2019 Third Round Pick (#93) - Miles Boykin - WR - Notre Dame

[drd23]

16 minutes ago, DreamKid said:

Incredibly well spoken for a receiver, seems pretty bright at least. That paired with his athleticism gives me some measure of hope.

Absolutely.  I can definitely see how he would impress in interviews with coaches etc

I really hope he can prove us wrong and become a productive receiver for us

[DreamKid]

 

[DreamKid]

 

[DreamKid]

 

[RavensfanRD]

Stop trying to gas me up with excitement!

[DreamKid]

6 hours ago, drd23 said:

According to at least one scouting report I've seen, the Stanford game is his best, and the Vanderbilt one his worst

That's because they had Jojuan Williams go head up on him for a good portion of the game.

drd I recommend watching all of his cut ups......the kid is actually super legit. lol I think he has WR #1 potential. And this is after I just smashed him because of his breakout age.

I saw strong focus catches, catch point separation, fluidity of movement and stellar stop start ability, consistent extension catching, burst off the line, long speed to win deep, subtle hand fighting, top tier DPI ability, flexibility/body control, great tracking, blocking, strong hands to maintain catches through contact, above the rim play, he lined all over the field inside and outside left and right...- The Kid showed me everything I needed to see.

I was not expecting this. The only negatives were a lack of YAC plays and he needs to refine his route running. He'll round his routes too often imo. He could stand to be more aggressive and alpha too. He needs to attack poorly thrown balls more violently and really use his rare length/frame. Nothing major though, and nothing that isn't a common issue for all receiver prospects. And even with the YAC stuff, I saw him score on a screen play. I just think he didn't have many opportunities to actually make use of his athleticism. 

He went up against some of the best CBs CFB had to offer. LSU 2017- He beats Greedy Williams and Donte Jackson. Clemson 2018- He beats Trayvon Mullen. Vanderbilt 2018- He beats Joejuan Williams. Northwestern 2018- He beats Montre Hartage. Michigan 2018- He worked David Long. That's four 2nd Round NFL CBs and one 3rd Rounder, some of whom were projected in the 1st. And a solid draftable talent in Montre Hartage.

The only one of those players I would say that got the better of him is Joejuan Williams. The Patriots 2nd Round pick. Luckily I don't think Miles is going to encounter many 6'4 CBs in the NFL. Which brings me to my point. This kid can become a true nightmare. JJ Williams is probably one of the most equipped CBs on the planet to battle against Miles and still Boykin beat him a couple times, and one of those times drew an endzone DPI.

He would've been a perfect fit for Flacco, that's one of the biggest things that jumped out at me. I think he can be great for Lamar too though. DeCosta really dug out some top tier options for our offense going forward.

 

[diamondbull424]

This is a decent breakdown of what I’ve seen when rewatching his tape. His QB talent sucks. Which isn’t to excuse him for not still dominating sooner, but that does explain some things about his most recent production. What’s more Boykin seems to be the anti-Jordan Lasley. Great hands but limited competitiveness.

When asked why he didn’t perform better earlier, he mentioned that it was a testament to the great offensive talent at Norte Dame. And while it was a great and lovely team response... it honestly sounded like he genuinely believed that. 

My concern is that he hasn’t dominated because he didn’t care enough to dominate. That he liked his teammates so he lowered his standards to play on the same level as them vs having a chip on his shoulder and playing as if he has something to lose.

[DreamKid]

Donte Jackson 2nd & 4

3rd & 19 vs Greedy Williams

 

 

[diamondbull424]

14 minutes ago, DreamKid said:

That's because they had Jojuan Williams go head up on him for a good portion of the game.

drd I recommend watching all of his cut ups......the kid is actually super legit. lol I think he has WR #1 potential. And this is after I just smashed him because of his breakout age.

I saw strong focus catches, catch point separation, fluidity of movement and stellar stop start ability, consistent extension catching, burst off the line, long speed to win deep, subtle hand fighting, top tier DPI ability, flexibility/body control, great tracking, blocking, strong hands to maintain catches through contact, above the rim play, he lined all over the field inside and outside left and right...- The Kid showed me everything I needed to see.

I was not expecting this. The only negatives were a lack of YAC plays and he needs to refine his route running. He'll round his routes too often imo. He could stand to be more aggressive and alpha too. He needs to attack poorly thrown balls more violently and really use his rare length/frame. Nothing major though, and nothing that isn't a common issue for all receiver prospects. And even with the YAC stuff, I saw him score on a screen play. I just think he didn't have many opportunities to actually make use of his athleticism. 

He went up against some of the best CBs CFB had to offer. LSU 2017- He beats Greedy Williams and Donte Jackson. Clemson 2018- He beats Trayvon Mullen. Vanderbilt 2018- He beats Joejuan Williams. Northwestern 2018- He beats Montre Hartage. Michigan 2018- He worked David Long. That's four 2nd Round NFL CBs and one 3rd Rounder, some of whom were projected in the 1st. And a solid draftable talent in Montre Hartage.

The only one of those players I would say that got the better of him is Joejuan Williams. The Patriots 2nd Round pick. Luckily I don't think Miles is going to encounter many 6'4 CBs in the NFL. Which brings me to my point. This kid can become a true nightmare. JJ Williams is probably one of the most equipped CBs on the planet to battle against Miles and still Boykin beat him a couple times, and one of those times drew an endzone DPI.

He would've been a perfect fit for Flacco, that's one of the biggest things that jumped out at me. I think he can be great for Lamar too though. DeCosta really dug out some top tier options for our offense going forward.

 

Couldn’t have said it better myself. We both seemed to notice that he wasn’t an “alpha”.

Honestly this interview isn’t bad, but it’s what I was referring to about not being an Alpha. I mean there was really no correct answer to that question if not breaking out sooner. In fact what he says is great. I just have heard plenty of players say similar things, but deep down they seemingly have some fire behind the words. You come away feeling like they felt “held back” either via coaching or QB play and that they’re determined to prove that in a better situation they will overcome.

I remember having that feeling when we drafted Flacco. He didn’t perform at Penn State and while he didn’t throw them under the bus, you could feel the fire of his competitiveness coming out. I don’t get that feeling from Boykin here. Especially at a position that many of the top options have that swagger and alpha mentality, I’m not sure if Boykin will ever be as dominant as his physical tools would suggest... unless he works with a coach that can play some mind games with him to force him to reach his potential.

 

[VigilantZombie]

8 hours ago, DreamKid said:

Most likely going to bust.

Trash breakout age, and unlike Hollywood he doesn't have an excuse. No prolific offense or JUCO history for him.

Dude redshirted 2015 and it still took him 2 years after to reach a season over 300 yards. That is a horrible sign.

Support him, but don't get your hopes up.

An outsiders point of view.  Have you ever watched him in a single game? Nothing you just said describes Miles Boykin.  First of all, he isn't a day 1 starter, if that's what you're expecting, you're going to be disappointed.  Unlike Hollywood who weighs 166 lbs, Boykin actually has size and oh btw, he is fast.  He is a good route runner, smart, and has good hands.  He isn't a perfect specimen and in some ways is still raw, but he has a very high ceiling.  It comes down to whether or not the Ravens can develop him.

[DreamKid]

3 minutes ago, diamondbull424 said:

I’m not sure if Boykin will ever be as dominant as his physical tools would suggest... unless he works with a coach that can play some mind games with him to force him to reach his potential.

This is what I want to see. Just BOOM and go. You know you're the better, bigger, stronger athlete- so crush the op and get open. That's Donte Jackson he's man handling. 

Hopefully competing with our Elite group of CBs will bring that dog out in him even more. Day in and Day out. 

[DreamKid]

1 minute ago, wwhickok said:

An outsiders point of view.  Have you ever watched him in a single game? Nothing you just said describes Miles Boykin.  First of all, he isn't a day 1 starter, if that's what you're expecting, you're going to be disappointed.  Unlike Hollywood who weighs 166 lbs, Boykin actually has size and oh btw, he is fast.  He is a good route runner, smart, and has good hands.  He isn't a perfect specimen and in some ways is still raw, but he has a very high ceiling.  It comes down to whether or not the Ravens can develop him.

Check out my later post above, which was made after watching every cut up available. You should've read further, I love his tape. Doesn't mean his breakout age isn't a red flag though.

[BareYourTeeth]

I like the Kenny Golladay comp.

[drd23]

1 hour ago, DreamKid said:

drd I recommend watching all of his cut ups......the kid is actually super legit. lol I think he has WR #1 potential. And this is after I just smashed him because of his breakout age.

I saw strong focus catches, catch point separation, fluidity of movement and stellar stop start ability, consistent extension catching, burst off the line, long speed to win deep, subtle hand fighting, top tier DPI ability, flexibility/body control, great tracking, blocking, strong hands to maintain catches through contact, above the rim play, he lined all over the field inside and outside left and right...- The Kid showed me everything I needed to see.

I was not expecting this. The only negatives were a lack of YAC plays and he needs to refine his route running. He'll round his routes too often imo. He could stand to be more aggressive and alpha too. He needs to attack poorly thrown balls more violently and really use his rare length/frame. Nothing major though, and nothing that isn't a common issue for all receiver prospects. And even with the YAC stuff, I saw him score on a screen play. I just think he didn't have many opportunities to actually make use of his athleticism. 

I've already watched 4 of the 5 cut-ups I posted earlier - vs Clemson was the only one I haven't watched.  I agree on some of what you've said but disagree with others.

He's definitely got good hands, and you can see some of his plus athleticism on film.  I think he's shown himself to be a willing blocker but I'd disagree that he's actually good at it.  His route running needs work - something he himself said in that PFF interview you posted earlier.

I've always been someone that has tried to use analytics to help inform my positions on prospects and I just can't get past some of the things I've seen in that regard.  His lack of production prior to his rJr year is a problem.  For someone with his apparent athleticism, he has below average numbers for both YAC and number of long receptions and his Yards/Target metric is fairly pedestrian too. 

All these things point towards a WR that needs development to turn that potential ability into production. And while his attitude in that interview would suggest he'll put in the effort, this franchise has never given me a reason to believe that they can develop a really good WR in the time I've been following them.  But as I said earlier, I hope I'm proved wrong on this

[DreamKid]

2 minutes ago, drd23 said:

I've always been someone that has tried to use analytics to help inform my positions on prospects and I just can't get past some of the things I've seen in that regard.  His lack of production prior to his rJr year is a problem.  For someone with his apparent athleticism, he has below average numbers for both YAC and number of long receptions and his Yards/Target metric is fairly pedestrian too.

I agree. There is some measure of an issue if for 3 years you aren't making yourself known. Look at Jaleel Scott. The tape is great, but a breakout age of 22.5 is legit evil in terms of projection. And what happened? Jaleel bombed the Senior Bowl, was meh at the combine, and was way too close to being a 1st year cut for comfort. That late breakout age at the very least shows you either take an exceptionally long time to get used to and thrive in a new environment or you weren't special/skilled enough to demand time and targets in a very malleable situation. 

Love Miles' tape, love the athletic testing, but at the end of the day if he works out- he's an outlier. Which is why we can't bank on anything.