Paris Campbell | Next Good Deep Threat

Speed kills in the NFL and teams are always looking for receivers who can take the top off the defense and really open things up for the other receivers and run game. We’ve seen guys like Will Fuller and Phillip Dorsett go in the first round, so heading into this year the focus could turn to Ohio State’s Paris Campbell.

Get to Know Paris Campbell

At 6’1 208lbs Paris Campbell has the frame needed to be a deep threat but also can work underneath and take on hits. His stats are a bit deceiving as his 705 yards in 29 games does not really scream big production, but a big part of that has to be tied to the quarterback play that saw JT Barrett not have a strong arm and have trouble to drive the ball downfield. Now entering his senior year with big armed Dwayne Haskins at quarterback, we could expect some big things out of Campbell.

 

What Paris Campbell Does Well

Campbell’s entire game is built around his speed and quickness. On his short routes he uses that burst at the stem of the route to gain separation. Working downfield Campbell takes a bit to build up his speed but once he gets to top speed the burners kick in and it’s tough for opposing defensive backs to stay with him. That threat of going deep helps set up a lot of his intermediate routes as he’s able to show speed deep and then quickly stop for short chunk gains. Campbell doesn’t have elite hands but he does catch the ball well away from his body with very few double catches.

 

Concerns about Paris Campbell

As with most true deep threats, Campbell is not a good route runner. Often times he routes his routes or on comeback type he doesn’t sink his hips well to explode back to the ball. Against college defenders this isn’t a big issue because they are so concerned about getting beat deep that they give him plenty of space at the line of scrimmage. Also Campbell doesn’t high point the ball and tends to be more of a run and catch type receiver. That’s fine when you’re consistently beating defenders deep and can track the ball well, but if he goes to a team that doesn’t have a cannon armed quarterback he may have to make contested catches against faster NFL corners.

Outlook

There is a lot to like about Paris Campbell as he projects to have a big role within an NFL offense. His senior season will be big as the Ohio State offense will be sure to change with the strong arm Dwayne Haskins taking over at quarterback and Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson liking to stretch the field. Campbell has some flaws but if he can improve a big as a route runner he stands a better chance of having success than another former Buckeye in Devin Smith who was a burst of a high second round pick.