| Crabtree is foregoing his final two years of eligibility, and his skills make him worthy of being the first receiver selected in this draft, but a stress fracture in his left foot that was diagnosed at the NFL Combine kept him from performing for scouts. Doctors recommended surgery to insert a screw, and rehabilitation will take at least 10 weeks. Crabtree opted for surgery, giving up a chance to run at a personal workout for NFL teams. Won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver each of the past two years, the first repeat winner since the honor was established in 1994, but there are now questions about his durability. Spent part of last season dealing with a right ankle injury. Still, he caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 TDs en route to earning All-America honors for the second straight season. In 2007, finished with 134 catches for 1,962 yards and 22 TDs - all national bests and NCAA freshman records. Excellent hands, secures the ball quickly after the catch. Makes good use of his size and quickness to get separation from defenders. Always looking to make a play after the catch. Doesn't have elite speed and measured 6-foot-1, 2 inches shorter than his listed height at Texas Tech, a potential concern for teams that thought he would fit the mold of receivers such as Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald. With no 40-yard dash time or any of the usual drills to evaluate, scouts will have a tough time assessing Crabtree against such receivers as Missouri's Jeremy Maclin or Florida's Percy Harvin. Even so, he still has a chance to be selected in the top 5. |
