When Green Bay selected wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling with the 37th pick in the 5th round of the NFL Draft it certainly had the feel of Green Bay taking another super-fast wide receiver with high upside who in all likelihood would never really pan out.

Packer fans have seen these types of fast, late round receivers drafted in the past with little to no success. Receiver like Jeff Janis, Trevor Davis, Kevin Dorsey, David Clowney, Charles Johnson, and many more quickly come to mind. While “MVS” had a ton of desirable traits; 5th round receivers who have one year of solid production on their record generally don’t come in and tear up the NFL.

Yet, here we stand, two preseason games into Valdes-Scantling’s career, imagining the possibilities if Aaron Rodgers could have a 6’4” receiver with legit 4.37 speed on the outside to throw the ball to. I have said for some time now that the key to truly unlocking the Packers’ offense is a dynamic playmaking receiver on the outside to keep safeties honest.

The HIGHEST graded rookie WR from week one of the preseason is Marquez Valdes-Scantling. #Packers pic.twitter.com/ImKQ7PqyfI — PFF GB Packers (@PFF_Packers) August 14, 2018

Green Bay struggles most against press man-to-man coverage when the opposing defense is playing with a single high safety. The best way to combat that is with playmakers on the outside who can stretch the defense and make either the corners play off or the safeties stay honest. In either scenario the offense opens up drastically.

So the question remains; can Marquez Valdes-Scantling finally be the late round, high upside gem that Green Bay’s been waiting for at wide receiver? And more importantly, can he become a consistent playmaker on the outside and open up this offense for Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay?

Let me start with the moment that made me realize that MVS was a lock to make the Packers roster. Early on in training camp there was a one-on-one rep that was captured by a fan in the stands which pitted MVS vs. Packers’ first round pick Jaire Alexander. While MVS has a massive 6 inch height advantage on Alexander, this matchup was not about height; it was always going to be about speed. As noted above, MVS ran a 4.37, 40-yard dash at the combine, while Alexander ran a 4.38. Here was the result:

There’s a lot to note here. First of all the throw is brutal and it makes the play a lot less sexy than it should be. Secondly, MVS actually does a poor job coming back for the football, something he will need to work on. Those are all fine and well but what sticks out here is the pure, insane, speed that MVS is able to get to and blow by the 4.38 speed of Jaire Alexander. What makes this even more impressive is that MVS isn’t even using any tricks of the trade yet on how to separate from Alexander. This is just flat out pure speed. And when you find an unrefined playmaker who can blow by your insanely fast top 20 draft pick at cornerback—you do not give up on him after one offseason. This is the moment I knew MVS was going to be around for a while.

Now I know insane speed is one thing, but as we’ve seen from some of the receivers in the past, speed in and of itself will not get the job done. What I’ve seen from MVS in college, training camp, and pre-season so far suggests to me that there is more to MVS than a pure speed receiver. From an athletic standpoint, MVS is a freak. His mixture of height, speed, and agility make him one of the most athletic receivers in the NFL. A 6.85 3-cone at 6’4” is really impressive. These types of things show up on tape. As you see in the videos below, Scantling is able to make quick, decisive cuts, he has playmaking ability after the catch, he can be used in gadget plays like end arounds & reverses, and he uses his body very well to create a large catch radius for his quarterback.

#Packers 5th rd pick - WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a tall glass of water! Instant speed and a longgggg frame.... Even since his NC State days - he’s been a red zone problem... pic.twitter.com/cOhccNZjiW — Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) May 1, 2018

The first of many #USF TDs for Lakewood product Marquez Valdes-Scantling pic.twitter.com/g6tjDsTgA0 — BIG COUNTY PREPS (@BigCountyPreps1) September 4, 2016

Goedert and Gesicki were on my list bc of that. Hamilton is the slot WR for Daboll. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling was worked out by WR Coach Robiskie.https://t.co/EmvRDx2aQp pic.twitter.com/6yGPYvHdkg — Cover 1 (@Cover_1_) April 27, 2018

MARQUEZ VALDES-SCANTLING TO THE HOUSE ON THE JET SWEEP! This game is fun. 31-17 USF. pic.twitter.com/61oY0pQW92 — Ryan T. Smith (@RyanSmithWrites) September 30, 2017

Ok 6'5" 209lb USF WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling ran two routes very well. Finds soft spot in zone on corner and runs a sharp slant. Caught w/strong hands on both and looks smooth and fluid when running. Also love his get off from LOS #nflpabowl #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2018 pic.twitter.com/KTkzCQK34X — Tony G (@TonyG_DevyScout) January 21, 2018

Whitehead not picked up on the blitz, would have been a sack, nice throw from Kizer and catch from MVS though. pic.twitter.com/KyrdBfYLpi — Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) August 5, 2018

Deshone Kizer hits Packers rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 51 yard gain on 2nd and 30 pic.twitter.com/qKizlukazt — TheRenderNFL (@TheRenderNFL) August 10, 2018

Marquez Valdes-Scantling with a nice touchdown catch in his Packers debut pic.twitter.com/iXrTFsSPnz — Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) August 10, 2018

There you go MVS. Stack that success. pic.twitter.com/2Vi8EMgFII — Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) August 17, 2018

Of course, there were many reasons why MVS lasted until the end of the 5th round as well. First, MVS is not a natural hands catcher and catches way too many passes with his body. The fact he’s not a great hands catcher also leads to way too many drops which, obviously, is kind of important when playing receiver. We’ve seen this throughout camp already and it’s something that MVS will consistently need to work on.

A couple of things for MVS to work on. Stop “bucket catching”. Want to see him catch more with his hands extended and not cradling the ball to his body. Also, more decisive cuts when route running. Waste as little motion as possible.pic.twitter.com/BEqn7NSWWz — Tyler Grzegorek (@tyler_grez) August 14, 2018

#Packers Marquez Valdes-Scantling....first play I fire up and the ball nearly nails him in the face. Only up from here. pic.twitter.com/MgFrOuf2mM — Steve Frederick (@SportsGuyTweets) April 28, 2018

MVS also isn’t a leaper. This may be surprising for some who think of a big, physical, 6’4” receiver and try to think of him as someone who’s not able to go up and sky for the football; but the truth is his vertical jump was one of the worst at the combine. This shows up on tape as well. While he can go up and get the ball because of his 6’4” size and long arms, you can see he’s not someone who’s naturally going to sky with ease for a football.

Lastly, MVS also struggles with his route running. It’s not brutal, but it’s not technically sound yet either. I see this as a positive going forward because he’s already able to gain natural separation with his speed and he’s only going to get better. That said, if MVS really wants to become a true playmaking receiver, he’s going to have to continue to work hard on his craft.

So what makes me think that MVS can succeed in the NFL? Generally the biggest thing that determines whether or not these ultra-athletic playmakers develop in the NFL is work ethic. What I’ve seen from MVS is a genuine thirst to get better every single day. Whether it was his offseason work with Randy Moss, or his re-writing (not re-reading, re-writing!!!) of the playbook three times so he could understand every concept, MVS is trying every day to get better.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is training with Randy Moss.. pic.twitter.com/6bktHwWmg1 — Jake (@SeedsofJake) July 13, 2018

Marquez Valdes-Scantling has redrawn the #Packers playbook three times by hand and prepared for training camp with Randy Moss. It’s all part of the rookie learning curve: https://t.co/KtVoyyHeTq — Michael Cohen (@Michael_Cohen13) July 31, 2018

At 6’4” 206 with elite speed, agility, and playmaking ability the sky is the limit for MVS. He will make the roster this upcoming season but reaching his potential will be another challenge all together. MVS has the traits, the makeup, and the work ethic to be a playmaker in this league, but only time will tell if he ever reaches his true potential.