Recruiting Wide Receivers – The Intangibles
For high school wide receivers with a goal of playing college ball, there are four quick boxes that will be checked off by every football recruiter looking their way:
Speed (up field separation);
Quickness (lateral separation);
Size (creating mismatches); and
Character (football IQ, leadership, drive, mental toughness, off field behavior)
Quickness (lateral separation);
Size (creating mismatches); and
Character (football IQ, leadership, drive, mental toughness, off field behavior)
Which of the above four traits does your student-athlete have ultimate control over? Does it make any sense that a guy like Wes Welker, at five foot nine can dominate defenses? Is he fast? Sort of. Quick? Somewhat, but no more than most other NFL receivers. And his size? Not quite imposing unless matched up against a Del Mar horse jockey. What separates Wes Welker are the intangibles - his character, and drive to compete and impose his will on defenders.
Every high school wide receiver will have a mixed bag of the four traits (speed, quickness, size and character). Help your student-athlete to maximize the one trait that is always within their control (character).
