Film Room: Breaking Down Notre Dame WR Target Tobias Merriweather
Notre Dame has one wide receiver commitment in the 2022 class, having landed Louisiana wideout Amorion Walker back in March. Adding at least two more top-level wideouts in the class is a must, and the top receiver on the board is Tobias Merriweather.
In the above video we look at the film of Merriweather and talk about what makes him a must-get for the Irish.
TOBIAS MERRIWEATHER PROFILE
Hometown: Vancouver, Wash.
High School: Union
Height: 6-4
Weight: 185
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0
Offers: Notre Dame, Oregon, USC, Washington, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, Nebraska, Utah, Washington State, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon State
STRENGTHS
Size/Frame — Merriweather is listed at 6-4 and he has freakishly long legs, which tells me he’ll continue growing. He has all the skills you want in a big receiver, possessing elite length (see the next point), toughness and the ability to continue filling out. He’s thin at this point, but the Union star has the kind of frame that should allow him to add a lot of girth and strength. Most important is the fact Merriweather knows how to use his size in every zone on the field, and as he gets stronger and fills out his game is going to become very, very dangerous.
Catch Radius/Ball Skills — Length is important because it’s the first step to having a great catch radius. A catch radius is essentially the range a quarterback has to throw to a wide receiver, and the longer a receiver the bigger the target he is for the passer. Merriweather’s length is as good as you’ll find, and he combines that with strong and very fast hands. He’s a confident pass catcher that plays with better strength and you’d expect from such a thin wideout.
Merriweather also has top-notch leaping ability, both from a height off the ground and from a timing standpoint. Combine that with his great hands and length and he has the tools to be a dynamic one-on-one pass catcher and a nightmare matchup vertically along the sidelines, on back-shoulder throws and in the red zone.
Athleticism — Merriweather is a smooth and fluid athlete with impressive foot quickness for someone his size. He can weave his way in and out of traffic and shows elite body control, but what surprised me during his junior season was Merriweather’s improved agility and suddenness both as a route runner and with the ball in his hands. His balance, agility and surprising strength make him a highly effective after the catch player and adds to his ability to dominate at the catch point.
The Union star also shows excellent deep speed that combines from an outstanding second gear. He can take a bit to get going at times but once he hits full speed he can really move, which makes him a dangerous deep ball weapon.
Route Running — Merriweather certainly has a lot of God-given physical ability, but he’s also a high IQ football player that shows an advanced feel as a route runner. He shows a great feel for attacking leverage, manipulating defenders with his stem and his top ends are efficient. Merriweather is very good against press conference thanks to his hand speed and agility, and he stacks defenders as soon as he gets a step.
He’ll need to continue adding to his route running repertoire, especially the quick game, but his biggest jumps will simply come from him continuing to mature physically, which will result in even more quickness and explosiveness.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Initial Burst — Merriweather has better long speed than he does a great initial burst. As he fills out his frame, matures physically and adds more lower body strength after some time in a college weight program you should see his burst improve. That is where his five-star upside comes from. Merriweather has already earned a Top 100 grade from me, and he’s closer to No. 50 than he is No. 100. If he makes the lower body strength gains I expect him to and improves his agility and explosiveness he’ll quickly go from really good to elite.
Strength — Merriweather is a tough player but as you’d expect he needs to add a lot more strength, both in the upper and lower body.
RECRUITMENT
Notre Dame is in good position with Merriweather, but he’s adamant that he won’t make a decision until after his senior season. Notre Dame will likely try to convince him otherwise, but if he does wait until later in the fall this recruitment will get a lot tougher. Not only will it give programs like Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Tennessee and UCLA more time to close the gap with the Irish, it also gives programs like Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma, etc. to get involved at some point.
Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2021 Spring Football Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense
2022 Big Board: Running Back
2022 Big Board: Slot Receivers
Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
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