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I love workouts, you love workouts, Freddie Falcon loves workouts.
It’s workout season for the Atlanta Falcons, and they’ve worked out a receiver from the middle Tennessee area.
Richie James worked out for the #Patriots after the combine, #Chargers last week. Will workout for the #Falcons tomorrow. Has a workout with the #Texans coming up.
— Ty Wurth (@WurthDraft) April 3, 2018
So, who is MTSU’s Richie James, exactly?
Well, he’s kind of like a new Taylor Gabriel, pre-2016. He ran a 4.48 at the combine, which is pretty fast, and a 6.87 three cone score, which is pretty quick. What does NFL draft guru Lance Zierlein think of him?
Undersized slot option with good foot quickness and consistent play speed, but lacking in polish and strength. While James is more reliant upon his athleticism than his route acumen, he does have the suddenness to gain instant separation in tight quarters. James plays with good toughness but has to prove his 2017 injuries were a fluke. James lacks size and his focus as a pass-catcher is very average, but he does have talent that could be developed with more time.
Zierlein projects James will go around rounds six and seven, which probably puts him as a potential returner and special teamer with the team at the start of his career if he’s drafted by the Birds. The Falcons are looking at guys like James, and Limestone’s Vyncint Smith, and Georgia’s Javon Wims, too, which may mean they’re going to spend draft capital at the receiver position, just not all that early. They’ve yet to really dig in to the receivers at the top of their class, though that could change in time.
So, another day, another workout. This one is apparently one of the fancy-schmancy official ones, so James could be a guy to keep an eye out for as Day Three of the draft gets going.
(h/t Falcfans’ Aaron Freeman for the initial share)