SCOUTING REPORT ON TODD BLYTH

By Rob Vanstone 01-30-2009 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

Here's the word on recently signed Roughriders receiver Todd Blythe.
The Ed McCaffrey comparison pretty much dictates the content of my first training-camp column!

2008 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:personTodd Blythe, WR, Iowa St.Blythe has had a very productive four-year career at Iowa St. and though he may not be mentioned among the other elite receivers in the country, that doesn't mean he should be on the board for too long.He had an outstanding season as a freshman, catching 39 passes for 833 yards (21.4 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns. He kept up the productivity as a sophomore, catching 51 passes for 1,000 yards and nine scores. 2006 was set to be another big season, but he missed four games and was limited to only 34 catches and 484 yards. But, he still made plays (despite his and Iowa St.'s struggles), finding the end zone in all but one of eight games he played, totaling eight touchdowns.

This season, he was a bright spot in a 3-9 season, rounding out his Iowa St. career by becoming the Cyclones' all-time leading receiver, catching 52 passes for 779 yards and five touchdowns to finish with school records of 176 catches, 3,096 yards and 31 touchdowns.Blythe has all the makings of an excellent NFL receiver - great size (he's anywhere from 6'4 to 6'6, depending on where you look), great hands, and big-play ability. Also, he's a physical receiver, which helps him both as a pass-catcher and as a blocker.

The one knock on him is that he isn't as fast as some scouts would like for him to be. That hasn't stopped one of the most prominent talent evaluators out there (Gil Brandt) from speaking very highly of him in an October article in the Des Moines Register; where he raved about Blythe's blocking and pass-catching ability and compared him to former Denver Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey, who had a similar make-up to Blythe.

This is a guy worth taking a chance on. His talent and production can't be overlooked and his playmaking skills and physicality can overrule any issues about how fast he may or may not be. He could see himself move up at least high into the third round if he runs well enough at the combine, but seems set to be a Day Two guy. If he falls too far (NFLDraftScout.com has him rated in the 7th round), he could be another guy that falls into the 'steal' category, making a lot of teams rue passing on him.