This year’s draft is full of lesser known wide receiver prospects. Today I will be discussing Washington State’s Vince Mayle, whom I got to see at the Senior Bowl game and practices. He is one of the 
biggest players at his position standing at 6’ 2” 224 lbs. and while he ran a disappointing 4.67 forty time at the NFL Combine, he certainly deserves a second look. I reviewed four of his games against Utah, Rutgers, Oregon, and Washington to get a better idea of what he brings to the next level skill-wise. Here are my thoughts:
WR Vince Mayle, Washington State, 6’ 2” 224 lbs.
Cons: The first time I got to see him was in Mobile and his practices varied from day-to-day. He would perform well on one drill looking amazing and then appear flat the rest of the practice. Mayle has a bad habit of letting the ball into his body instead of going out and attacking it. If a wide out allows the pigskin to come to him, it can rattle around or get swiped out by a defender. The receiver was out-muscled by smaller defensive backs (even though he rarely faced press coverage on the line) and suffered a few concentration lapses.
His routes are not crisp as he seems to drift instead of being at the right place at the right time. This could be a major issue with a timing based quarterback. Mayle doesn’t appear to be overly athletic (stiff-hipped) and needed to chop his feet to breakdown aka change directions. This will tip-off where he is going and allow his coverage to adjust/make a play on the ball.
Pros: He is a fearless receiver in the middle of the field and isn’t afraid to mix it up in double coverage. Mayle can shield the ball from his defenders and is a solid red zone threat. The wide out has quick feet using a slight stutter step and/or spin move to get initial separation off the line. He was very successful on bubble screens and shorter routes. If his quarterback can hit him in stride, Mayle will make the catch and show extra burst in the open field. He can make the toe-tapping sideline reception to keep the drive alive. As a run blocker, the receiver shows a lot of effort and keep his feet chopping.
Overall thoughts: Mayle is a big bodied receiver that doesn’t play to his size. He could be a good dynasty WR4 as a red zone threat, but I have my doubts he becomes more than that. If you have a taxi squad, the receiver might be worth a stash. He reminds me a bit of New Orleans Saints second year receiver Brandon Coleman.
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