Name: Ty Montgomery
School: Stanford
Class: Senior
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215
Background/Character | Leadership: 7.8 | Experience: 8.2 | Off-The-Field: 8.5 |
| Mental Capacity: 8.5 | Mental Toughness: 8.2 | Durability: 7.4 |
No news is good news in general when discussing which collegiate players are able to keep their names out of the news on a consistent basis. It seems in today's day and age NCAA players often make the mistake of turning to social media to release their frustration, which is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Good luck with that. Nothing to worry about on that front with Montgomery who is a straight laced player on-and-off the field.
In regards to Montgomery's durability he has done a good job of staying on the field during his four year career at Stanford, suiting up for all but two games during his sophmore season when he was battling a leg injury that lingered for most of the season. Even though Montgomery is listed as doubtful for this weeks contest against the UCLA Bruins, he has played in 49 contests to date which is a very good resume builder for any soon to be NFL employee. Final Grade: 8.1
Athleticism | Balance: 8.8 | C.O.D.: 7.8 | Explosivness: 8.9 |
| Flexibility: 7.2 | Coordination: 7.8 | Body Type: 7.3 |
It has been said Montgomery has ran the 40 time under 4.5 seconds which sounds about right when you flip on the tape. One thing about Montgomery's speed however, is his ability to give off the impression that he is at full speed when in reality he is "gliding" around at about half speed to deceive his defender before he kicks into his high gear.
While he has the top end speed that you want his acceleration or start/stop ability leaves something lacking and wanting more. This may be partially due to his big and strong lower body. Montgomery does a good job of staying low to the ground and uses his leg strength to bounce off would be tacklers with ease. Final Grade: 8.0
Running Talent | Game Speed: 8.9 | Quickness: 8.4 | Acceleration: 7.8 |
| Elusiveness: 8.1 | Lateral Control: 8.5 | Vision: 9.2 |
While he wont break any stopwatches come Combine time, Montgomery does have more than enough speed to take any play to the house, and although his acceleration leaves something to be desired (when you start to get picky) his ability to make any given defender miss in the open field can't go unnoticed. However, hands down his best skill with the ball in his hands clearly is his vision. Montgomery has the ability to scan the field and set up his blockers and running lanes instantly which has been on display for the world to see with his explosivness as a return man for Stanford. Final Grade: 8.4
Receiving Ability | Pass Catching: 7.8 | Concentration: 8.0 | High Pointing: 6.8 |
| Body Control: 7.2 | Reaction: 7.6 | Physicality: 8.4 |
Some players excel so much in certain areas while at the collegiate level that they're able to cover up other areas of perceived weakness. Montgomery was the focal point for the Cardinal's offense and they played to his strengths as long as the opposing defense would allow it. Plays like end arounds, bubble screens, and short-to-intermediate routes were the teams bread-and-butter way of letting Montgomery do his damage with the ball already in his hands. In fact, he is so good with the ball in his hands that they would even shift him into the backfield as a running back, or even dial up the Wildcat formation with Montgomery as the lead running back. Noticing a trend here? Coach David Shaw knew how to maximize his talents and would do so near the line of scrimmage or shortly there after with in general shallow routes.
Where Montgomery would show a kink in his armor was on plays that asked him to travel further down the field and into traffic. In both cases Montgomery digressed on the evaluation chart and had subtle flags pop up. Montgomery showed a hard time concentrating on catching the ball when there was defenders in his face. More so, while he had plenty of big games against zone coverage, Montgomery struggled more times than not against man or press coverage, showing at times the struggle of getting off the jam, and making the tough catch when being contested down the field. Final Grade: 7.6
Player Comparison: Percy Harvin/Golden Tate
Projected Draft Position: 2nd-3rd Round
Best Scheme Fit: West Coast
Injury History: N/A
Career Accolades: 2013 Consensus All-American
Career Stats: 172 receptions, 2125 yards, 19 touchdowns, 5 kick/punt return touchdowns
Final Analysis
Based off the numbers and production there was buzz early on this year that Ty Montgomery could sneak himself into the end of round one in the 2015 NFL Draft. However, as time goes on more and more scouts are recognizing some major flaws in his receiving ability like his route running that he will have to try and overcome during the predraft process.
Still, Montgomery does too many things well to fall any furhter than the third round considering his ability to turn bubble screens and end arounds into huge gains, as well as being a game changer in the return game. Scouts and coaches a like will appreciate his tough natured running style and will look at him as a valuable chess peice they can work short and medium routes as well as move into the backfield as a running back with his excellent vision. However, becuase of his lack of size combined with the inability to win one-on-one matchups down the feild consistently, it will be near impossible for teams to view him as a true number one wide receiver.
If your team already has a true number one wide out and is looking for a complimentary option they can move all over the field ala Percy Harvin, as well as filling a void in their return game then keep your eyes on Ty Montgomery on day two of the NFL Draft.