2017 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan

The New York Giants were expected to field a dynamic, neigh-unstoppable offense in 2016.

As we all saw, that didn’t exactly happen, and a defense that was expected to rise to mediocrity kept on rising and carried an anemic offense through to the post-season. There are plenty of reasons why the Giants’ offense didn’t meet expectations, but one of them is the lack of a receiver who can make catches in traffic and provide another threat outside of Odell Beckham Jr.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the player the Giants lack is a bigger-bodied possession receiver. That also happens to be the expected role of Michigan’s Amara Darboh.

Measurables

Height - 6 feet, 2 inches

Weight - 215 pounds

40 Time - 4.46 sec (projected)

Pros

• Great size and frame for an outside receiver.
• Big strong hands help him make catches in traffic.
• Competent route runner. Varies his stride length to create separation and makes sharp breaks on curl and comeback routes.
• Good at finding the soft spots in defenses
• Uses his frame well to shield the ball from the defender.
• Good body control to adjust to off-target balls, and still come up with the catch.
• Surprising long speed.
• Well coached by Jim Harbough and willing to do the little things like blocking

Cons

• Doesn’t have great quickness off the line.
• Has build-up rather than explosive speed.
• Doesn’t look like a true “X” receiver.
• Not a “hands catcher” and frequently lets the ball into his chest.

Does He Fit With The Giants?

This all depends on what the Giants want their offense to look like.

Darboh has the frame and skillset to be the bigger bodied “Z” receiver they currently lack in their “11” personnel package. And if they want to keep that as their base formation, he could be an attractive option. Playing in a pro-style offense, being coached by an NFL coach will likely reduce his learning curve and let him contribute early in his career.

However, if the Giants want to pursue a more “New England”-like model with tight ends/h-backs as the big-bodied receivers while Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard stress the defense with their speed and quickness, the would likely use the second or third round pick elsewhere.

Prospect Video

Big Board Rankings

Big Blue View - 89th overall

Mocking The Draft - N/A

CBS Sports - 76th overall

Draft Countdown - 80th overall

Draft Tek - 60th overall

Final Thoughts

The 2017 wide receiver class is a bit of a sneaky one. Big-school prospects like Clemson’s Mike Williams and Washington’s John Ross will capture most of the headlines, but there are a bunch of smaller-school prospects who will be drafted highly as well -- most notably WMU’s Corey Davis.

But there’s also solid depth at the position, players like Darboh who won’t be “X” or number 1 receivers, but are talented and have roles in the offense. Where exactly they are drafted, what (and how big) that role is will largely be dependent on the teams themselves. The grade on Darboh (and others like him) could vary wildly depending on which team is looking at him