Would a slot or outside receiver help Cam the most?

[pantherclaw]

Another slot receiver, we do not need.

[OneBadCat]

Steve Smith is the perfect slot WR. He's just talented enough to be a #1 WR. What we need is a playmaking WR with some deep speed and some height preferably. Someone talented enough that the defense can respect on the outside to let Smith wreck havoc in the slot.

[KJ89]

Smith. Will. Be. Gone.

Likely after this season.

[OneBadCat]

Why? I can just as easily forsee him playing through his contract. He won't be cut or released unless he asks.

[KJ89]

There's a small chance he'll stay for awhile but you can't assume that. Listen to his interviews and his talk on WFNZ. He's tired, and ready to be done, wants to be with his family and have a functional body to do so.

[MHS831]

I think Smith needs to move inside and we need a tall WR who can stretch the field.

Would love to see Gettis or Lamont Bryant step up and take the job. Not likely, but still.

To me, a 175 lb slot WR in the NFL is like drafting for your IR list. WV spread things out, but the Slot in the NFL needs to be pretty durable. I think Austin is an awesome, electric athlete, but give me Patterson any day.

[MHS831]

Smith. Will. Be. Gone.

Likely after this season.

One way or another, you are right. He is already showing signs of hitting the wall--his heart is carrying him. We need a playmaker to help move SS inside.

Most speed WRs are gone by age 32. We are on borrowed time with him.

I think he could be on the team in 2015, but as an assistant to Ricky Proehl.

Regardless, we need to go into this season as if he will not be a #1 WR. So far, I am not seeing it.

[panther4life]

We need a redzone threat who can stretch the field on deep balls on quit allowing teams to shadow Smith downfield.

Lafell is already manning the slot.

Per PFF. Lafell ran 443 routes last year and 290 of them were out of the slot. That's 66.5% of his routes being run out of the slot.

He had 26 receptions for 442 yards and 3 TD's out of the slot. He had 18 receptions on the outside for 233 yards and 1 TD on the outside.

Conversely Smith ran the fewest percentage of his routes in the slot of all 6 receivers who ran a route last year. Of his 550 routes run only 50 came from the slot for a whopping 9.5%.

So basically Cordarelle Patterson is the perfect fit if he falls to us. If Keenan Allen can prove he's got the speed then he would also make perfect sense as well. If not then we need to look at Someone like Steadman Bailey, Terreance Williams, Deandre Hopkins or even Justin Hunter who can stretch the field and score TD's would also be good fits as well.

I know I'm just hoping and hanging on by a thread but when asked if Mike Wallace would be a good fit for us or target or something like that Rivera told the reporter he was warm. Obviously Wallace didn't happen but it gives me hope for someone like Patterson being in the plans.

[BigSyke]

nice stats mofo...lol^^ yeah lafell is a possession guy.

[KJ89]

One way or another, you are right. He is already showing signs of hitting the wall--his heart is carrying him. We need a playmaker to help move SS inside.

Most speed WRs are gone by age 32. We are on borrowed time with him.

I think he could be on the team in 2015, but as an assistant to Ricky Proehl.

Regardless, we need to go into this season as if he will not be a #1 WR. So far, I am not seeing it.

All true but also why I don't think we should really draft with smith in mind. Drafting an outside so he can move to slot is pointless of he retires in the next one or two seasons.

[DaCityKats]

We need a redzone threat who can stretch the field on deep balls on quit allowing teams to shadow Smith downfield.

Lafell is already manning the slot.

Per PFF. Lafell ran 443 routes last year and 290 of them were out of the slot. That's 66.5% of his routes being run out of the slot.

He had 26 receptions for 442 yards and 3 TD's out of the slot. He had 18 receptions on the outside for 233 yards and 1 TD on the outside.

Conversely Smith ran the fewest percentage of his routes in the slot of all 6 receivers who ran a route last year. Of his 550 routes run only 50 came from the slot for a whopping 9.5%.

So basically Cordarelle Patterson is the perfect fit if he falls to us. If Keenan Allen can prove he's got the speed then he would also make perfect sense as well. If not then we need to look at Someone like Steadman Bailey, Terreance Williams, Deandre Hopkins or even Justin Hunter who can stretch the field and score TD's would also be good fits as well.

I know I'm just hoping and hanging on by a thread but when asked if Mike Wallace would be a good fit for us or target or something like that Rivera told the reporter he was warm. Obviously Wallace didn't happen but it gives me hope for someone like Patterson being in the plans.

i agree with this. i like Austin as a prospect, but i think we need more of vertical threat guy that can high point the ball well.

[KJ89]

I've already said I think Patterson is a better choice. I also don't think 1) he'll be available at 14, and 2) he's as sure a thing as Austin

Allen isn't proven.

Hopkins just doesn't have enough to be taken over Austin.

Smith will be gone soon enough, and the impact on his leaving will be huge. Austin can fill his shoes with a few years of experience.

Consider Smitty teaching him.

Patterson is possibly a better choice for deep threat-ability, but Austin is by no means a bad choice at 14. And a better one than a risky draft like Allen or Hopkins

[KJ89]

How is Cordarrelle any better than Tavon? Patterson isn't a deep threat whatsoever. He only had one TD that surpassed 40 yds. The majority of his receptions barely surpassed 15 yards.

That's true, i tend to think of Patterson as a bigger, deeper threat, but he's no more a proven deep threat than Tavon.

And he's sure as hell not better.

He could possibly be a better choice position-wise, especially if you're talking with Smith on the field, but I don't think he's as sure a thing, as good, or as good a choice as Tavon, especially considering Smith's decline and inevitable retirement.

[BigSyke]

some people here must be dont watch cam......dude has one of the best deep balls in the nfl.....