As teams get closer to making their decisions about who they want to draft, one player being mentioned quite often is Leonte Carroo out of Rutgers, with the wide receiver getting attention from the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints.
Carroo was at Rutgers for four years, through the Big East, American and Big Ten moves. He was especially productive on his last two seasons for the team, finishing with 1086 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2014 and with the extra attention he brought down 10 more touchdowns on 809 yards in 2015, missing a few games due to an injury and a suspension for an assault arrest, although charges were later dropped. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick in 2014 and third-team All-Big Ten in 2015.
While teams do consider his speed to be average especially on longer routes and that arrest casts something of a shadow on his character, Carroo is big, with very good hands and explosive, averaging 19.5 yards per reception for the Scarlet Knights. He doesn’t mind taking hits, and doesn’t mind being the focal point of a passing offense, doing a great job of getting himself open and providing a red zone target, although he’s not quite your typical tight end type in terms of size.
Yes, his route running has to improve in order to create separation in the NFL, where his speed won’t help him. He’s a very good and willing blocker which is another reason NFL teams like him. He isn’t your typical #1 receiver, especially not right out of the gate, but with a little bit of honing he can be in two years for the team that takes him. It’s hard to believe he slips past the third round, with more teams like the New York Giants and New York Jets also sharing the previously mentioned interest in him.