Scouting Report: Dionte Sykes

Submitted by Magnus on

I wrote up a scouting report on Arizona wide receiver Dionte Sykes, one of nine 2014 receivers to hold an offer at this point.

http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2012/12/scouting-report-dionte-sykes…

He looks like another possession type of receiver, the kind that Brady Hoke and Al Borges seem wont to recruit.  They have gone after a few deep threat guys (James Quick, LaQuon Treadwell), but most of their offerees at the position seem to fit the mold of 6'3"/6'4" guys with big frames and not a great deal of speed.

I've always thought that it's important to have a variety of types of players at the wide receiver position to add other dimensions to your offense.  Jeremy Gallon offers things that Jeremy Jackson doesn't, for example.  I have heard that Sykes is likely to end up out west, but I have also heard that his dad really likes Michigan.  Regardless, when it comes to receiver recruiting, I think it would be very beneficial for Hoke to nab a Steve Breaston or Jeremy Gallon type of player in the 2014 class, someone who could help on special teams, run reverses, and catch wide receiver screens.

YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

December 20th, 2012 at 8:49 AM ^

Hoke or Mattison in college? I heard he has family in MI and a family connection to the staff from many yrs ago.

A few possession receivers are OK, but we're almost a big collection of 7-yard hitches and endzone fades. With an offense shifting to power running, I am surprised the staff isn't chasing more WR speed to force the safeties to stay out of the box and CBs to turn their back & run - just to force the front 7 to stop the run and screens. Probably a topic for another thread, but 4.8 forties are concerning.

FreddieMercuryHayes

December 20th, 2012 at 10:22 AM ^

Yeah, he was state hurdler champion, and 100m dash champion his senior year.  Not quite Sammy Watkins fast (Watkins ran a 10.57 in HS), but still pretty fast, 10.7, in the 100.  And he did this all at at legit 6'3".  Now track speed doesn't always translate to football speed, but Chesson's height combined with his speed will be a formidable threat provided he can actually grasp the passing offense and has good hands.  Also, I believe Sam Webb reported that Chesson ran a 4.44 40 yard dash in the team's off season workouts and Darboh ran a 4.5.

Erik_in_Dayton

December 20th, 2012 at 10:05 AM ^

It's hard to think of Michigan as needing an explosive WR, but here we are.   Growing up, I assumed that Michigan just had a tree somewhere that grew great wideouts.  What happened to the tree?!

Mr Miggle

December 20th, 2012 at 11:02 AM ^

both potentially deep threats? It looks to me like we're still recruiting speed, but not shiftiness at WR. Maybe that will change as the profile of WRs on our roster changes, or maybe it will be addressed by position changes. Either way, I agree we could use players similar to Gallon and Breaston.

nowicki2005

December 20th, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^

That we are basically going to look like msu's offense when cousins was the an and Cunningham, nichols, etc., Big receivers who can block, lot of running plays and big play PA plays.

Blue boy johnson

December 20th, 2012 at 12:51 PM ^

Magnus, or anyone else for that matter, saying "we don't have", a Keyshawn Martin type is speaking from a highly suspect perspective. Not saying they are wrong; just saying they have no way of knowing at this time.

The great and elusive Keshawn Martin was a 3* recruit out of Westland John Glenn, whose only other offer was Illinois.

Michigan recently got the verbal of a lightly regarded 3* recruit out of Westland John Glenn by the name of DeMario Jones.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/michiganstate/football/recruiting/player-Keshawn-Martin-74520

http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/player-Da%27Mario-Jones-142195

Magnus

December 20th, 2012 at 1:23 PM ^

Keshawn Martin was a pretty dynamic player in high school.  He made other teams look ridiculous even back then.

You're right that we don't know at this time, just like no one can predict the future.  But we can be fairly sure that Jeremy Jackson isn't going to turn 7-yard hitches into 80-yard touchdowns, and it doesn't look like some of these other guys will do it, either.  There are a couple guys with potential (Jones, Chesson), but it's still a huge question mark.  And the fact that Martin and Jones went to the same high school is - as I'm sure you know - more of a coincidence than an indication that Jones will turn out like Martin.