Cal Bears Provide A Lot of Receiver Options in the NFL Draft

With just over a month until the NFL Draft, the Cal Bears provide a lot of wide receiver options for teams to consider.

After averaging over 38 points per game in the 2014 season, the California Golden Bears were shut out in the 2015 NFL Draft, with nary a Cal player hearing their name called for the first time since 1986. That won’t be the case this year, as Cal quarterback Jared Goff will be one of the first few players off the board on April 28th. Goff certainly won’t be alone in being drafted this year as Cal alumni.

The Bears’ offense should be well-represented come draft time, with possible contenders in tight end Stephen Anderson, versatile offensive lineman Jordan Rigsbee, and defensive end Kyle Kragen all potentially hearing their names as late-round selections. There’s also running back Daniel Lasco, who suffered through an injury-marred 2015 season but is raising his stock exponentially with exceptional pre-draft workouts.

It’s the wide receiver group, however, that is the deepest and most intriguing group. All of the Bears’ top-five wide receivers from last sason, in terms of receptions, are in this year’s draft (four graduating seniors and one junior that declared early) and all present their own unique cases to be among the group of this year’s drafted.

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Kenny Lawler, the junior of the group, will probably be the first Cal wide receiver to be selected this year. His skill set should be what every NFL team is looking for. He has good height, hands the size of frying pans, has a knack for making incredible catches, and has a nose for the endzone, catching 27 touchdowns in 34 college games and ranking up four triple-touchdown games. It wouldn’t be surprising if Lawler was taken on day two of the draft, but he should likely be a fourth-round pick at the lowest.

While Lawler is the head of the group, he should have plenty of his brethren around him on draft day. Like Lasco, senior wide receiver Trevor Davis had a great showing at the NFL Combine, finishing second among fellow wideouts in the three-cone drill and 60-yard shuttle, third in 40-yard dash, and fourth in vertical leap. In the pass-catching drills, he showed how smooth he is and how strong a receiver he is, while showing off his explosive speed. Couple that with his ability to effectively return kicks, and Davis can make a nice asset for a pro club.

Bryce Treggs was never a number-one target in his four years at Cal, but still posted great numbers, racking up 195 receptions (third in school history) and 2,506 yards (fourth in school history), as well as 15 touchdowns. He curiously enough wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, but had a sterling showing at Cal’s annual Pro Day last week. With the eyes of scouts from every team at Memorial Stadium, Treggs ran a blazing 4.39 40-yard dash, which would have matched TCU’s Kolby Listenbee for second-fastest at the Combine behind Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller’s time of 4.32 seconds. Treggs has the size as well as the speed of a slot receiver in the NFL, and he could have a nice, long career in the right role.

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Darius Powe flew mostly under the radar at Cal, but was second in the Bears’ prolific passing offense in 2015 with 47 catches and eight touchdowns. He also led the team in third and fourth down conversions as defenses keyed in on some of the higher-profile pass catchers. He’s a big guy, at 6’3″ and 220 pounds, and ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the Pro Day, an extremely good time for a guy his size.

There’s also Maurice Harris, another graduating senior whose case can be made for an NFL team. He was one of six Cal wideouts to catch at last 40 passes last season, and caught a career-high six touchdowns in 13 games. Harris needs a bit more seasoning to become a big threat at the next level, but a team willing to be patient with him could have a good depth player down the road.

Every Cal receiver can play their own role in the NFL. If you’re looking for a big play receiver, Lawler is your guy. If you need someone to play inside and move the chains, Treggs is the one to call on. If you need a return man that can catch some passes as well, look no further than Davis. If you need someone who can be groomed into a top threat, Powe is that man. If you need some depth, consider Harris.

Next: Cal Falls in First Round to Hawaii

Since the NFL Draft was shortened to its current seven-round format in 1994, nine times has a school had three wide receivers taken in the same class (Florida State in 1995 and 2000, Miami in 2001, Oklahoma in 2005, Ohio State in 2007, Virginia Tech in 2008, North Carolina in 2009, Arkansas in 2012, and LSU in 2014). The Bears have the personnel in this year’s draft to join those schools as the 10th in line. Maybe, just maybe, the Bears also have the personnel to become the first teams with four wideouts in one draft class.

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