Pittsburgh receiver Jon Baldwin brings to mind the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. You see, instead of progressing normally as he nears the Draft, it appears Baldwin -- and his stock -- is going bass ackwards in reverse.
Not so much physically, of course -- he’s listed at 6-foot-5, 230 lbs. -- but mentally. In early December, Baldwin uncharacteristically threw both former quarterback Tino Sunseri and coach Dave Wannstedt under the biggest Greyhound bus he could find departing Pittsburgh.
Sure, his numbers were down from a year ago, but Baldwin’s 2009 campaign (57 catches, 1111 yards, 8 touchdowns) would be hard for a lot of people to top.
It was an immature move, and one that came with bad timing.
It would be one thing if Baldwin was self absorbed, but possessed elite talent. According to the Sporting News’ report on Baldwin during Pitt’s Pro Day, that is far from the case.
“Wide receiver Jon Baldwin has been called a first-round prospect by some in the media, but that’s just crazy talk. He is a big receiver with a tight upper body and almost zero quickness or acceleration off the line or out of breaks. He lacks zero elusiveness running after the catch, too. Although he didn’t drop a pass in Tuesday’s workout, he still traps way too many balls against his body instead of reaching out and snatching them. Plus, he trashed former coach Dave Wannstedt in the media after he was fired, turning off many NFL people who would have considered him as a backup receiver. Coaches make exceptions for me-first receivers with rare talent--that’s not Baldwin.”
Now, I’m no Todd McShay, so I just have to take a scout’s word on this.
But Baldwin is a curious case. He certainly possesses the physical tools, but it was surprising to hear he was underdeveloped in even basic areas like catching with his hands. In fairness, that could be a coaching flaw.
It also could be an unwillingness by Baldwin to do the basics.
Either way, this is a deep year for wide receivers in the Draft and Baldwin’s margin for error is beginning to get smaller.