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Positives: Has a tall, well-defined frame with good body structure, defined chest, broad shoulders, muscular arms and well-developed thighs and calves … Can add at least another 10 pounds to his frame without affecting his timed speed … Hard worker after practices working on his pass catching … Shows good agility, flexibility and balance in his route running … Smart player who learns quickly and is quick to recognize defensive coverage … Understands the passing game well and has a firm grasp of running routes from either the flanker or split-end position … Competes for the ball in a crowd, showing very good timing and courage combating for jump balls … Quick-twitch runner with good hand/eye coordination, but does struggle to get a clean release vs. the press … Takes well to hard coaching and while he lacks technique, he shows willingness as a blocker … Has the burst to gobble up the cushion and get behind the defensive back … Alert to pocket pressure, doing a nice job of coming back for the ball … Runs good routes, but needs to express and sell it better … Good at finding the soft spots in the zone to settle under, getting his feet down properly along the sidelines … Struggles some to separate, but seems to be better when getting open across the field or on skinny post patterns … Does a nice job of bending, jumping and adjusting for the ball in the short area than on deep routes (has marginal hands), using his size efficiently to screen off the defender and take balls away from the opponent … Has the long arms and big hands to catch and pluck away from his frame, but does revert to trapping or double catching, leaving more than a few balls on the ground … Has good courage fighting for the ball in a crowd and is not intimidated by second-level defenders … Can track the ball over his shoulders on deep routes, but seems to lack confidence in his speed, as he will revert to running a double move in an attempt to get open … Does a good job of bending and extending for the low throws, as he has good body adjustment agility … Can avoid second-level defenders after the catch with his hip shake, but needs to generate a stronger burst to power through tackles … More of a stalk blocker than one who will face-up, but needs to stay with his blocks longer … Has the arm extension to be effective on fade routes … With his size and leaping ability, he will usually win most jump ball battles.
Negatives: Has some quickness, but is more of a build-up speed type of player … Shows slow acceleration and only possesses one speed coming off the snap … A willing blocker, but isn't physical enough to be consistently effective nor does he adjust well to blocking in space … A quick-twitch athlete, but for some reason his timed speed fails to translate to the field, as he does not show much suddenness as a receiver on deep routes … Struggles against the press coverage, as he does not use his hands well to push off defenders or to battle the opponent from grabbing his jersey … Needs space to work to get off the line … Runs good routes, but is not great at getting in and out of breaks, as he tends to take soft angle cuts … Can occasionally gain separation against man-to-man and zone coverages, but struggles to get open on deep routes (runs into spots) … Lacks a good burst and the quickness necessary to avoid tacklers and pick up yards after the catch … Doesn't adjust well in space to the quickness of defenders who he's trying to block … More pesky than an effective blocker, doing a poor job of adjusting to the defender in space … Has marginal hands, as he will body catch or trap the ball often … Needs to secure the ball better before turning up field, as his concentration lapses have led to more than a share of dropped easy balls … Has very good timed speed, but fails to generate that second gear needed to escape after the catch … Seems to lack confidence in his athletic skills, leading to long stretches where he is non-existent on the field … Has good weight room strength, but is hesitant to use it, allowing smaller defenders to have their way with him in attempts to reroute … Still looks more like a track man trying to play football … Will need patient coaching to totally revamp his running stride and pass catching skills … Could be a good vertical threat, if he would only gain confidence in his ability to run under the deep balls.
Compares To: HANK BASKETT-Philadelphia … For all of his athletic ability, you would expect more from Hubbard as a pass catcher. He seems to be a typical Wisconsin wide out - a poor route runner with little technique, marginal blocking skills, but blessed with the athletic talent that will tease a receiver coach. Outside of Lee Evans, the Badgers have been sorely lacking in producing NFL receivers lately. Hubbard will be the type who is drafted strictly on athletic potential. He has to have some of the worst hands in this draft class, though.
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