Can Early Doucet be a Younger Anquan Boldin for the Cardinals?

by cgolden on Jun 30, 2008 1:34 PM MDT

The Arizona Cardinals took a chance on a former quarterback turned wide receiver who ran slower than expected prior to the draft in 2003. That picked turned into a two time Pro Bowler in his first five seasons. Anquan Boldin was a high school quarterback who moved to wide receiver in college, even though he moon-lighted at QB during his time at FSU. He ran a very pedestrian 4.72 forty at the combine and even though he ran quicker at his pro day (4.58), questions about his ability to get open at the NFL level remained.

Enter Early Doucet: another wide receiver with experience at QB but questionable forty times. His time (4.59) at the combine dropped the one time first round prospect to the third round and led to more comparisons between the two. They are both six foot tall and were within 7 pounds of each other at their respective combines (Q - 216 & ED - 209). Doucet recognized the similarities long before the combine though when he contacted Boldin through mutual friend before the 2007 season in an effort to get some advice from the accomplished star. Boldin has since taken Doucet under his wing both throughout last season but also in mini-camps shortly after the draft. Does all this really mean that Doucet is destined for stardom though?

Odds are Doucet isn't going to burst on the NFL scene with a 100 catch season or break rookie-records the way that Boldin did, but that's not what the Cardinals are expecting by any means. Doucet will most likely start out in the slot as the #3 or #4 receiver. From there he'll benefit from playing against lesser corners and should be able to be productive going over the middle and making tough catches in traffic. He'll be able to use his sure hands and shifty run ability to turn some short slants into decent gains. Look for him to put up numbers similar to Bryant Johnson's stats from his first three seasons with 400-500 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Doucet's role should increase as he grows in the offense, but as long as Boldin and Fitz are in the desert, Doucet will have to make his living in the slot.

So what do you guys expect out of Doucet in 2008 and in the next couple of seasons? Is he a future replacement for Q, or just a 'poor-man's Q'?

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Comments

Doucet...

....will be an excellent slot receiver in the NFL. I think he will be great running slants over the middle and even bigger posts from the 3. He just gives me that feeling that he will be a solid NFL WR.

by Red Reign on Jun 30, 2008 3:47 PM MDT reply actions

glad I'm not the only one who thinks so

I can’t wait to see what this kid does over the middle of the field. He’s shifty with the ball in his hands and he won’t have the mental lapses that BJ had that led to drops.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jun 30, 2008 4:11 PM MDT up reply actions

And...

...I don’t think he’ll be Pro Bowl material or anything. Just solid. A hell of a lot better than BJ.

by Red Reign on Jun 30, 2008 5:13 PM MDT reply actions

Never watched him in college

I’ve never really seen this guy play other than a couple of highlights, but I will be excited to see him on the field. He’s probably third on my list of rookies I can’t wait to watch this year behind Hightower & DRC.

The only poor man’s Q I can think of is the Real Q before he got his first contract renegotiation. (or maybe Q in his own head right now lining up next to Fitz LOL)

by AJ BirdWatcher on Jun 30, 2008 6:01 PM MDT reply actions

+1 LOL

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jul 1, 2008 5:03 AM MDT up reply actions

Early vs Q

I too was making the comparisons between the two even before I heard the comparisons. I think this is exactly what the cards were looking for. Whiz still wants this to be a predominately running team and doesn’t see paying two superstar receivers when they can use that money to upgrade so many other positions. They were anticipating Q’s contract demands and were attempting to clone him at a much lower price. By next year the three receivers will be Fitz, Early and Breaston. Breaston will outplay Early this year, but their roles will reverse next year. I think Early is compareable to Q in every way except for maybe his fire. And that we won’t see until gameday. This could turn out to be a perfect clone as long as he can be as fierce a blocker as Q.

by hevchv on Jul 2, 2008 5:47 AM MDT reply actions

blocking will be huge

Hopefully Q emphasizes how important blocking is when he’s mentoring Early. Whiz is used to Hines in Pittsburgh so he expects that from his receivers and that’s often the difference between a 15 yard run and a 50 yard touchdown.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jul 2, 2008 6:42 AM MDT up reply actions