Arguably no prospect has skyrocketed up draft boards in recent weeks more than Indiana wide receiver Cody Latimer.
Latimer has visits scheduled with seven teams over the next few weeks, including the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, the Detroit Lions on Friday, the Oakland Raiders on April 14, then the Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers before the Carolina Panthers on April 24. Latimer has also worked out privately with the Baltimore Ravens.
7 visits for #Indiana WR Cody Latimer: #Bills, #Eagles Mon, #Lions 4/11, #Raiders 4/14, #Seahawks 4/15, #Chargers 4/16, #Panthers 4/24
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 6, 2014
One of the busiest prospects in the draft, Latimer did not even crack the top 10 of the XN Sports wide receiver rankings, He began to garner interest at the NFL Scouting Combine. Despite not participating in positional workouts or speed/agility drills due to a foot injury, he grabbed hold of teams’ attention with his bench press reps (23) and vertical jump (39). Teams in need of help at wide receiver such as the New York Jets and San Diego Chargers were well represented.
Originally ranked as a top-25 wide receiver talent with a middle- to late-round draft grade, Latimer is now projected to fall in either the first or second round come May. With an athletic build, Latimer has stood out as a consistent route-runner, the ability to make plays after the catch, and soft hands. He also doesn’t shy away from blocking.
Like a lot of the NFL’s top tight ends, Latimer comes from a high school basketball background. That’s evident by not only his size but his expanded catch radius.
One of the teams set to host Latimer, the Eagles who now have a void at wide receiver after the release of DeSean Jackson, are reportedly keeping tabs on the Indiana standout. Philadelphia picks 22nd in the first round. From a possible fifth-round pick to coming off the board at No. 22 — it’s possible.
The Big Lead’s mock draft has Latimer off the board at 32nd to another one of the teams hosting him for a visit: the Seahawks. The rationale:
The Seahawks lost Golden Tate in free agency. Latimer is a plug-and-play guy and he’s already lined up visits to many teams drafting early in the second round. Strong, fast, and oh, he had a nice game against Mr. Dennard. In two weeks, we’ll talk about Latimer sneaking into the early 20s.
Latimer is generating a lot of hype, and because of quickly he’s climbing up draft boards, teams are considering nabbing him in the second half of the first round. From Day 3 pick to opening night, Latimer is a wide receiver to keep an eye on.
