If Tank was a better route runner, he probably would have went higher in the draft. Metchie pre ACL was considered a 1st round grade. Yall are underrating him imo.
No, what held him back in the draft was his size alone. He was by far the best route runner in this draft class. The size issue really is that polarizing. You can find draft evaluations all over the place. Some say he's arguably one of the top WR's in the class, some say he's undraftable due to his size. I mean, it's not like I didn't watch Metchie play too....I probably watch more Bama games than just about anyone else on this site since I grew up watching them as a result of my childhood best friend's family being obsessed with them. I think Metchie is a great well rounded receiver, but it's relevant that he hasn't played a game since December 2021 and while Metchie is a plus route runner himself, it's not fair to compare him to someone with absolutely elite route running and change of direction skills. Dell will not be well rounded, he'll be your super slot guy that is a first down waiting to happen. Metchie will play all over the place. One has more overall utility, the other is just REALLY good at very specific things.
Think Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola. The slot guy that seems to always get open. The thing is, Tank Dell is much more dynamic.
That's what they are going to be going for with him. Durability might be an issue, because he's tiny, but he's so elusive he rarely takes hard hits. Having both him and Metchie out there should lead to usually having someone open when plays break down.
@Nook Can’t reply to your post for some reason but where are you reading about the Slowik pre-draft stuff? That would seem like a very big deal.
Actually heard about it from Lance Zerlein talking on a youtube video. He said it to John Granato when discussing the Texans draft. I thought it was a big deal too. He said it and trailed off and Granato let it go.
The layoff should help his ACL. It would be around 21 months after his surgery when he takes the field. The ACL shouldn't be an issue.
Both Dell and Metchie should thrive once the chemistry with CJ is established. 4 wideout packages could be potent with Nico and Woods. Need to find a guy that can utilize CJs arm strength as a weapon. Maybe Nico comes back in the best shape of his life and has a career year - that would solve that. Lots of ifs. I’m not expecting to be near the bottom of the league in explosive plays again next year that’s for sure.
Tank gets in and out of his cuts soooo quick, really fun to watch him juke and spin. His suddenness is ELITE! With Metchie's redshirt season behind him, these two can make a huge deference for our WR corps.
No doubt. With Stroud’s elite arm and accuracy having weapons like Tank and Metchie will make this offense fun to watch.
Hopefully they split time so Tank can stay alive. Ideally, Metchie can also take some reps at strong side receiver. He appears to have been hitting the weights during treatment.
