Phillip Dorsett Makes Strong 1st-Round Statement with Blazing Speed at Pro Day

Phillip Dorsett’s scouting report summarized with ultra brevity would read something like this: small, fast, really fast, so fast.

The former Miami Hurricanes wide receiver can move quickly, which isn’t exactly shocking information for those who caught even a passing glance at his 2014 season. After all, a passing glance is usually all Dorsett offered as he whizzed by defensive backs.

But there’s an unofficial metric for speed I’ll call the “whoa” reflex. It doesn’t matter how many times you see a player accelerate and reach top speed; the reaction is the same. For a moment it’s hard to form thoughts and turn them into words. Then once your jaw is functioning again only one word is possible.

That word, of course, is either a loud or barely audible “whoa,” depending on your style. Surely many of those were heard during Dorsett’s pro-day workout Wednesday after he lit stopwatches on fire, making a compelling first-round statement.

Pro-day 40-yard-dash times come with an automatic disclaimer statement: They're unofficial. All pro-day times are subject to itchy and/or lazy trigger fingers from the various important football men and media members in attendance.

That is why pro-day times are typically a tick or three faster than results at the scouting combine, where running back Chris Johnson’s 4.24 sprint still stands as the best ever.

But Dorsett has whirlwind speed regardless of the setting. If we put him on an even level with Central Florida receiver Breshad Perriman and compare their pro days, the max speeds are nearly identical. Perriman topped out at 4.25 seconds, according to the stopwatch held by NFL Network’s Mike Mayock.

Previously at the combine, Dorsett started at Point A and arrived at Point B 40 yards later in 4.33 seconds. That was the third-fastest time overall and the second fastest among wide receivers.

WR	Time
J.J. Nelson	4.28
Phillip Dorsett	4.33
Chris Conley	4.35
Kevin White	4.35
Tyler Lockett	4.40

Dorsett has used one of those giant Sharpies to put a checkmark beside the “is he absurdly fast?” question I assume is on every standard scouting sheet. But a blur-like quality alone doesn’t guarantee a first-round perch or a successful career ahead.

What else does he need to satisfy the various prominent draft czars who have Dorsett teetering on first-round-pick status? Mayock has said he's still a “borderline” first-round pick. And ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. lists him as one of the “safest” picks, though still leaves the second round open as a possibility by projecting Dorsett in the top 35.

Let’s keep running down the checklist. Straight-line speed is swell, but does Dorsett's translate to the field? The answer to that lies in his impressively bloated numbers.

Consider his touchdown total in 2014 alongside some of the draft’s other top receivers. Note Dorsett’s comparably tiny reception total too.

Wide receiver	Receptions	Touchdowns
Kevin White	109	10
Amari Cooper	124	16
Jaelen Strong	82	10
Phillip Dorsett	36	10

Dorsett averaged an incredible 24.2 yards per reception during a season highlighted by his 201-yard outburst in a win over Arkansas State.

We can also look to the tape from that game as another example of just how dangerous Dorsett can be and how quickly track speed turns into game speed.

In the first quarter he lined up as part of a twins set to the left side. Wisely, Arkansas State safety Sterling Young gave Dorsett plenty of cushion. The nine yards between Dorsett and Young should have been more than enough.

Credit: Draftbreakdown.com

But after the snap Young showed us what happens when you take even the tiniest misstep to reduce that cushion.

He took two steps forward while biting just a touch on the play fake, still leaving six yards as he planted to pursue his assignment...

Credit: Draftbreakdown.com

... Then Dorsett kept running for 63 yards.

Credit: Draftbreakdown.com

All right, but is that straight-line speed still present when he’s asked to make abrupt cuts from the slot to get open underneath? Dorsett’s time of 6.70 during the three-cone drill in Indianapolis says he has both vertical and short-area quickness. That time was the sixth-fastest overall and fourth among wide receivers.

What about his hands? Are they silky smooth or laced with barbed wire? Dorsett didn’t drop a single pass during his pro-day workout, corralling footballs while demonstrating why keeping up with him on quick-breaking routes will be rather difficult.

That reflexive movement makes Dorsett versatile as a receiver and capable of exploding vertically while also getting short-to-intermediate looks from the slot or even after lining up in the backfield.

But as draft analyst Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com noted in his evaluation, routine catches have presented a problem in the past, leading to drops on easy plays. NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein observed Dorsett is “inconsistent with his hand placement to catch and lets the ball get on top of him.”

That’s not the primary concern hovering over the 22-year-old. No, he has little control over the wall possibly guarding his entry into the first round: size.

Dorsett stands 5’10” and weighs 184 pounds. To compare, the similarly speedy Perriman comes closer to the modern mammoth wideout mold at 6’3” and 214 pounds. West Virginia’s Kevin White was plenty fast at the combine too, posting a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. He’s 6’3" and weighs 215 pounds.

A lack of bulk and an inability to match physical press coverage can limit a receiver’s role, which is where comparisons to the Arizona Cardinals’ John Brown are coming from.

During his rookie season in 2014, Brown was used primarily as a home run swing by Cardinals head coach and vertical enthusiast Bruce Arians. The result: five touchdowns and 696 receiving yards, fine production despite being on the field for only 62.9 percent of Arizona’s offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

The easy counterargument is named Antonio Brown. The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver averaged a whopping 106.1 receiving yards per game in 2014 while leading the NFL with 1,698 yards overall. His measurements (5’10, 186 lbs) are nearly identical to Dorsett’s frame. Then there’s the also size-challenged T.Y. Hilton (5’9”, 178 lbs), who finished sixth with 1,345 receiving yards during his third season.

When raw speed is used properly and combined with short-area burst, size concerns can be left in the distance. Dorsett is capable of creating that divide, making you forget about his slight stature.

He’ll either be a first-round pick or the draft’s best second-round bargain.