WR, Brandon Gibson, Washington St.

WR, Brandon Gibson, Washington St.

Pros:  Legitimate NFL size. Good height and has the frame to handle NFL punishment. Has the quickness, bulk and strength to fight through the jam at the line of scrimmage. At least adequate straight-line speed to challenge defenders deep. Can track the ball over either shoulder. Can sink his hips, stick his foot in the ground and explode out his breaks, creating separation against even the best of cornerbacks. Soft hands and can snatch the ball out of the air. Good body control to contort his body and make the tough catch in traffic. Courageous over the middle. Effective red-zone target. Cognizant downfield blocker. Showed good toughness last year fighting through knee and heal injuries. Three-year kick returner.

Cons:  Possesses good, not great deep speed. Demonstrates good overall athleticism, but doesn't consistently produce yards after the catch. Struggled with drops during Senior Bowl practices. Marginal elusiveness in the open field. Experienced kick returner, but not necessarily a candidate to do so at the next level. Plagued by a knee and heal injuries in 2007. Was not able to work out at Combine or Washington State's first pro day due to a right hamstring injury.

Around MHR:

Around SBNation:

From Scouting Report at Mocking the Draft:

 Known to have great work ethic. Continued to compete hard as a senior even as Washington State struggled and Gibson continually faced double teams or bracket coverage. Willing to go over the middle to make a play on the ball. Competes for the ball in the traffic very well.  Does a good job adjusting to the ball in the air and making a play on poor passes. Catches the ball consistently at its highest point. Maintains good concentration when the ball is coming from over his shoulder and he knows a defender is bearing down on him. While Gibson is not the best blocker around, he gives a good effort. Strong enough to hold up a block for more than just a brief period of time.

From "Scouting Report" at Niners Nation:

Ball Skills: A natural pass catcher who shows the ability to come up with tough catch.  Is loose in the hips allowing him to open up and make catch throws behind him.  Possesses the ability to go down and dig out the low throw

Separation Skills: A smooth route runner who displays good body control.  Does a nice job of attacking defenders and gaining initial leverage while working his stem.  Tempos routes well and comes out of breaks quickly. Lacks initial burst off the line of scrimmage.

Highlights:

Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:

• Gibson did not test at the NFL scouting combine in February or at the Cougars’ pro day a few weeks ago because he was nursing a hamstring injury he suffered during the Senior Bowl in January.
  
  He anticipated running the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, but ultimately posted times between 4.55 and 4.63. Gibson also had a vertical jump of 34 inches and a standing broad jump of 9 feet, 5 inches. He measured in at just over 6 feet tall, and weighed in at 206 pounds.
  
  Windy and wet weather did not make for ideal running conditions, but Gibson wasn’t looking for an out.  [see more...]
• Gibson is one of the lone bright spots on a dismal Cougars team. He lead the Pac-10 with 67 receptions for 1,180 yards in 2007, and averaged 17.6 yards per catch in 2007. In 2007 he seemed to have very good hands. He has struggled in 2008 and seems to be trying to do too much on a terrible Washington State team. His draft stock is likely going to take a hit because he will not be able to produce in 2008 like he did in 2007 as he will be receiving passes from the third team freshman quarterback.   [see more...]
• Good height and bulk...Smooth athlete...Excellent hands...Terrific ball skills and body control...Very aggressive...Good leaper...Real tough and isn't afraid to work the middle...Technically sound...Above average route runner...A decent blocker...Hard worker...Team player.  [see more...]
• Known to have great work ethic. Continued to compete hard as a senior even as Washington State struggled and Gibson continually faced double teams or bracket coverage.  Learned a more complex, no-huddle offense as a senior after playing his first three years in a standard spread.  Gibson possesses good size for a receiver. He’s not incredibly tall, but has good bulk.  Willing to go over the middle to make a play on the ball. Competes for the ball in the traffic very well. Does a good job working through traffic.  Does a good job adjusting to the ball in the air and making a play on poor passes. Catches the ball consistently at its highest point.  Gibson runs decent routes. Knows where he is supposed to end up, but sometimes he rounds off his routes. Best on go routes.  [see more...]