What 3 past NFL wideouts does DaeSean Hamilton most resemble, based on measurables?
Former Penn State wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton has already made arguably the greatest turnaround in the nation when it comes to his NFL draft stock.
At the start of the offseason, he was a player whom some scouts wondered aloud would be drafted at all. But, after inspiring performances in two all-star games and a solid effort at Penn State's Pro Day, he's now going as early as the third round in mock drafts.
Because of that huge shift, Hamilton has been a difficult player to compare — and an even harder one to project his NFL future. So we decided to see what the numbers said. What wideouts are most similar to Hamilton based solely on pre-draft measurables? And how did they fare in the NFL — what is Hamilton's floor and ceiling?
Since 2000, 856 other wideouts have taken part in the NFL Combine — and only three boast similar numbers to Hamilton. What we looked for were receivers who ran between a 4.52 and 4.55 in the 40-yard dash (Hamilton: 4.52 at Holuba), had a vertical jump of 33-36 inches (Hamilton: 34.5), a broad jump of 115-121 inches (Hamilton: 118), stood at 6-foot-1, weighed within five pounds of Hamilton's 203 and were drafted at some point.
Here are the players most like Hamilton, based on those figures:
James Jones, 2007 to 2016, Retired
College/Drafted by: San Jose State/Green Bay Packers (Round 3, Pick 78)
Combine height/weight: 6-foot-1/207 pounds
40 time/vertical/broad: 4.54/34/119
College stats in last season: 70 catches, 893 yards, 10 TDs
Synopsis: There are quite a few parallels between Jones and Hamilton. Both were known for their work ethics, both became second-team all-conference selections their senior seasons — and both of their senior yardage totals were within 50 yards of one another while their touchdown totals differed by just one.
Jones made his retirement from the NFL official last year. But he finished his career with 433 catches for 5,861 yards and 51 touchdowns. He won a Super Bowl in his fourth season with the Packers. His career was pretty consistent — and it's one Hamilton should aspire to.
Although he spent most of his career as the No. 2 or 3 receiving target, he was always a solid contributor. As a rookie, he played behind Donald Driver and Greg Jennings — but still had 47 catches for 676 yards. He had an NFL-best 14 touchdowns in 2012, played one year as the Oakland Raiders' top target in 2014 and then returned to Green Bay in 2015 for one last hurrah in which he led the team in receiving and touchdowns.
Austin Collie, 2009 to 2013, Retired
College/Drafted by: BYU/Indianapolis Colts (Round 4, Pick 127)
Combine height/weight: 6-foot-1/200 pounds
40 time/vertical/broad: 4.53/34/120
College stats in last season: 106 catches, 1,538 yards, 15 TDs
Synopsis: Collie and Hamilton had similar paths out of high school: Rivals ranked both as three-star prospects, giving Hamilton a rank of 5.7 and and Collie a 5.5. Collie was all-state and had eight scholarship offers; Hamilton was an honorable mention on the all-state team and boasted 12 offers.
In college, Collie declared early for the NFL draft and finished with 215 career receptions — one more than Hamilton's career total of 214.
In the NFL, Collie's talent was undeniable. He competed for a starting job as a rookie and was among the leading rookie wideouts with with 60 catches, 676 yards and seven touchdowns. By his second season, he was starting to become one of Peyton Manning's favorite targets — but a serious concussion in November sidelined him. A month later, he suffered another concussion and was put on injured reserve. He was never really the same after that.
His production dropped the next season, but he remained a solid receiver. Then, in the preseason of 2012, when he was primed to be Andrew Lucks No. 2 target, he suffered another concussion followed by a ruptured patellar tendon. That essentially ended his career; he signed with the New England Patriots in 2013 but made just six catches that season. He played one year in the CFL before retiring. He has now devoted his life to helping others with concussions.
JaJuan Dawson, 2000 to 2002
College/Drafted by: Tulane/Cleveland Browns (Round 3, Pick 79)
Combine height/weight: 6-foot-1/199 pounds
40 time/vertical/broad: 4.55/34/117
College stats in last season: 96 receptions, 1,051 yards, 8 TDs
Synopsis: There's no other way to put this: Dawson was a huge bust.
He didn't even survive his rookie contract. He played in two games his rookie season and started no games the next year before he was released. The Houston Texans picked him up, but he survived just one season there in which he started two games.
He finished his career with 52 catches for 664 yards and two touchdowns.
Eleven years after he was drafted, he was still making the rounds of the Browns' 10 biggest draft busts since both he and fellow Browns bust Travis Prentice were taken in 2000's third round.
He died tragically in 2015 by drowning after falling off a boat without a lifejacket.
This story was originally published March 30, 2018 at 2:14 PM with the headline "What 3 past NFL wideouts does DaeSean Hamilton most resemble, based on measurables?."