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2015 NFL Draft Combine Profile: Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong

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By @bradberreman24

Jaelen Strong, 2015 NFL Draft

Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

After a strong junior season (82 receptions for 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns), Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong declared for the 2015 NFL Draft prior to the Sun Devils’ bowl game in December. He seems to be a bit of an afterthought among the top wide receiver prospects in this year’s class at this point, but Strong could be a mid-to-late first-round pick if he does well through the pre-draft process.

The primary knock on Strong right now is a lack of vertical speed, but otherwise he has the size (6’4″, 212 lbs.) and other tools to keep the attention of scouts and analysts. While timed speed without pads on is largely overrated, Strong’s 40-yard dash time at the upcoming NFL Combine will still be closely watched compared to the other top receiver prospects. His performance in some other drills, which can help measure overall athleticism even if there is minimal translation to football in most cases, will go a long way toward moving the needle of Strong’s draft stock one way or the other.

I plan to take a closer look at Strong from a pure scouting and skill set perspective between now and the draft, at which point my evaluation of him will be more concrete and wide-ranging. But based on what I’ve seen and know now, I expect him to be drafted somewhere in the bottom half of the first round and I see him as a potential draft steal if he happens to fall.

Strong has a lot to gain at the combine, since a great showing could help him clearly usurp Kevin White and DeVante Parker and be the second receiver drafted after Amari Cooper.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist/Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter and Google +.

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