NFL Draft 2004

[YorickBrown]

It took the Baltimore Ravens almost the entire first day to make their picks in the 2004 NFL Draft, but it was well worth the wait. Calling him “a piece of the puzzle,” the Ravens traded up to the 82nd pick from Minnesota to get Bahamian WR Devard Darling. In return the Ravens gave up the 88th and 155th picks to Minnesota.

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Darling flourished with the Washington State Cougars after transferring from Florida State after his freshman year. He caught 104 passes for 1,630 yards and 18 touchdowns in a collegiate career that personified triumph over tragedy.

Devard is the first wide receiver the Ravens have taken in the first day of the draft since 2000, when Baltimore took Travis Taylor in the first round. Billick said Saturday night that he will have as good a chance to contribute to this team as any of the other receivers currently on roster.

“He has some athleticism, but as you can see, he has some size about him, some strength,” Billick said. “Transitioning and dealing with press in this league is probably the biggest transition that a college player has to make. But as has also been well-noted, that’s changing a little bit – the rules and the way you can contact down the field.”

OVERVIEW

Name: Devard Darling
Position: Wide receiver
College: Washington State
Height: 6-1
Weight: 213
Hometown: Houston, Texas

Talented deep threat who emerged as one of the top big-play artists in the country during his two years with the Cougars … Began his career at Florida State, but transferred after his twin brother, Devaughn, died during an offseason conditioning program at that school … Took over flanker duties for the Cougars as a sophomore, proceeding to catch 104 passes for 1,630 yards (15.7 avg.) and 18 touchdowns, adding 45 yards and a score on five carries (9.0 avg.) and 128 yards on seven kickoff returns (18.8 avg.) … His 1,630 yards rank 11th on the school's career-record list and only Hugh Campbell (22, 1960-62) had more scoring catches in WSU history … Including the four games he played in at Florida State in 2000, he hauled in 106 passes for 1,666 yards (15.7 avg.) and 19 touchdowns during his collegiate career.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a rangy, angular build with long arms and legs, split high and built for speed … Has a good first step and initial quickness for a player his size … Has the burst to threaten defenses vs. off-coverage and is rarely contained by press coverage … Can plant, leverage and cut, showing the burst to separate coming out of his patterns … Has a good feel for the chains and sidelines … Has good acceleration out of transition cuts … Can pluck the ball away from the body's frame … Likes the short ball best, but will make good body adjustments to track the ball in over his shoulders on deep patterns … Will bounce off tacklers thanks to his leg drive and shows elusiveness and strength in his run after the catch … Runs with a long, fluid stride and has the change of direction agility to blend with his quickness.

Negatives: Needs to improve his slide to the open zone when working in the short area … Can pluck the ball away from his body, except when catching in a crowd, as he tends to let the pigskin absorb into his body in attempts to better protect the ball … Will go for the ball in a crowd, but seems a little hesitant to work in this area (prefers the long ball) … Will misjudge the ball when trying to catch the low tosses or the passes from behind … Shows good courage, but does not seem to be interested in handling blocking assignments … Can be creative with the ball in his hands, but will take plays off when not involved in the action (rarely looks for secondary targets to block).

AGILITY TESTS

4.52 in the 40-yard dash … 1.59 10-yard dash … 37-inch vertical jump … 10-foot-9 broad jump … 4.27 20-yard shuttle … 11.44 60-yard shuttle … 7.39 three-cone drill … 32¼-inch arm length … 9 5/8-inch hands.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Austin (Houston, Texas) High … One of the top prospects in the state of Texas at wide receiver, earning three varsity letters for football coach Tom Stewart … Earned two letters in track and one in basketball before ending his hoop career as a junior … Played in a run-oriented offense … Named to the all-district team, regarded as the nation's No. 24 wide receiver and the No. 28 prospect in Texas by SuperPrep and listed as the No. 51 wide receiver in the nation by Rivals100.com.

PERSONAL

Exercise Science major … Identical twin brother, Devaughn, died while involved in offseason conditioning program at Florida State in February 2001 … Son of parents Dennis Darling and Wendy Smithe … Born April 16, 1982, in the Bahamas … Resides in Houston, Texas.

[CG]

Well done, Devard Darling!