This is a stacked wide receiver class and Rashod Bateman is one of five receivers inside the top 25 players on my Big Board. Whilst the Golden Gopher might not excel in any particular area he is arguably the most well-rounded of all of the receiving prospects in this year’s draft.
You can read more of my 2021 NFL Draft content here.
Strengths
The first thing you notice when watching Bateman play is his route running ability. He’s one of the best in all of college football and showcases some of the smoothest breaks and cuts you are likely to see from a college receiver. He has earned comparisons to the likes of Keenan Allen for his ability to create separation through his route running and plays the game with real intelligence.
Bateman has been consistently productive throughout his college career and put up some incredible numbers in 2019. He racked up 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns on 60 receptions, making him one of just nine receivers in college football to average over 20 yards per catch. He’s started 2020 in a similar fashion, with 472 yards in just five games.
Despite lacking top end speed, Bateman is a constant big play threat and a lot of this comes down to his ability after the catch. 37 per cent of his career yardage has come with the ball in his hands and he dynamic in the open field, with 36 forced missed tackles on 147 career catches.
Bateman also has one of the best release packages in all of college football. He’s effective at getting off the line against press coverage and creates separation early in his routes. Defenses can’t sit in off coverage either as he averaged 14 yards per target when facing it last season.
Weaknesses
One of the biggest weaknesses in Bateman’s game is his drops. This has plagued him throughout his entire time in college and doesn’t show any signs of improving. At this point he has 19 career drops, including four in one game against Iowa this season.
The other area where there will be some concerns is around Bateman’s athleticism. Unlike many of the top receivers in the 2021 class he doesn’t possess elite long speed and isn’t going to burn many corners downfield. In fairness to him this is not his style of game as he wins more through his route running than his explosiveness. Nevertheless, it does present certain limitations to his usage in the NFL.
He has also struggled somewhat against more physical corners. This was a noticeable issue against Lamar Jackson of Nebraska last season where he had a single catch for -4 yards. He seems to struggle when re-routed and this is a slight corner in the NFL where corners tend to be bigger and more comfortable in physical situations.
Bottom Line
Minnesota might not be having a great season, but Bateman is still putting up great numbers. He could certainly improve when it comes to his drops but he has all of the tools to be an elite receiver in the NFL. Players like Keenan Allen and Davante Adams prove you don’t need elite speed to be a top receiver and Bateman might just be the next player to prove that point.
Big Board Rank: #22
Positional Rank: #5
