Scouting Report: WR Tajae Sharpe a Dark Horse Entering 2015
When scouting college football players, your always looking for that dark horse no one is talking about. Coming out of high school as a two star prospect, Tajae Sharpe definitely fits that prototypical “dark horse” mold. Playing for a typically uncompetitive team like UMass and not having an SEC caliber supporting cast around puts the receiver Sharpe in a difficult situation when it comes to getting his name called when the draft returns to Chicago in 2016.
In his 2014 season with the Minutemen, Sharpe had a career year, pulling in 85 catches for nearly 1300 yards. With spectacular hands and ball control through the catch, Sharpe gets those extra yards and pulls down some amazing catches, despite having a quality passer on his side. Those hands, along with that ball control talent, put on a show in 2014 particularly against Bowling Green.
In his fifth game of 2014, Sharpe had his best performance to date. With 13 catches and 179 yards, Sharpe helped keep UMass in the game, despite loosing a close battle by five points (47-42). Of those 42 points UMass scored, Sharpe was directly responsible for two touchdowns worth, each of which were spectacular plays.
Leading up to his first touchdown, Sharpe made one of his circus catches coming off the outside across the middle.
This tape will give you a better vantage point on how Tajae Sharpe was able to pull this ball in. He uses not just his hands, but his eyes to make this beautiful catch against a defensive back breathing down his neck.
Sharpe’s hands aren’t his only asset. Despite his lack of top speed, his route running is crisp and his eyes are always pointing towards the correct place. He fights for those extra yards that make the difference late in the game and uses his feet well against the sideline.
His biggest knock is his lack of a “second gear.” He isn’t a burner, but he can gain some separation with that excellent route running and awareness downfield. Sharpe also has to fill out his body. While his chart puts him at 6’3, 220 lbs, he looks like a stick playing against stones, and stones always win. If he can fill out his body I will feel more comfortable in his ability to stay healthy against bigger defenders.
Looking at the big picture, Tajae Sharpe has some excellent attributes that will make NFL scouts monitoring his play. The hands and ball control are his primary skill sets, while his route running and sideline awareness will take him far. Off the field, I can only find good things about him. Local reports are he’s mentoring the other receivers on the UMass squad. If he can bulk up and make find that extra bit of speed to gain extra separation, Sharpe will be a nice dark horse pickup on day two of the NFL draft.