Size, speed, athleticism, explosiveness. Despite the best competition Moritz Boehringer has ever faced is players in the German football league, scouts are falling head over heels for the German wide receiver, who has the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings & Los Angeles Rams excited about him.
His pro day changed everything, and maybe the good days of Jarryd Hayne with the San Francisco 49ers (who are giving him another go at an NFL career this offseason), and suddenly some are talking about him as a fourth round selection, maybe even higher. He played for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in Germany, finishing with 59 receptions for 1,232 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 games played. But how does this translate into NFL success?
As one NFL scout said, teams always get excited when someone hits all the physical measurables. But the problem is that the competition he has faced might not be even at division III level in college football. He’s been able to physically beat and outrun everyone’s he’s faced so far. But what happens when there’s such a jump in the competition for him? Being in NFL locker room all of a sudden, coming from a completely different culture (although former, semi and wannabe NFL players play in Germany), can be something of a shock, even for grown men.
He’ll be hosting a private workout for teams later this week and has already met with Minnesota officials. His appearance at the Florida Atlantic pro day gave some life to the sleepy time in the NFL calendar. He ran a 4.43 40, showed a 39 inch vertical, had a broad jump of 10’11, did a short shuttle at 4.10, the 3-cone in 6.65 seconds and gave 17 reps of 225 lbs. Easily one of the top 5 wide receivers in the combine if he had been part of it.
Again, against no competition, there’s certainly a lot to be impressed about. But when he’s suddenly running against guys the size and speed he’s never played against before, how will his physical gifts translate? Right now he’s viewed as an extremely gifted but raw talent who needs a lot of work, and while it seems that he’s too much potential to ignore in the draft, even as high in the fourth round, it won’t be too much of a surprise if eventually this doesn’t pan out.