The Texans 2012 draft watch series continues with a look at yet another wide receiver, Arizona's Juron Criner. Don't worry, we'll start looking at other positions soon.
Criner is currently the #9 rated wide receiver in the draft according to nfldraftscout.com where he carries a Round 2-3 grade with a 'riser' up-arrow.
According to Anthony Gimino of the Tucson Citizen, Criner "boosted his draft stock during the week of Senior Bowl practices — not just for making the kind of difficult catches UA fans fondly recall but for quieting some of chatter about him off the field."
The 'chatter' that Gimino mentioned was due to Criner missing about a month of off-season team activities last year because of "personal and family issues."
The family issues, according to reports, was that Criner's mother was very sick and he went home to be with her. But there were also reports that that Criner had health issues of his own, reports that one 'high ranking team official' said were 'overblown' by the media.
"I'm not concerned at all," the official said. "That stuff was overblown by the media. The coaches there [Arizona] say he is a good kid. He's gone through some tough stuff but I don't know of anything that would cause his stock to be impacted by it." - Rob Rang
Arizona head coach Mike Stoops said (before Stoops was fired) that Criner hasn’t always had the best support system around him. (Gimino) Rob Rang also told Gimino that Criner is a 'private kid' and may have had 'trust issues' with those around him.
“From everybody I talked to, he’s a good kid, he’s just a private kid," Rang said. "I don’t know if he trusted a lot of people around him.” (Gimino) Not sure if that's a reference to media, family members or others.
But one thing is certain. The off-season chatter didn't seem to affect Criner on the field last year. He put up solid numbers, despite having an emergency appendectomy early in the season. A solid senior season and a good Senior Bowl week appear to have him back on track to have his name called somewhere in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.
"Some of Criner's production is a result of Arizona's spread offense. Many of his grabs come off of quick slip screens, giving him the ball in space to rack up yards after the catch. While scouts can question if he'll be able to match his collegiate success in the NFL, what is clear is that Criner has the size, strength and hands the NFL is looking for" - cbssports.com
Criner put up huge numbers at Arizona, finishing his career with 209 catches for 2,859 yards and 32 touchdowns (AZ's all-time TD reception mark). He led the nation in receiving during his junior season with 82 catches, 1,233 yards and 11 TDs. (stats)
He's a strong and powerful receiver with good size (6-2, 220) good body control, and good hands, especially in tight spaces. He doesn't have great speed, however, so how he runs at the combine will have a lot to do with where he's selected. In terms of NFL potential, he's more of a possession type chain mover and redzone weapon than he is a deep threat.
That said, Criner would be a good fit in the Texans offense. He has the size to play outside and slants and crosses are his forte. While he's not going to outrun anyone on a 9-route and you would have to scheme him deep, he's a good yards-after-catch guy when he gets the ball in the second level.
Juron Criner, WR Arizona (projection and position rank from nfldraftscout.com)
- 6-2, 220
- DOB: December 12, 1989
- Projected draft round: 2-3
- Position rank: Rated #9 out of 344 WRs
- 2011 All-Pac-12 Conference Honorable Mention (Coaches)
Video:
- Criner TD catch in tight space vs. UCLA
- Criner breakdown from dailywildcat.com (note, the presenter's comparison to Julio Jones works to an extent, but Julio Jones ran a 4.4 flat (or thereabouts) at the combine last year. Criner's more of a mid-to-high 4.5 guy from what I've been reading.
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