Marquis Maze: Pittsburgh Steelers' Newly-Signed WR Will Struggle in NFL

Former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver and newly signed member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Marquis Maze, is going to have a hard time adjusting to the NFL.

One of the biggest transitions in sports is the one between college football and the NFL. The difference in size, athleticism and the speed of the game is night and day, and you need to have all of the proper intangibles in order to be successful.

Let me reiterate that point: all of the intangibles.

Why do you think a wildly successful college quarterback like Tim Tebow has his struggles in the NFL? He may be a good runner and he may be a "winner," but in the end the major flaws of his throwing motion and accuracy have been exposed.

Your weaknesses will come to light in the NFL, and Maze's weakness is going to be his size. Here's the take on Maze from Rotoworld.com:

"

The national champion Crimson Tide's leading receiver last season, Maze is also an adept returner. The problem is his size (5-foot-8, 186 pounds), as he can't muscle on the outside and would be one of the (if not the) smallest slot receivers in the league. If he has an NFL future, it's likely on special teams.

"

I couldn't agree more with this assessment.

Even the smaller corners in this league are a few inches taller and weigh much more than Maze. The kicker is, they are still athletic and quick enough to cover a speedy receiver like him, so he really doesn't have much of an advantage.

Can you imagine all 5'8'', 186 pounds of Maze getting decked by the likes of Ray Lewis or Ed Reed after a catch?

The results of that collision would be disastrous, and that would be something Maze would have to face on a weekly basis, even as a special teams player.

This is an interesting signing by the Steelers, and it's a pretty low-risk, high-reward type move, but I just don't see Maze working out.