WR DaMarkus Lodge, Mississippi

6’2” – 202 lbs. – 4.55
Appeared in eight games as a freshman, then started one of eleven games played as a sophomore the following year (15-203-2). Became a full-time starter in his junior year, recording 41-698-7 and then 65-877-4 as a senior. Lanky outside receiver with solid height, but a somewhat thinner frame than would be ideal; most commonly lines up on the right side of the formation, but takes some snaps on the left as well. Long-strider with good but not great deep speed. Not the strongest or most physical player but got some good releases at the line against press, albeit inconsistently. Working against off-coverage, demonstrates the ability to eat up cushions quickly, with choppy feet at the route stem, sinking his hips into his breaks. Runs a lot of curl routes, where he’s able to dig in and work back to the ball. That will be important at the next level, as he may not have the type of bulk to successfully shield defenders from making plays on the ball. Tends to struggle to get separation downfield, forcing him to win contested catches in tight coverage when playing against man-to-man. Also does some work at the intermediate level, a lot of deep ins/post/out routes. Flexible with good awareness near the sidelines; able to pirouette and come down with some throws to the outside shoulder. Has solid hands to catch the ball away from his frame, with the ability to adjust to poorly-thrown passes; can go down low and scoop passes out of the dirt. Flashes the ability to come down with passes in tight coverage down the field but wasn’t quite able to bring in some of the throws through the contact he saw over the middle of the field, whether because of focus or otherwise. May not have really played in an offense which allowed him to make adjustments on the fly but has a tendency to settle down into coverage. Exhibits a good feel for positioning as a blocker; although he’s not the strongest player, does a good job of sealing off opposing defensive backs and working through the whistle. Has some intriguing traits but it will be interesting to see whether a thinner prospect without the top-end speed to make defenses respect him as a deep threat will be able to release at the line of scrimmage and work through physical coverage to win against press-man.