Here’s what 5-star WRs Tyjon Lindsey and Trevon Grimes will bring to the Ohio State Buckeyes
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Urban Meyer adds two of the country’s most dynamic receivers to his offense.
If there was only one word to describe
Tyjon Lindsey, the 5’9, 161 lb receiver out of Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, NV), it would be electric. He’ll operate out of the slot, while
Trevon Grimes, the 6’3, 202 lb complete package wideout out of St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) will use his collegiate-ready body on the perimeter as an outside receiver.
Lindsey is the definition of what Urban Meyer looks for with his famed H-Back (Percy Harvin) position. Lindsey has the ability to stop on a dime, change direction and quickly get back up to speed in the blink of an eye. His running style (plus his stature) reminds me of Oregon Duck great, De’Anthony Thomas:
On the other hand, Grimes is your prototypical outside receiver who possesses the size, speed, athleticism and strength to be a legitimate, future NFL prospect. Those attributes make him stand out on film, resembling Ohio State true freshman WR Austin Mack, who looks like he’s going to see early playing time:
When Lindsey gets to Columbus, he will be featured in the H-Back role and most likely as a punt returner. His skillset out of the slot is elite. He has a lightning quick release off the line and is uncoverable on short routes. Lindsey will be perfect on bubble screens, short crossers, slants, 5-yard ins/outs, hitches and the variance of plays that the Buckeyes call out of jet motion. Although his height limits him as a true deep threat, he has burner speed which will allow him to run and out-and-up or a go-route once or twice per game. The quick wideout is already a dangerous route runner and he will only get better once he is a part of Zone 6.
When Lindsey is targeted, he does a great job of plucking the ball out of the air with his soft hands and quickly making his next move. He almost has a sixth sense of knowing where the incoming defender is and is always one step ahead, ready to make him miss. Even on deep balls, despite his height, he has a pretty good vertical and body control to make a play on the ball:
Grimes’ stature makes him a striking figure out wide. He has a deceptively quick first step out of his stance, given his size, which allows him to get on top of the toes of the opposing cornerback. His route running is smooth and precise, for what he is asked to run at St. Thomas Aquinas. Being bigger than every corner he faces in high school, he’s asked to run fades, verticals, deep ins and posts to use his speed and power to separate and allow him to be at maximum speed when catching the football. He is sometimes asked to run screens and slants, but he is mostly targeted 10-plus yards downfield.
When Grimes is targeted on a throw, he uses his body extremely well to box out the defender and go up and get the ball. He has great body control on fades and underthrown passes, and typically comes down with the football. He was underthrown a decent amount last season, which showed off his elite catch radius. Grimes possesses big, soft hands which stand out when he’s plucking the ball out of the air.
When the ball is in Lindsey’s hands, it’s showtime. His mix of balance and quickness allows him to stop-and-go on cuts and leave the would-be tacklers in the dust. Lindsey is one of the few players in the nation who can successfully pull off the Reggie Bush back juke on the regular, before quickly accelerating up-field. Even with shorter legs than your average wideout, he still has elite speed and has the potential to take a shallow crosser to the house.
Even though Grimes is supremely athletic, he’s a much different player after the catch than Lindsey. Grimes won’t be able to take a shallow crosser 70-yards at Ohio State, but he can run a post pattern, stiff arm the corner and go the distance. He’s also not afraid to go across the middle and catch the ball in traffic. Grimes shows extreme toughness after the catch, similar to Michael Thomas.
The only real negative from Lindsey’s game is his size and his blocking ability. He does show effort as a downfield blocker and typically finds a way to get in the way or shadow the defender, but his blocking (most likely due to his size) does not stand out. Blocking is important for receivers at Ohio State, but the staff does find ways to get smaller guys, such as Dontre Wilson, Braxton Miller or Jalin Marshall to get defenders out of the play design. Whether it is by motioning them across in jet motion or having them run a route the opposite way, it should not be a problem for Lindsey and the staff.
As for Grimes, in order to get a little quicker and better for the quick-strike Ohio State offense, his high school should use him more in the short to intermediate game. Yes, the Buckeyes take chances deep, but even with a possession WR like Thomas, he was primarily used as an intermediate receiver. Grimes has a similar build to Thomas and the former Buckeye was known as one of the best slant route runners in the country. If Grimes can add that to his repertoire, watch out.
Overall, Tyjon Lindsey is one of, if not
the most dynamic player to sign with the Buckeyes under Urban Meyer. Trevon Grimes brings physicality and toughness to the receiver position that they definitely need. The two receivers compliment each other extremely well; as Lindsey can break the defender’s ankles on a stop-and-go, while Grimes can go up and catch a fade ball on the goal line. The coaching staff will find a way to get both on the field as true freshmen and as Terrell Owens once said, “get your popcorn ready.”
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