimum he can take over KR duties today.
You can't look at his stats as a judgement, I will tell you that much. What he put up, was with some of the worst QB play (one who just happens to be on our roster) that I have seen on the Hawks in a long time. He would be wide open, and we couldn't get him the ball. I am very happy, but one big sticks out to me. His attitude. Hurt himself celebrating in a game that didn't matter. Listening to the Rick call, I didn't jive with his tone and what he said either.
Quote: @El_Padre said:
@ pattersaur said:
Alright Hawkeye fan lurkers... we know you’re out there. Riders of Rohan, what say you?! Is this a good pick?
Feels like at bare minimum he can take over KR duties today.
You can't look at his stats as a judgement, I will tell you that much. What he put up, was with some of the worst QB play (one who just happens to be on our roster) that I have seen on the Hawks in a long time. He would be wide open, and we couldn't get him the ball. I am very happy, but one big sticks out to me. His attitude. Hurt himself celebrating in a game that didn't matter. Listening to the Rick call, I didn't jive with his tone and what he said either.
Stanley threw the ball to his first option 99% of the time whether he was covered or wide open. And Petras definitely went through his growing pains. Marsette wasn’t the greatest teammate. He basically quit going to class prior to the end of the football season and never would have played in the bowl game. He declared for the draft prior to the bowl game because he would have flunked out of school. And like you mention, the flip was selfish and a me first move that put him in a walking cast the balance of the game. If he grows up, he does have a lot of talent.
PROSPECT SUMMARY - IHMIR SMITH-MARSETTEIowa wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette can, for the right offense, be quite the steal in the 2021 NFL Draft. Smith-Marsette brings ample speed, return skills, and vertical receiving to the game, and his production at the University of Iowa isn’t necessarily the best indicator or how talented he actually is—especially given that his open targets were much too often left short or hung in the air long enough to draw defenders back into the play. Smith-Marsette brings a track background to the field and it shows. He’s a graceful runner with easy speed and is at his best when he’s charged with stacking defenders vertically. The Hawkeyes did manufacture some touches for Smith-Marsette courtesy of tunnel screens, double reverses, jet motions and touch passes. He was highly productive on a per-touch basis and, despite some of his limitations in functional strength and size, should find success in a vertical passing offense at the next level. It is worth noting that Smith-Marsette was arrested on Nov. 1, 2020 for speeding and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, plus saw his playing career come to an unceremonious end with a celebratory front flip on a touchdown that resulted in an ankle injury that shelved him for the rest of Iowa’s 2020 campaign.
Ideal Role: Traditional Z-receiver.
Scheme Fit: Vertical passing offense.
FILM EVALUATIONWritten by Kyle Crabbs
Games watched: Illinois (2019), USC (2019), Northwestern (2020), Penn State (2020), Wisconsin (2020)
Best Game Studied: Wisconsin (2020)
Worst Game Studied: Penn State (2020)
Route Running: Smith-Marsette is at his best on double moves and deeper developing routes. He offers silky transitions and cuts down the field and pairs that with strong salesmanship of false breaks to force defenders off their landmarks. His use of head and hips to tell lies is effective and he’s impressive with how efficient he is stacking defenders on his vertical work. Effortless strides allow him to eat grass and run away from leverage effectively.
Hands: Smith-Marsette’s catch radius isn’t exceptional and he is somewhat of a body-catcher when he’s square to the football. He has extended to make plays out away from his frame but he’s not immune from letting the ball into his chest. He has flashed good hand strength in instances in which he’s disrupted late in the process of the catch.
Separation: The gas pedal is easy to find when you leave him room to work at the snap—he’s got long strides and is slippery with running through the contact window to stack vertically. His ability to break away from contact if he’s faced with length and physicality at corner is dependent on his ability to slip the first punch. The deeper the route, the more consistent separation he’ll find.
Release Package: He’s a bit more of a long-strider than he is someone with the wiggle and twitch from his stance to create space for himself—if you place him on the LOS against press, he may not consistently get out of the blocks and can see his timing disrupted. Iowa offered him some short-motion pre-snap in order to manufacture clean windows to get off the LOS.
Run After Catch: Smith-Marsette is slippery here and his open-field skills shine both in the screen game and on manufactured touches. He’s additionally quite effective in the return game to set up favorable angles with his initial release to isolate the first-arriving tackler and force errors. He’s surprisingly persistent against body contact and showcases good balance; his experience as a hurdler does him well to contort his frame and stick the landing. If you catch him in stride on vertical shots, his odds of a house call are pretty strong.
Ball Skills: Smith-Marsette’s catch radius is only modest and additionally he doesn’t thrive in contested situations. He won’t win you a lot of back-shoulder balls and Iowa passers consistently hung him out to dry with passes left way underthrown—forcing him to come back to the football. Despite all the experience on underthrows, he didn’t win consistently with high-point receptions. Over the shoulder tracking skills are where he shines best.
Football IQ: Smith-Marsette is well seasoned and has found plenty of ways to impact the game. He has a natural feel for the game as a ball-carrier and navigating high-congested areas without exposing himself to big blows. His route-running in the 20-plus yard depth is some of the best in show for his ability to hit double moves and position to hit home runs.
Versatility: There’s no reason why Smith-Marsette can’t serve as a kick returner at the pro game, adding value to his profile as a prospect. I wouldn’t call upon Smith-Marsette to play in offenses that rely on quick game and a lot of in-breaking routes inside of 10 yards—that isn’t to say he can’t find production there, but running him into squatters and asking him to win early and consistently against press at the LOS feels like a misjudgment of his skills.
Competitive Toughness: Functional strength isn’t a staple or cornerstone and despite some pleasant flashes of contact balance, he will generally get bullied against defenders looking to disrupt his timing or get him misaligned on his stem. He won’t offer a great deal of value in the blocking game, either—he's a bit too light in the trunk to clamp down on defensive backs with consistency.
Big-Play Ability: He's a home-run hitter. I love his upside in a vertical passing offense and he’s going to give you a number of clean looks vertically down the field. If your protection can block for three-plus seconds, let him double move or deep over and flood zones and enjoy the explosive plays he’ll bring to the table.
Prospect Comparison: Robby Anderson (2016 NFL Draft, UDFA)
Quote: @Waterboy said:
@ El_Padre said:
@ pattersaur said:
Alright Hawkeye fan lurkers... we know you’re out there. Riders of Rohan, what say you?! Is this a good pick?
Feels like at bare minimum he can take over KR duties today.
You can't look at his stats as a judgement, I will tell you that much. What he put up, was with some of the worst QB play (one who just happens to be on our roster) that I have seen on the Hawks in a long time. He would be wide open, and we couldn't get him the ball. I am very happy, but one big sticks out to me. His attitude. Hurt himself celebrating in a game that didn't matter. Listening to the Rick call, I didn't jive with his tone and what he said either.
Stanley threw the ball to his first option 99% of the time whether he was covered or wide open. And Petras definitely went through his growing pains. Marsette wasn’t the greatest teammate. He basically quit going to class prior to the end of the football season and never would have played in the bowl game. He declared for the draft prior to the bowl game because he would have flunked out of school. And like you mention, the flip was selfish and a me first move that put him in a walking cast the balance of the game. If he grows up, he does have a lot of talent.
This is it. I dont think Ihmir ever becomes the #3 receiver but he will and should be their kick returner as he's probably the best I have seen at Iowa. He can fly so they can certainly find ways to get him the ball in space but he will be non existent vs physical corners as he's not the best route runner
I don't like this pick. Yes, he is fast, but alcohol and attitude issues. He will not give us much unless turns around.
Quote: @peacebringer said:
I don't like this pick. Yes, he is fast, but alcohol and attitude issues. He will not give us much unless turns around.
Attitude issues is fine, but because he got arrested one time in an alcohol related incident doesnt mean it's an issue. If that's the case, the Bucs should have never drafted Wirfs
https://www.nfldraftdiamonds.com/2021/02/ihmir-smith-marsette/
With the NFL Draft quickly approaching, all eyes seem to be on the wide receiver class. Many have DeVonta Smith of Alabama as their number one with LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase right behind him. Then another Alabama wide out Jaylen Waddle is right behind them, but are they forgetting a wide out?
I honestly believe they are missing a wide receiver prospect. I feel because Ihmir-Smith Marsette finished the season injured, people are overlooking him.
When you breakdown his film there is not much difference between Ihmir and the top prospect DeVonta Smith. Both are around 6’1, Smith-Marsette is a little heavier at 179 and both can return kicks.
I have been blown away when breaking down film on Smith-Marsette. He reminds me heavily of Kansas City Chiefs WR Mecole Herdman. He was utilized the same way Hardman is for the Chiefs. They hit him on screens, he has several designed runs and he is explosive return man. You can see he is a problem for opposing defenses.
I project Ihmir Smith-Marsette to end up going a lot sooner than people project. He did get injured this year, but his recovery is said to be moving along fine. He has a pro day next month at Iowa. If he can have a great pro day, his name could start trending upwards.
Remember in the preseason, Ihmir had a 2nd round Blesto grade. This kid is a super star in the making. Many have him going 4th to 5th in their Mock Drafts, but they may want to start changing that.
Watching his highlights, he's an interesting prospect. Lanky and can fly, makes tough catches, smart with not showing his hands on a deep ball, seems to score a lot.
He feels and looks like Jerome Simpson (before he got to Minnesota).
Going to be interesting to see if he develops, a lot of physical talent but that's the whole NFL.
Quote: @Hawkvike25 said:
@ peacebringer said:
I don't like this pick. Yes, he is fast, but alcohol and attitude issues. He will not give us much unless turns around.
Attitude issues is fine, but because he got arrested one time in an alcohol related incident doesnt mean it's an issue. If that's the case, the Bucs should have never drafted Wirfs
Let's say it's not an alcohol issue. If not than it's clearly an intelligence issue. He was going 74 mph in a 30 mph zone. On a street that if you're doing 10 over you're an idiot. 44 mph over and you're begging to kill someone. Factor in he was nearly twice the legal limit. Did I mention the place he was coming from was just over a mile from his home? Its Iowa City FFS, everything is walkable. Too drunk to walk? No shortage of Ubers or Taxis .And for good measure he was failing fall classes and wasn't going to be eligible for the bowl game. Sounds like a real winner.
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