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In the second of a four-part series leading up to the NFL Draft, The Post looks at wide receivers and tight ends. Next week: running backs and offensive linemen.
Considering Justin Blackmon was voted college football’s best receiver in each of his two seasons as a full-time starter, you would think the NFL’s peanut gallery would be silent.
Yet here we are.
The prolific Oklahoma State product appears almost certain to be the first wideout picked in the April 26-28 draft, but scouts aren’t entirely sold on Blackmon, despite those two relentlessly productive seasons for the Cowboys that ended in the Biletnikoff Award each time.
Not only did Blackmon refuse to run the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine because of a hamstring injury, but he also turned up shorter (6-feet-1) and lighter (207 pounds) than expected and struggled in the receiving drills while he was in Indianapolis.
Combine that with the DUI arrest Blackmon got during the 2010 season and the extremely spotty NFL track record of Oklahoma
State receivers, and it becomes easy to see why several teams have Notre Dame’s methodical Michael Floyd and even Baylor speedster Kendall Wright higher on their draft boards this spring.
The concern is that Blackmon, despite a school-record 2011 season in which he caught 111 passes for 1,782 yards and 20 TDs, will wind up being more of a possession receiver in the NFL than a game-breaker like Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald.
There’s nothing wrong with a reliable possession receiver, of course, but …
Though Blackmon reportedly ran a 4.45 40 at his pro day last month, he had predicted a 4.2. And scouts have long felt Blackmon lacked the elite, top-line speed necessary to be a team’s No. 1 receiver.
Blackmon also must deal with the fact many teams are gun shy about Oklahoma State receivers in general, considering Adarius Bowman and Rashaun Woods didn’t pan out and first-rounder Dez Bryant — the player Blackmon replaced — has yet to reach his potential in Dallas.
What Blackmon doesn’t lack is confidence, even comparing himself with Terrell Owens in his prime and admitting he had a few give-me-the-damn-ball moments in college.
“I’m going to be somebody who is going to be out there fighting,” Blackmon said at the combine. “I’m going to be working when no one is watching. I’m always going to be dependable and someone that you can count on.”
Teams wish they could say the same about the tight ends in this year’s draft, but former Ravens coach Brian Billick wasn’t alone during the combine when he called the group one of the worst he had seen in a while.
Thanks largely to Aaron Hernandez’s emergence, clubs now like for their tight ends to slim down and be able to line up at receiver, too. But any team hoping to replicate the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski-Hernandez 2010 goldmine at tight end probably will have to wait until next year.
Coby Fleener, one of Andrew Luck’s favorite target at Stanford, is the only tight end getting a consistent first-round grade, and even he isn’t considered a sure thing because scouts question how much of Fleener’s success stemmed from having an NFL-ready quarterback throwing to him.
bhubbuch@nypost.com
Where Giants stand
There’s a need for both positions, as No. 3 receiver Mario Manningham signed with the 49ers, leaving behind second-year Jerrel Jernigan, slow-developing Ramses Barden and returning-from-injury Domenik Hixon to battle for a big role in the offense. Giants have taken a look at South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery, who should be there at No. 32 if they want him. Now that they’ve signed Martellus Bennett from the Cowboys, it’s doubtful the Giants would go tight end in the first round, but if they do, Coby Fleener of Stanford is the best pass-catcher in the draft.
— Paul Schwartz
Where Jets stand
The Jets face an interesting dilemma when it comes to drafting a wide receiver. It is a huge need for them, because they have Santonio Holmes then a bunch of unproven players. But they have committed to being a run-heavy team this season. If Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd is available when their 16th pick arrives, they might have to take him. Otherwise, expect them to grab a receiver in the second or third round.
— Brian Costello