A Late Round Wide Receiver To Consider

My next prospect is Rishard Matthews, a wide receiver who reminds me little of Mushin Muhammad when I consider his size(6’2”, 215 lbs) and watch him play. He is another JUCO standout who earned multiple division I scholarship offers after lighting it up at Bakersfield College. He ultimately decided to attend the University of Nevada, where he proceeded to put up some outstanding numbers by catching passes from two different quarterbacks in each of his last two seasons.

During his Junior campaign, he caught 5 touchdown passes and led the team in receiving with 863 total yards at almost 16 yards per catch. Matthews also returned one punt for a touchdown and averaged almost 10 yards per return. His Senior year, however, is when he really took off by increasing his numbers in almost every category. His punt returning was especially dynamic as he finished the year 8th in the country by averaging a little over 13 yards per carry, and additionally had another punt return for a touchdown. Matthews didn’t disappoint as a wide receiver in his final year either. He finished 7th in the country by averaging 114 yards per game, and also had 8 touchdown catches with 1364 yards receiving. Let’s take a moment to look at what his scouting report says.

The Good

-Has soft, reliable hands.

-Displays nice body control

-Good strength allows him to be a YAC threat

-Above average blocker

-Excellent vision as punt returner

The Bad

-Doesn’t display breakaway speed

-Route running needs some work

Will the good ultimately outweigh the bad? I’m not sure, but time will answer this question the best. I think he is definitely a late round prospect even with his high national rankings in receiving and punt returning. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he snuck into the fourth round, especially if he shows well at the combine. Matthews’ versatility will give him a leg up on many of the other wide receiver prospects and will definitely factor into the final grades that he ultimately receives from the scouts. Before you vote, be sure to look at the video highlights of his game against Utah State, and carefully consider if he is worth a shot in the 6th or 7th round.