Five Bay Area Players to Watch in the NFL Combine
Kenny Lawler, Cal WR
Junior, 6’3″, 195 lbs.
All eyes are locked on one specific Cal alumni, and for good reason. Jared Goff is one of the top quarterbacks, if not the top quarterback in the upcoming draft, but his receiver Kenny Lawler is an intriguing NFL prospect in his own right.
In three seasons at Cal, Lawler caught 143 passes (12th in school history) for 1,706 yards (18th), and piled up an amazing 27 touchdowns (second in school history). In his final year as a Golden Bear, he pulled in 14 touchdowns, putting him second in the Pac-12 for the year, and giving him the second-most prolific year in school history. He matched a school record with three touchdown catches in a single game on four occasions.
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Lawler isn’t that big, and is actually quite thin for the position. He isn’t a speed demon, instead using a great knack for finding the ball in the air to beat defenders. He doesn’t run the sharpest of routes, either. But Lawler’s biggest assets are his huge hands (he wears XXXL-sized gloves), which he uses to make incredible catches. From one-handed grabs, to jump balls, to diving catches, Lawler makes the absurd look routine.
Inconsistency with those hands are what make Lawler a truly frustrating prospect. While he makes those difficult catches look easy, he had his share of troubles making the actual easy catches in his junior season. He dropped more than his fair share of on-target passes, which more than once resulted in an interception for the defense. But it’s still hard to ignore all the eye-popping catches he made.
Lawler probably won’t wow many people with his strength or speed, but he should show up big time in positional drills. His draft position is unclear at this point, with some mocks having him go on day two, while others have him as a day-three player. With a big Combine, his stock could take a big jump.
Next: Stanford Quarterback