Leonard Hankerson Scouting Report

Leonard Hankerson returned to Miami for his senior season for a good reason. Through nine games he has ten touchdown catches and is one away from tying Michael Irvin's school record. With presumably four games left, Hankerson should set the record. On top of his ten touchdown receptions so far in 2010, Hankerson has caught 48 passes for 747 yards. Hankerson was not always such a productive player. As a freshman he caught just six passes and the following year he caught 11. Yet, even with limited action, three of those 17 catches went for touchdowns.

It was in 2009 that Hankerson started to grab the attention of NFL scouts. He was the only receiver on the Hurricanes to catch a pass in all 13 games and ended the campaign leading the team with 45 receptions for 801 yards and six scores.

At 6-3 and 205 pounds, Hankerson has the size and strength to be a very productive player in the NFL. He is relatively fast too and can run about a 4.5 40. While there appears to be an obvious top four as far as receivers go in this draft class, Hankerson is slowly sneaking up on players like A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Jon Baldwin and Michael Floyd. If this class was not so stacked at the receiver position, Hankerson would likely be a first round selection. Instead, he should be a steal in the second round.

1/15 Update: With Floyd and Justin Blackmon returning to school, Hankerson may just sneak into the first round. It seems unlikely at this point, but at least Hankerson should be a solid second rounder. Hankerson ended up catching 13 touchdowns during his senior campaign and earning First-Team All-ACC accolades. A trip to the Senior Bowl will start off Hankerson's pre-draft escapade and scouts will like what they see if Hankerson can perform up to his potential.

3/22 Update: Hankerson needed to run a good 40-yard-dash at the NFL combine to prove he had a nice combination of size and speed. He did just that by running a 4.40 40. His speed almost matched fellow receiver Torrey Smith, but Hankerson has a size advantage over the Maryland prospect. It is now emerging as an intriguing battle for the third receiver spot after A.J. Green and Julio Jones. Jonathan Baldwin is the big receiver, Smith the fast receiver and Hankerson the combination of the two.