Rival Views: Should WR Tyjon Lindsey be a five-star?

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate whether Ohio State wide receiver commitment Tyjon Lindsey should be a five-star.

RIVAL VIEWS: Debating Tate Martell | Tyler Shelvin | Foster Sarell | Lamont Wade

It’s going to look like I’m hating on Ohio State and Bishop Gorman after my take on Tate Martell earlier this week and now my answer regarding Lindsey, but so be it. My answer is no for one reason –- size. Lindsey looks closer to 5-foot-8 on the hoof than his listed 5-foot-9 to me and our five-star projections include two goals -– stardom in college and a first-round grade in the NFL. Lindsey can accomplish the former but there’s no way he checks the box for the latter.

I know Gorney will mention Corey Coleman as a first-rounder and the movement towards smaller receivers in the NFL, but Coleman measured 5-foot-11, a huge difference in height when it comes to a first-round grade. Tavon Austin is the closest thing to Lindsey when it comes to a small receiver drafted in the first round recently and he’s done very little in the NFL, so you know GMs will shy away from the 5-foot-9 or shorter guys.

But let’s put aside the draft for a moment. Last year we had a debate about Sam Bruce, who was also about 5-foot-8 but thicker than Lindsey and we didn’t pull the trigger on him. Lindsey is faster, but only by a small amount and you could argue that Bruce was more dynamic in space. We had a heated debate about Christian Kirk in 2015 and decided to put that fifth star on him, but he measured close to 5-foot-11.

So what’s the difference in a few inches of height? There’s a huge difference when you’re talking about catch radius, the accuracy needed on the quarterback’s behalf and how hard it is to hit these guys across the middle with so much taller traffic in the way. That doesn’t even speak to the length a guy like Lindsey is giving up to most cornerbacks at the next level who are 5-foot-10 and taller. He has the potential to have a great career in college, that’s why he’s so highly ranked. But a five-star? I’m not seeing it.

There is little question in my mind Lindsey is a five-star receiver as he’s proven this summer to possibly be the most dynamic player in this class. He simply cannot be shut down and is a constant threat to stretch the field for big plays.

I understand the argument against moving Lindsey up –- that he’s 5-foot-9 and so he has a small catch radius where quarterbacks have to be perfectly accurate on every throw.

However, there is so much in favor of Lindsey moving up. Anywhere in space, he’s absolutely phenomenal with the ball in his hands, he makes people miss all the time, he’s so slippery and elusive that defensive backs look like they’re stuck in tar when trying to keep up with him.

Lindsey can take short passes and make people miss. He can stretch the field with awesome speed and catch the deep ball. He has excellent hands, can make the toughest catches and he’s physically strong, so he bounces right back up from big hits.

For the college game, in a spread offense, Lindsey has the chance to be something special. The NFL still prefers tall receivers on the outside, but many teams are using slot receivers more and more, motioning them into the backfield or playing pitch and catch with them so they can run and get extra yards.

The league is changing in some ways when it comes to receivers where speed might trump size in many cases. That’s why Coleman –- at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds -– was drafted before Will Fuller, Josh Doctson and especially Laquon Treadwell.

Yes, size will be a concern for Lindsey. But with his dynamic playmaking ability and skills in the short and deep passing game, I can’t see how we can keep him from five-star status.