2018 Senior Bowl: WR Marcell Ateman a player to watch

2018 Senior Bowl: Oklahoma State wide receiver Marcell Ateman has been overshadowed some, but he’s a big time playmaker worth watching…

The 2018 Senior Bowl is loaded with talent, and we’ve only begun getting started taking a dive into some of the prospects that will be worth watching.

Oklahoma State’s Marcell Ateman is certainly one that will bear monitoring, but if you haven’t already…

…check out the list of 10 players I selected that you should get to know ahead of the Senior Bowl so you have some knowledge of them beforehand.

I also caught wind of a sleeper at the quarterback position that you have to check out.

Now, onto Ateman.

If you’re an Oklahoma State fan, you’re certainly familiar with Ateman’s abilities, and at this point, it probably feels like he’s been on campus for an eternity.

Ateman played in every game his first three years at Oklahoma State, starting back in 2013 as a freshman. In offseason practices leading up to the 2016 season, Ateman was injured and had to take a redshirt.

He has come back in 2017 with the best season of his collegiate career, catching a career-high 54 passes and eight touchdowns. He’s second on the team with an average per reception of 19.4 yards.

In an offense loaded with talent, especially at receiver, Ateman stood out enough this year to earn a Senior Bowl invitation, and he’ll have a chance there to prove why he’s somewhat of a poor man’s Mike Evans, to me.

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Ateman will be 24 years old in September, which will almost assuredly prevent him from going in the first round, perhaps even the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but this is a player that can be an asset right away despite the toughness of transitioning to the NFL at the receiver position.

Ateman has the ability to win with foot quickness when corners play off coverage, and he has the ability to get downfield in a hurry as a long-strider to make plays against press coverage.

He’s got excellent length, and can high-point the ball very well. Ateman does a good job of using his frame to box out defenders and catch the ball away from his body, but from my film study, he’s not a 100 percent lock to come down with 50-50 balls, though he’s very good in that regard as well.

When you’re talking about a guy who is 6-foot-4 or bigger with a 220-plus pound frame, you’re almost always talking about a dynamic red zone threat as well.

Ateman has the ability to take over games with his size and ability to make plays downfield. In the games I have watched, he pretty much strictly played the left wide receiver position, so he will need to expand his route tree at the next level.

In the Senior Bowl practices, Ateman could really earn himself some money and improve his draft stock by showing off his prowess in one-on-one situations.

Ultimately, he looks to me like a potential late day two draft pick, but he could very well out-play whatever his draft status ends up being anyway.