Here's why NFL scouts shouldn't sleep on Penn State wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton
(Photo via Getty Images)
Having a good slot receiver is a luxury for quarterbacks. Their proximity from the quarterback and their ability to “win quick” makes it easy for quarterbacks to get rid of the ball. However, it is also one of the most difficult positions to scout. A good slot receiver has to be quicker than he is fast, and sizes could range from Wes Welker to Larry Fitzgerald.
There are skills that good slot receivers have that are hard to measure. They have to be excellent route runners, but also have to have a feel for where open spaces are and how to find them. They have to be tough and willing to make catches in tight spaces, down the middle of the defense.
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DaeSean Hamilton from Penn State was excellent as a slot receiver and is starting to get some scouts buzzing about his potential in the NFL. He had a great week in the Shrine game and was just recently added to the Senior Bowl roster.
Hamilton was a four-year starter. He’s a little bigger than your typical slot receiver at 6-foot-1, 206 pounds. But he definitely knows how to use his strength as an advantage.
His career arc is a bit strange. He had his best season as a freshmen with 82 catches for 899 yards and two touchdowns. His production dipped in sophomore and junior seasons, but he finished his collegiate career with a strong senior season, amassing 53 catches, 857 yards and nine TDs. He saved his best for last and had one of the biggest games of his career against Washington in the Fiesta Bowl with 110 yards and two TDs.
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Route running
Hamilton has the potential to be a very good route runner. He has very good bend and maintains a compact body position naturally, which makes it difficult to predict when he’s going to break. He also has very good short area burst, so defenders tend to overreact to his jab steps and head fakes.
— Raiders Analysis (@RaidersAnalysis) January 23, 2018
He does a good job of not giving away where he wants to go by staying square with the defender and looking directly at him. Before he makes the in-cut, he jabs outside, but also shifts his weight with the same foot. His burst creates separation in a very tight space. As the ball gets to him, he does a good job of protecting it and himself by falling to the ground to ensure defenders can’t jar the ball loose with a big hit.
— Raiders Analysis (@RaidersAnalysis) January 23, 2018
Hamilton was a terror to defend when he ran the slot-fade. Once he gets into his breakdown position, it’s hard to tell where he wants to go. On this play, he jabs inside before running the fade. The defender tries to get a hand on him, but he does a good job of avoiding it and running through contact. His size, compact body position, and physicality helps him run through contact and makes it hard for defensive backs to push him off his line.
Though Hamilton has shown signs and has the ability to be a excellent route runner, he does have some room for improvement.
— Raiders Analysis (@RaidersAnalysis) January 23, 2018
On this post corner route, he could have sold the inside move a little better by getting his head turned inside toward the quarterback. He continues to look upfield when he cuts inside so the safety doesn’t bite on it at all. When he does break to the outside, the angle isn’t sharp enough. The safety blankets him on the route and knocks the ball away. These are all nuances that he could learn if he dedicates himself to his craft.
Contested catches
Hamilton isn’t a burner and he’s not going to blow people away with his straight-line speed, but that’s OK. Not a lot of slot receivers have elite straight-line speed. They create separation with speed and deception. But because they aren’t getting wide open downfield and because they run run routes in the middle of the field, they have to be able to make contested catches.
DaeSean Hamilton from Penn State is an interesting slot receiver prospect. A little bigger for a slot but has potential to be a really good route runner and makes some tough catches. pic.twitter.com/UMPGpuUXNd
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) January 22, 2018
On this corner route, Hamilton was able to snag the ball out the air with one hand and stay inbounds while the defender is draped all over him. This play displays impressive focus and hand/ eye coordination.
Deceptive route running by Hamilton. Pushes outside, takes inside release, sells the seam, breaks across, makes contested catch on 3rd down. pic.twitter.com/MTLSVjZ8Cc
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) January 23, 2018
Great slot receivers make their money on third down. Here, Hamilton runs an very deceptive route. He starts by pushing his stem inside, taking inside position like he’s running a seam, before breaking across the field. He easily separates from the defensive back but there is another defender waiting for him on the other side of the field. As he catches the ball, he takes a vicious hit from the defender, but is able to hang on for a key third-down conversion.
Hamilton’s production isn’t amazing because he played in an offense that featured all-world running back Saquon Barkley and other playmakers, so he had to share the ball. His quarterback, Trace McSorley, isn’t a consistent passer and is a much better runner. Hamilton made the most of his opportunities and is starting to turn eyes in the draft process. If he has a strong Senior Bowl, he could quickly shoot up draft boards.
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