The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft and below are some quotes from wide receivers coach Richard Mann following the pick.
“I’m delighted to get him, I’m surprised he lasted that long and he’s what I’ve been hunting. I think he and I just talked and he’s delighted to come. We had him here for a visit and kind of bonded then. Didn’t know we was going to get him. We got him and I’m delighted.”
“Been kind of campaigning for a big receiver this whole process. We lost J-Co (Cotchery). J-Co did the dirty work as I call it on the strong side which is where most of the running game is done. We just don’t have a guy with the stature and the makeup to be that guy. So hopefully what we expect is that he can be the guy to pick up some of that slack and we’re going to work and teach him what he needs to learn.”
“Excellent speed for a big guy. Does a real good job of tracking the ball. Does a good job of putting what I call a hump in his back. He can catch over the top and a lot of times guys can’t do it and it’s very hard to teach. But I’ve seen him do it and I know he’s capable of doing it.”
“Felt like second or third round guy. Probably had he played more and stayed another year, would’ve been a first rounder for sure. He’s played basically one year. The other years he didn’t play that much, but again, we’re delighted to have him. I think all he needs to learn we’ll teach it to him.”
“I think his hands are OK. They all drop balls. I’ve seen him drop the ball, but I’ve seen all of them drop the ball. What we try to do is make sure we work on the trade as far as catching the football. A lot of times it may be hand placement – he’s trying to run with it before he catches it – so we’ll figure out what the problem is and hopefully we can get it solved.”
“Blocking is adequate, meaning that it will get better. We got to take and push it. Got to work on it and make it important. If you make it important, work on it, then they’ll know it’s important and they’ll get better at it. Blocking is an attitude. Got to give them the right attitude.”
