James Quick, WR, Louisville: 2017 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Player Summary
James Quick, a 2013 four-star recruit, started 30 of 45 career games for Louisville. He started 10 games as a senior, leading the team with 769 receiving yards. He also finished second with 45 receptions and six receiving touchdowns. For his career, he caught 126 passes for 2,032 yards and 14 scores. He also contributed as a punt return in 2014, however was eventually replaced after multiple fumbles.
During his college career, Quick played for two head coaches and four different offensive coordinators. He was suspended for one game as a sophomore for a violation of team rules and did not miss game action after being arrested for possession of marijuana prior to the 2014 season. He possesses adequate size on a thin frame with good athletic ability.
Measureables
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 182 lbs.
Games Watched
2016: Clemson, Florida State, LSU, North Carolina State
2015: Florida State
Strengths
James Quick lines up primarily in the slot or as the flanker for Louisville, which gives him a free release to display good athletic ability by exploding off the snap. He’s a very good route runner who accelerates quickly through the stem of his route. He possesses fluid hips and solid change of direction skills to create separation at the top of his route.
Quick demonstrates good awareness against zone coverage as he finds the hole and sits down to give the quarterback a large window in which to place the football. Below are a couple examples of this, one against Florida State and one against LSU. In the first play against the Seminoles, Quick (lined up on the line of scrimmage to the right of the formation) works his way up the seam until QB Lamar Jackson has enough of a window to place the ball between defenders. Quick makes the catch and shows off solid elusiveness on his way to a 30-yard gain on 3rd and five.
In the Citrus Bowl against LSU, Quick finds the hole in the zone coverage in a slightly different way. This time, he sits down in the zone and catches the short pass from Jackson. Quick turns upfield quickly and once again displays solid elusiveness to maximize yards after the catch.
Quick tracks the ball well in the air and exhibits solid hands as he hauls in the pass. As seen in the plays above, he turns upfield quickly while utilizing solid elusiveness to maximize yards after the catch.
In the run game, Quick is a willing blocker who isn’t afraid to take on larger defenders.
Louisville Cardinals Football
Weaknesses
James Quick gets a poor release against press coverage as he struggles to fight through contact, throwing off the timing of his routes. His struggles through contact are seen all over the field, including on deep balls when he is easily bumped off his line and forced toward the sideline.
Quick does not look for the ball quickly on blitzes and does not adjust his route when the quarterback scrambles as a result of marginal mental processing skills. To be fair, none of the Louisville receivers make much of an effort to get open once quarterback Lamar Jackson scrambles as they all assume he is going to take off and run.
Quick possesses a poor catch radius as he struggles to adjust around his frame and haul in passes that aren’t thrown perfectly. He also has issues holding onto the football through contact. That is evident in the play below as he gets two hands on the pass, but doesn’t show the concentration or play strength necessary to hold on through contact.
After the catch, Quick does not fight through contact and demonstrates a poor ability to break tackles. This inability to pick up yards after contact came into play against Clemson when he could only gain 11 yards on 4th and 12 with the game on the line.
While he’s a willing blocker in the run game, Quick is ineffective and allows defenders to disengage quickly and easily.
Overall
Overall, James Quick is a backup receiver in the NFL who wins with explosiveness off the line of scrimmage and very good awareness versus zone coverage. He’s not someone who is going to have success against press coverage or physical defenders on the outside. For that reason, Quick is basically a slot only receiver who can cause problems for zone defenses. If he’s given a free release, Quick is the type of wideout who can find the hole in the defense and keep the chains moving. While he’s nowhere near the level of a Julian Edelman, that’s the type of role he needs to be in. Let him run option routes from the slot or in motion to exploit the defense.
Despite being one of the better slot receivers in the 2017 NFL Draft class, Quick has been an afterthought this offseason. While fellow wide receiver Jamari Staples and tight end Cole Hikutini represented Louisville at the Senior Bowl, Quick did not participate in a postseason all-star game. He did however earn an invitation to the Scouting Combine. The Combine will impact his stock with Quick having a late-round grade going in.
One event to keep an eye on with Quick is the gauntlet drill. His small catch radius could hurt him as the balls will be coming quick and generally off target. How he adjusts to those passes around his frame may be the difference between being a day three pick and an undrafted free agent.