Draft Profile: Penn State WR KJ Hamler
The Lions don't have an immediate need at wide receiver. However, with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola's contracts all expiring after the 2020 season, they do need to keep the future in mind.
One of the many draft prospects the Lions met with at the combine was Penn State product KJ Hamler.
KJ Hamler, WR, Penn St.
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 178 pounds
As you can see, Hamler is a very small player.
Despite a muscular build, his diminutive stature will limit him to a slot-only type receiver.
As expected, Hamler played 616 of his 694 offensive snaps in the slot in 2019.
The speedster has some of the best agility and quickest feet in the entire draft with his size.
His elite change of direction ability is on full display every time he touches the ball.
While running routes, he is almost unguardable at times, and he consistently creates plenty of separation -- something the current Lions wideouts struggle with.
In the open field with the ball in his hands, he can make defenders look silly.
Unfortunately, Hamler did not participate in any of the on-field drills at the combine, and his pro day was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In all likelihood, his game speed will be the only measurement of his athleticism to go by.
Take the following with a grain of salt, but Hamler said he has run in the high 4.2's in the 40-yard dash.
Even if he were to run a slower time, he still is very fast.
One serious question mark regarding Hamler's game is his penchant for dropping passes.
Even tracking the ball and catching passes in stride sometimes seem a bit awkward for him.
In his career, he's dropped 16 balls on 114 catchable opportunities.
His 16.9 percent drop rate in 2019 is among the worst in the entire draft class.
It's not often defensive backs can keep up with him, but in contested catch situations, Hamler doesn't offer much.
Fortunately, he is so quick that he often has plenty of space to haul in passes.
Per Pro Football Focus, on targets of 10-plus yards, he had a step or more of separation on 64 percent of his targets in 2019 -- the fourth-highest rate in college football.
In Darrell Bevell's aggressive downfield scheme, Hamler could be a real deep threat that teams have to gameplan for.
As of right now, in a loaded receiver class, Hamler is a projected Day 2 selection.
If the Lions want a player with a very unique skill set to provide a little more diversity to their wideout room, he could be that guy.
Is a high second-round pick for Hamler too rich for the Lions' front office blood, though?
Maybe, but don't rule it out.
If the Lions want to add the most electric gadget player in the draft class, Hamler is their guy.
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