Michael Floyd: Star WR Will Prove His Worth vs. Florida State

Michael Floyd is not just a big receiver capable of winning jump balls on deep routes and in the red zone. Yes, he has that value going for him, but he's a lot more than just that. 

Floyd is also capable of catching short passes and making a big play from them. He's able to go over the middle and make tough catches. 

Even when Floyd's number is not called, his size makes him a valuable blocker on runs. 

This will all be on display on Friday when Notre Dame takes on Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl. As Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune discussed, Notre Dame will be running with two quarterbacks on Thursday. 

Tommy Rees is more of a classic quarterback, whereas Andrew Hendrix is a more built to run. Now, Rees can run and Hendrix can throw, which will be important. To beat Florida State, Notre Dame will need to keep the Seminoles defense guessing.

They will need to do one other thing to beat Florida State. Their best player needs to be able to play like the best player. That's Floyd. 

With Rees, they can be a little more vertical with him. That's where Floyd's undeniable skills will show, notably his size. With Hendrix, they will need to focus more on shorter passes, and even blocking ability. Fortunately for Notre Dame, Floyd has a diverse skill set.

Florida State has a good pass rush, so Notre Dame will struggle at times to set up Floyd on a deep ball. That means that they will need to come up with different ways to get Floyd the ball. In other words, look for quick routes, like slants. They won't abandon the deep ball, but they can't rely too much on it. 

Also, look for runs. Those won't go to Floyd, but they will put his blocking ability on display. 

Now, whether or not that helps the Irish win the game remains to be seen. The Notre Dame defense will have a lot to do with that. But for Floyd personally, this game will also do a lot to impact his status in the draft. 

This is a deep group of receivers. After Justin Blackmon, you can justify ordering them in any number of ways. Alshon Jeffery hasn't outperformed Floyd on the field this year, but he will excel at the combine. 

Other receivers are certainly faster than Floyd, even if they're not as good all around. This is the last chance for Floyd to show what he is, a good football player. 

He'll take that opportunity. Florida State's athleticism will force the Notre Dame game plan to allow Floyd to show his overall skills off. 

When given the opportunity, Floyd will take it. He'll prove that he's, at the worst, a top-three receiver in the draft. 

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