Ramses Barden: Freak or Fraud?

I just finished watching highlights of Cal Poly receiver Ramses Barden. The guy is definitely a matchup nightmare. At least he was against the tiny schools he played against. At 6’6”, 225, Barden has many a GM salivating over his potential. He adjusts to the ball well and has a knack for getting into the end zone.

Although, like most college wideouts, his route tree was very limited. From what I could gather, he basically ran three routes. The wide receiver screen (a staple college route that is usually shut down in the NFL), a red zone fade and a corner go route. The majority of his touchdowns were scored on the corner route.

Since he doesn’t possess deep speed, NFL corners will likely jam him at the line, forcing him to gain separation. His size and leaping ability won’t translate if he can’t break free from defensive backs. He’ll end up being another Mike Williams, Matt Jones or Dwayne Jarrett. In other words, a disappointment.

Barden is flying up draft boards and could end up being selected in the 2nd round. Seems too high a price for a guy with this many question marks. It’s a shame he didn’t face any elite cornerbacks in college; we might get a better idea how he might fare in the NFL. He’s not Randy Moss because he isn’t super fast.

So, whoever drafts him will be crossing their fingers he’s the next Plaxico Burress. History has proven most receivers the size of Barden don’t adjust to the NFL level. To be fair, Barden and Burress (in 2000) both ran in the 4.6 range, but Burress dominated Division I defenses in college.

I will admit, he is still intriguing. However, players like Kenny Britt or Brian Robiskie seem like safer picks. Here’s one of Barden’s highlight packages. Judge for yourself.

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