One of the fastest players in the upcoming NFL draft is Kolby Listenbee, the TCU wide receiver who isn’t going to be taken early, but could end being very useful for someone, as the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills have been showing the most pre-draft interest.
Listenbee was very good for TCU over the last two seasons, although did play through injury and miss some games in 2015. He took care of that with a sports hernia surgery which made him miss the combine, which could have helped expose him to more pairs of eyes. He had 41 receptions and 753 yards in 2014, getting All-Big 12 honorable mention, along with 4 touchdowns. He was on pace to have an even bigger year in 2015 if it wasn’t for the injury, finishing with 30 receptions for 597 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Listenbee had a very successful sprinting career at TCU, named as a four-time All-American for his performances running the 100 meters, 4×100 meters relay and the 4×400. He ran a 10.03 with some wind at his back to push him forward as his personal best. And while the speed part is the most intriguing thing about him in the eyes of NFL teams, speed alone doesn’t make a good wide receiver, and Listenbee does have his limitations.
Listenbee isn’t all speed. He’s tall enough to line up outside, has good hands and instincts when it comes to catching the ball, but he lacks special moves to get open, relying a lot on his speed to get deep unnoticed. On a team with plenty of receiving threats he can be very useful, but being one-dimensional often gets you to a certain place in the NFL, but never further. He’s not going to do well in the slot, and unless he becomes more than just a deep threat, his potential will always be quite limited. He’s still getting drafted or into someone’s camp, but he’s not going higher than the sixth round.