Leonard Hankerson Scouting Report
Separation Skills: Isn’t overly quick or sudden during intermediate routes. Sometimes takes too long coming in and out of his breaks. However, does do a nice job of separating on vertical routes. Is a long strider that builds up solid speed the further down field he is. Excels at using his body to position himself and shield defenders away from the ball. Is very effective at separating during drags, in cuts, and seam routes. Catches the ball well in stride and has the ability to pull away if open field presents itself.
Ball Skills: Started his college career with poor-average ball skills. Has continued to work on his hands and is one of the most improved players in the nation. Uses every inch of his frame and large wing span to high point the ball. Attacks its and uses his strong hands to pluck it from the sky. Ge’s a pure hands catcher. Balls rarely reach his frame. He does a nice job at having his hands spread and in the ready position before the ball arrives. Focus has improved greatly over the years, but it still is an area of concern. Every so often he’ll drop an easy one, but for every drop, he makes a difficult catch. He has a knack for acrobatic and one handed catches. Also uses his body to his advantage. Boxes out defenders similar to basketball player would for a rebound. Shows good balance and body control and adjusts well to poorly thrown balls.
Big play ability: Starts off slow, but has good top end speed because of his long stride. Can be a huge threat vertically up the field. Is a smooth runner that can lull defenders to sleep. Does well with the ball in his hands. Isn’t very elusive or quick, but can pick up yards after the catch by using his size and strength. Requires a lot of attention in the redzone.
Competitiveness/ Toughness: Competes for every ball. Never concedes a pass to a defender. Not afraid to go over the middle and make a play. Doesn’t shy away from contact after the catch.
Intangibles: 2010 All-ACC 1st Team. Has been mentored by some of the best. All-Pro receiver, Cris Carter was his high school receivers coach. Works out with NFL great Mark Duper during the offseason. Mature young man. Teammates call him “Old Man”. Juggles the responsibilities of being a student athlete and father of two.
Overall Stock: Leonard Hankerson has shown great discipline and work ethic during his tenure at Miami. He was highly touted out of high school, and things didn’t start off so well in college. He had a difficult time focusing, often dropping easy balls. It took him some time to adjust to the college game. He eventually buckled down and worked his butt off to become one of the top receivers in the nation in 2010. Hankerson has the size, hands, and big play ability to be a solid receiver in the NFL. At his size, he is very versatile. He has experience playing outside the hashes and in the slot. With his huge frame, he has proven to be quite dangerous in the slot. He knows how to sit in empty zones and work the seams, similar to Saints receiver, Marques Colston. The team that drafts him can line him up all over the field to create mismatches. Hankerson isn’t in the same class as AJ Green and Julio Jones, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a quality receiver. With further development, he can become a bona fide number one receiver. Right now, he is a solid number two. Look for Hankerson to come off the board in round two.
NFL Comparisons: Marques Colston