Justin Hunter, WR Tennessee Titans Fantasy Football Rookie Spotlight
Alex Dunlap, Rosterwatch.com

Photo via Justin Hunter Twitter

Height: 6’4″”

Weight: 196 pounds

40-time: 4.44 40-time (Combine)

Competition for touches:
WR Keny Britt
WR Kendall Wright
WR Damian Williams
WR Nate Washington

Bill Byrne’s Scouting Report:

Justin Hunter is perhaps the most naturally gifted receiver in this draft class.

He has elite size, speed and athleticism. At Tennessee, Hunter lined up all over the field. He has no problem beating the jam simply using his quickness and speed. He has outstanding deep speed to get open past the last level of the defense. He has tremendous leaping ability along with a huge catch radius. He has elite body control and tremendous ball skills that allow him to adjust to poorly thrown passes. He excels at high-pointing passes in jump balls situations, and is also able to use his size to make plays in traffic inside. He has excellent hands and can effortlessly pluck the football.

Why isn’t he ranked higher? A year and a half after his September 2011 ACL tear, Hunter no longer appears to be the same player he was before. His injury seems to have significantly effected his mental approach to the game. He shows a penchant for concentration lapses leading to too many dropped passes, and he also often run sloppy routes. In every aspect, he doesn’t appear to be quite the dynamic playmaker that he was before the ACL.

His ability—and body type—remind one of both AJ Green and Randy Moss, but he just does not seem to share their passion to become great. Far more than Randy Moss, he will make a highlight-reel play one minute, and a glaring mental mistake the next. Hunter is not particularly strong or physical, so he needs to add a more physical dimension to his game at the next level. He does not appear to put effort into or enjoy downfield blocking.

Still, there is no question that much like his college teammate, Cordarrelle Patterson, he has an extremely high ceiling in the NFL if he can get his act completely together. Hunter put his raw athleticism on display at the Combine with an almost 40 inch vertical and a long jump of over 11 feet in addition to showing off his 4.4 speed. But Hunter—unlike Patterson, who appears to play with unbridled passion but a lack of control—doesn’t show any real drive or edge to his game.

Former Vols coach Derek Dooley publicly called Hunter out last season on his attitude and work ethic, essentially saying what can be seen from much of his game video – that he just wasn’t living up to his hype. If he gets a good position coach or veteran receiver/mentor early in his NFL career who can light a fire in his belly (or under his butt), Hunter will become the next great NFL wide receiver.

I’m not optimistic.

Fantasy Outlook

The Titans traded up for Hunter, and they obviously covet his skill set as a lanky outside receiving weapon. The club’s optimal outcome would surely be Hunter and Britt operating out wide, while Kendall Wright would turn into a true vertical threat out of the slot. Hunter should see time on the field and adapt well, but much like with Britt and Wright, when thinking about drafting Hunter, you have to remember his performance is connected to Jake Locker’s arm.”