Justin Blackmon: Projecting the Dynamic Receiver's Career in the NFL

Justin Blackmon is the product of an Oklahoma State program that has been turning out top talent at the wide receiver position over the last decade. 

First was Rashaun Woods, whose name is beside some of the most astounding records in college football history.  His seven touchdown performance against SMU, the 107 catches for 1,695 yards in 2002, and three separate performances of over 200 receiving yards highlight his career. 

Then the Cowboys produced the electrifying "Dez" Bryant who was named a consensus All-American and Big XII special teams player of the year in only his sophomore season.  Bryant set the stage for perhaps the greatest talent of them all, Justin Blackmon.

Blackmon played his high school days in Ardmore, Oklahoma, where he caught 61 passes for over 1,500 yards.  Coming into college football, he was only regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and was projected to be the 91st best receiver in the nation.

Boy, were they wrong.

Blackmon is one of the most decorated wide receivers in Oklahoma State history and is viewed by most experts to be the best overall receiver in the 2012 NFL Draft. 

He is the record holder for highest number of consecutive games with 100 yards receiving and he is only one of two players that have won the Biletnikoff Award more than once ( along with Michael Crabtree).  He finished his three-year career with 252 receptions for 3,564 yards and 40 touchdowns.

After removing doubts about his quickness at the Oklahoma State Pro-Day by running a 4.46, Blackmon is poised to enter the NFL as a top ten pick.

We have already seen "Dez" Bryant have success with the Dallas Cowboys in his first couple years, and Blackmon is perhaps even more athletic.  Although a hair undersized, Blackmon plays taller than he really is at 6'1".  He has an elite leaping ability which making him a lethal red-zone threat, but excels from literally anywhere on the field.

During his time at Oklahoma State, head coach Mike Gundy used Blackmon in various ways to disrupt the defense.  Blackmon would line up outside, inside, in the slot, to be put in motion, and on occasion even to be placed in the backfield. 

The versatility led to mismatches because the defense failed to line up accordingly, which is something that will translate well into the NFL.

Perhaps Blackmon's greatest asset is his ability to read and understand defensive coverages.  He changes speed and direction quickly to escape man coverage but he can also find the hole in the zone.

It's also a plus that he will catch almost everything thrown at him, even the poorest thrown balls.

The biggest concern with Blackmon is his lack of speed off the line of scrimmage.  Despite his athleticism, he lacks the burst of speed to breakaway from defenders who are jamming him at the line.  To compensate for this, he excels at the jab-step and the rest of his footwork.

Finding the flaw in Blackmon's game is nitpicking, overall he is easily the best receiver in the 2012 NFL Draft.

After all, his biggest comparison...Anquan Boldin, and we all know how he turned out.