Daniel Braverman NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Bears Rookie

POSITIVES

Daniel Braverman was one of the most productive wide receivers in college football last year, bringing home 108 catches to go with 1,367 yards and 13 touchdowns. While many experts thought Western Michigan would lose a receiver early to the draft, most thought it would be Corey Davis. Braverman heads to the NFL with outstanding production and tailor-made skills for a slot receiver.

Braverman dropped just seven passes in 2015—which may sound like a lot until you see that he had 135 targets on the year. His hands are strong in traffic and when working across the middle on slants and drags. He doesn't shy away from contact or shorten his catch radius if a big hit is coming down.

Braverman's route tree was limited to a lot of quick cuts on underneath routes, but he did get loose a few times on deep routes and showed enough speed to keep defenses honest. His intermediate breaking routes show fluid cuts and excellent timing. Braverman works back to the football and goes all-out to make himself a target.

NEGATIVES

A lack of size will automatically typecast Braverman as a slot receiver, which affects his overall value more than anything else. He's a stretch at 177 pounds and doesn't have the body to add much more serious weight without affecting his speed and flexibility.

Braverman doesn't have the long speed to run away from defenders over the top at a high level. He was able to juice by a few MAC cornerbacks, but in the pros, he'll be overmatched. Braverman doesn't play like a 4.47 guy on tape once the pads are on.

The biggest question outside of his lack of size will be whether he was a product of the system. Braverman was WMU's second-best receiver behind Davis and saw single coverage on crossing routes because teams respected what his teammate could do over the top.

Spread teams will love Braverman's toughness and instincts, but he may not find as much respect from teams wanting prototypical outside receivers.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 177 lbs.

40 Time: 4.47s

3-Cone: 6.86s

Short Shuttle: 4.20s

PRO COMPARISON: Rashad Greene, Jacksonville Jaguars
FINAL GRADE: 5.90/9.00 (Round 4—Backup Caliber)