Alonzo Russell might have been one of the most talented wide receivers who went undrafted in 2016.
The primary knock against the former Toledo receiver seems to be the fact that he can lose control of his competitive side and get on the his coaches' bad side. But, if he can learn to control his competitiveness and focus on putting a more consistent product on the field, he could be a great asset to any NFL team.
Since being signed after the draft by the Bengals, Russell has managed to draw attention to himself despite trying to compete for a roster spot at an ultra-crowded position. One notable person who has been impressed by Russell so far has been Bengals' veteran cornerback Adam Jones, who praised Russell back in late May for his deceptive speed and height.
"I like 17," Jones said of Russell during OTAs. "He's tall and sneaky fast. I figured that out today."
Unfortunately, an injury leading to a 'minor procedure' kept him out for rookie minicamp. But, he will be hoping to overcome the setback going forward and look to show the Bengals that he's worth keeping around, even if only on the practice squad.
Player Information:
Age: 23
Experience: Rookie
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 206 pounds
College: Toledo
Contract Status
2016 Stock
As a rookie, it seems unfathomable to think Russell wouldn't improve his skill set from what he possessed before entering the NFL. With a higher level of competition to train against and an NFL level coaching staff to help him along, Russell should see improvement from his 2015 season which saw 36 receptions for 618 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also returned 1 kickoff return for 23 yards, so though he doesn't have much experience there, special teams will likely be an area in which the Bengals try to see what Russell can offer.
He's talented enough to draw praise from the Bengals' best cornerback and doesn't seem to have a whole lot of physical downsides. If he can learn to harness the positives of his game, there shouldn't be any reason to think that Russell doesn't at least stand a chance to beat someone out for a role on the practice squad this year.
Russell's NFL.com draft profile contained some particularly interesting criticism from an AFC East scout, explaining that Russell simply did not live up to his own talent while playing for Toledo.
"When a player with his height, weight, speed doesn't get any better from his first year you really have to wonder what is going on. He should have been a 1,000-yard receiver at some point and he never was."
In his freshman year in 2012, Russell had 56 receptions for 960 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was never able to top 770 yards during the next three years and his senior season saw the least production of his collegiate career.
YEAR | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
2012 | 56 | 960 | 17.1 | 66 | 5 |
2013 | 59 | 728 | 12.3 | 45 | 6 |
2014 | 51 | 770 | 15.1 | 59 | 8 |
2015 | 36 | 618 | 17.2 | 51 | 5 |
With such great potential and no evidence of him working hard enough to achieve it, can you really expect him to make much of an impact against NFL competition? It was hard enough for him to make a name for himself in the Mid American Conference, and the NFL is a whole different beast.
Odds of making the roster
It would be a huge shock to see Russell make the final roster. Competing against established veterans like Brandon Lafell and Brandon Tate or more well-known young guys like Tyler Boyd, Jake Kumerow, James Wright, Cody Core, and Mario Alford would suggest that he will need to take a massive step forward in the coming months to have any hope of making the cut.
It's much more likely to think that he will have a shot to make the practice squad, competing against other undrafted players like Michael Bennett, Alex Erickson, and Antwane Grant. Depending on which players don't make the 53 man roster, you could also potentially add Kumerow, Core, and Alford into that practice squad discussion.
Ultimately, it wouldn't really be a huge shock to see Russell succumb to roster cuts and not even be brought back as a practice squad player. He has the talent to be worthy of a spot, but it won't matter if he can't adjust to the NFL speed. My current prediction is that he will prove himself worthy as a practice squad addition after giving way to final cuts, but it's really hard to say with training camp still a little less than two weeks away.