Redskins WR Leonard Hankerson, coming off a hip injury that ended his rookie season prematurely, is in line to earn a starting spot this season with a strong training camp. But his immediate concern is getting back on to the field, and that might not happen at the team’s June 11-13 minicamp. Nevertheless, hardly anyone — Hankerson included — is concerned about his progress following February surgery and the subsequent rehab.


(profootballweekly.com)

Washington Redskins second-year receiver Leonard Hankerson said his recovery from hip surgery is progressing nicely, and he remains on schedule to be fully ready by the start of training camp in late July.

Hankerson - Washington’s third-round draft pick in 2011 - tore the labrum in his right hip midway through last season. Originally, it was believed that he wouldn’t need surgery. But after an extensive rehab process, doctors ordered that Hankerson go under the knife.

Hankerson had surgery the last week of February, and didn’t appear to walk with a limp Monday while attending teammate Brian Orakpo’s Leukemia Golf Classic.

“I’m feeling good, getting better every day,” said Hankerson, who hadn’t spoken to reporters since he suffered his injury in Week 9 of last season. “Not quite there yet, but hopefully I will be in a couple of weeks.”

The Redskins believe that Hankerson will be an important weapon on offense. Coach Mike Shanahan said the Miami product could start this season alongside free agent additions Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan.

Hankerson said he’s eager to receive clearance to begin working with rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III and his fellow receivers.

“Everyone is very excited. ... It’s going to be an exciting year for us,” Hankerson said. “I just have to go out there and be me, go out there and try to get better each week; do the little things moving forward.”


(washingtonpost.com)

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said that Josh Morgan and Leonard Hankerson can play in the slot, but it's highly unlikely that Pierre Garcon will.
Garcon was exclusively an outside receiver with the Colts and figures to stick there. Hankerson mostly played outside last year, but only appeared in four games. Although he's mostly worked from the outside, Morgan has the most experience of the three in the slot, handling 40 percent of his snaps there in 2009. Expect Garcon to start at split end with Hankerson at flanker. Morgan and Santana Moss will compete for primary slot duties.


(rotoworld.com)

The Washington Examiner's John Keim projects Leonard Hankerson as the Redskins' Week 1 starting Z receiver.

Like 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen, Keim believes Hankerson will beat out Josh Morgan to start opposite Pierre Garcon. Keim suspects Santana Moss will be the third receiver, likely spending most of his time in the slot. Hankerson will be worth a deep-league fantasy flier while monitoring the camp battle.


(rotoworld.com)

The Redskins plan on starting WR Leonard Hankerson opposite of Pierre Garcon. Garcon will play split end, which would slide Hankerson in at flanker. The 2011 third-round pick would be getting the nod over Josh Morgan, who would be shuffled into a reserve role that could result in some time in the slot.



(fantasysp.com)

On Friday, Leonard Hankerson tweeted an apology to his fans.

“Peeps I'm apologizing b4 hand lol I have to change my profile pic for a couple days, I lost a bet lol #HeatNation they let me down Vs BOS”

It turns out that with all of the Redskins’ betting going on, Florida native Hankerson had made a wager of his own with a hometown friend. While this bet wasn’t monetary, it did put the wide receiver’s pride on the line.

“It was the Miami vs. Boston game,” he explained in a text message. “Miami lost, so I had to wear the Boston green and hat as my avi.”

The picture, shown in the tweet above, stayed up until 6 p.m. on Sunday, at which point Hankerson was allowed by the terms of the bet to change it.
Boston and Miami meet again on Tuesday, so did Hankerson put his avatar on the line again?

“Naw, I bet him lunch or dinner.”

Smart move.


(washingtonpost.com)

Leonard Hankerson’s health after missing the last part of the 2011 season with a hip injury is one of the big questions of this offseason. It looks like there is some good news there. 

Hankerson tweeted the following this afternoon from his @HankTime85 account:

Finishing up with rehab, got some great news, I'll be off the crutches a whole week earlier... #Yesss

At the NFL owners meetings last month, Mike Shanahan said that Hankerson should be able to participate in offseason activities by about June 1. It’s not clear if the fact that he will be off crutches a week earlier means that he can take part on OTA’s any earlier. Regardless, being able to get off of crutches early is a good sign that his rehab is coming along well. 

Hankerson did let us know that he still has a lot of work to do in this followup tweet:

Still go ways 2 go, but off the crutches is a plus


(csnwashington.com)

Leonard Hankerson didn't have surgery until roughly three months after he tore the labrum in his right hip last November.

Hankerson suffered the injury on November 13. He didn't have surgery until February 21. Coach Mike Shanahan explained that doctors waited to operate because of how they "evaluated his rehabilitation progress," as opposed to a setback. "He should be ready to go, my understanding is, by June 1," Shanahan assured. Hankerson is expected to compete to start with Josh Morgan.


(rotoworld.com)

Update: Hankerson (hip) is expected to be 100 percent by June 1, CBS Sports reports.

Recommendation: Hankerson is recovering from hip surgery for a torn labrum. The Redskins currently have 10 receivers on the roster so Hankerson will have to earn playing time in 2012.


(sports.yahoo.com)

The Redskins plan to hold a competition at "Z" receiver, or flanker, between Josh Morgan and Leonard Hankerson.

Morgan is the heavy favorite for the starting job because he's making quite a bit more money and is healthier than Hankerson. The flanker position in Washington's offense was played by Jabar Gaffney last season. We wouldn't expect big-time production from any of the Redskins' flankers. Split end Pierre Garcon will be the best bet in fantasy leagues, along with TE Fred Davis.


(rotoworld.com)

Coach Mike Shanahan confirmed that Leonard Hankerson (hip surgery) remains in the Redskins' 2012 plans despite the acquisitions of Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan.

Morgan, Garcon, and Santana Moss would form Washington's three-receiver set if the season began today. Moss isn't assured of a 2012 roster spot, however, and Shanahan spoke about increasing his usage of four-receiver sets to get Hankerson on the field. Hankerson's top priority for now is recovering from February 21 hip surgery. His status for training camp is unclear.


(rotoworld.com)

Washington Redskins receiver Leonard Hankerson on Tuesday had surgery to repair his ailing right hip, he announced on his Twitter account Saturday. He expects to be ready for the start of training camp.

Hankerson tore the labrum in his right hip on Nov. 13 when he was tackled by a Miami Dolphins defender. He had hoped surgery would not be required.

After Hankerson announced the surgery on Twitter, someone asked him if his hip wasn’t improving.

“felt like it was, but jus wanted to be safe n b ready,” he replied.

Hankerson confirmed via text message Saturday afternoon that the surgery was to repair his hip.

He is expected to be a prominent member of the offense next season, perhaps even the Redskins‘ starting flanker receiver. He caught 13 passes for 163 yards in four games as a rookie last season.

“I’ll be ready to go, jus gota keep working hard with Rehab everyday,” Hankerson tweeted.


(washingtontimes.com)

Rex Grossman was asked about the team’s rookie receivers.

“Leonard Hankerson is gonna be a star,” Grossman said. “He started to make a bunch of plays on scout team, one-handed [catches] over the middle, just unbelievable catches, and started to gain a bunch of confidence. And it carried over to the game once they put him in there. He’s a big, fast, smooth route runner and is gonna be a playmaker and a starter for the Redskins for a long time. Niles Paul is the other rookie, just a big, strong, fast [guy], solid as a rock. Really good in the run game at blocking, just hasn’t had the opportunity to make a lot of plays down the field, but he can do that as well.”


(washingtonpost.com)

In case you weren’t aware, Redskins wide receiver Leonard Hankerson is a big fan of tattoos.

And after a trip to the tattoo parlor yesterday, he had three new permanent designs, which he shared with his followers on Twitter (@HankTime85) earlier today (pictured above).  He also revealed that he got it done from a dude in Denver, that he got them all done in one sitting.

Moments after this popped up on my Twitter page, No. 85 himself walked down the hallway past my desk.  He showed me that the two words (“Blessed” and “Faith&rdquo were located on his biceps, while the “1989, A Star Was Born” was on top of his right forearm.  He also indicated that last week, he got a rose tattoo on his left elbow (not pictured).

That’s a lot of physical expression in a short span of time, but Hankerson said he’s happy with the work and that it’s stuff that he’s thought about for a while.

No word on when he’ll be getting his next tattoo (or round of tattoos), but he did say that these were inspired by personal reasons and his rehab process.

In 1989 a star was born–in 2012, Redskins fans will be looking for his shine.

Washington Redskins WR Leonard Hankerson (hip) could be ready for offseason workouts as long as he does not need to undergo surgery on his hip. He has been rehabbing the injury after elected not to undergo surgery but it is not known if surgery has been ruled out.




(kffl.com)

The Washington Redskins have lost rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson for the remainder of the season after he suffered a subluxation of his right hip and a torn labrum in Sunday’s 20-9 loss to the Dolphins.

Defensive end Kedric Golston, meanwhile, will miss an indefinite amount of time with torn ligaments in his knee. Both injuries were announced Monday by Coach Mike Shanahan.

Late in Sunday’s game, Hankerson made a 9-yard catch and, as he was tackled, his hip popped out of joint and then popped back into the socket. Hankerson had to be helped off the field, and painfully hobbled around the locker room following the game.

The injury ended a career-best eight-catch, 106-yard performance for Hankerson, the first Redskins rookie wide receiver to top the 100-yard mark since Rod Gardner achieved the feat in October of 2001.

Shanahan said Hankerson, who was placed on injured reserve, will see a specialist and then determine whether surgery is necessary. The coach expected a recovery time of roughly four months.

“He played a great game,” Shanahan said of Hankerson, whom the team drafted in the third round of last April’s draft. “He’s got a big upside, as we saw yesterday. I like the way he handles himself, like the way he works. It was a setback for him. He was devastated when he found out, but he’ll work through it.”

The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Hankerson rose quickly through the ranks of Washington’s receivers in the last four weeks. Inactive for the first five games of the season after a rocky preseason, he made his debut in Week 7 against Carolina, but didn’t record a catch. The next week, against Buffalo, Hankerson had a grab for 23 yards. Last week against San Francisco, Hankerson had four catches for 34 yards while making his first start. He started again against Miami and became the first Redskins wide receiver to top the 100-yard mark this season.

“Through the preseason, I saw a player who was pretty inconsistent. You’d see consistency in practice, but it didn’t carry over into games,” Shanahan said. “Then you saw a guy, who as he grew, he was becoming a pro player, a player who was a lot more serious. The way he practiced on a day-to-day basis, you could see a light went on, and you could see his competitiveness as he ran the scout team against our players, which gave him the opportunity to start and earn a position. And then you could see with the way he played yesterday, when he caught the football, he’d turn upfield, and how he reached up and caught some big-time balls. That’s what you’re looking for.”

Hankerson now joins running back Tim Hightower (torn ACL), left guard Kory Lichtensteiger (torn ACL), tight end Chris Cooley (knee), fellow rookie Jarvis Jenkins (torn ACL) and cornerback Phillip Buchanon (knee, neck) on the injured reserve list.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Despite the loss, Leonard Hankerson will always remember Sunday’s game.

The rookie didn’t just post a career high in receptions and receiving yards against the Miami Dolphins, but he also returned home for the first time since being selected by the Washington Redskins in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

“It was very special to go out there and play in front of my family in the stadium that I’ve been playing in for the last three years,” Hankerson said. “It was special to have my family come out there and see me.”

The Fort Lauderdale native, who spent four years at the University of Miami, had about 50 of his closest friends and family members scattered around Sun Life Stadium during Sunday’s 20-9 loss to the Dolphins.

Hankerson treated them to quite the performance.

In his second career start, he led the Redskins with eight catches for 106 yards before leaving because of a right hip strain late in the fourth quarter. After the game, he said his hip was “a little sore,” and he didn’t know if it would force him to miss any time.

However, he was on the field just long enough to become the first Redskins rookie wide receiver to accumulate more than 100 receiving yards in a game since Rod Gardner did it on Oct. 21, 2001.

“It just felt good to contribute to the team and know that I’m capable of making plays,” Hankerson said.

Two of the most impressive aspects of Hankerson’s performance are that his eight catches came on just nine chances, and he accounted for nearly 50 percent of Washington’s passing offense.

These types of stats wouldn’t have been possible for him earlier in the season, as he struggled to find playing time. But after impressing teammates and coaches in practice over the past couple of weeks, Hankerson has found a spot in Washington’s offense.

After not seeing the field in the Redskins‘ first five games of the year, the 6-foot-2 wide receiver has caught at least one pass in the past three contests and made his first career start last Sunday against San Francisco.

“[My comfort level in the offense is] growing a whole lot,” he said, “because, being on scout team and then going to get reps with the first-team offense, it’s helping me get more confidence to go out there and do what I have to do.”

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

When it comes to wide receivers, sometimes you have to look across the line of scrimmage to find the best judges of talent.

Washington Redskins rookie Leonard Hankerson was slow to impress coaches during the summer and was inactive for the first five games of the season. In practice each day, though, cornerback DeAngelo Hall could see why Coach Mike Shanahan nabbed the 23-year-old receiver in the third round of April's draft. Hankerson wasn't playing in the games, but he was practicing like it.

“Hank was on the scout team busting my butt more than the game,” Hall said. “I think we’ve been petitioning for him to get out there and get his opportunity.”

Hankerson is finally getting his chance. He's expected to make his second career start Sunday at Miami. The Redskins entered the season pleased with their depth at wide receiver, but Santana Moss and Niles Paul both are sidelined with injuries, Anthony Armstrong has struggled and the team released Donte Stallworth this week. Hankerson hopes to provide a spark for the Redskins’ moribund passing attack.

With Moss out of the lineup, the Redskins top two wide receivers are Jabar Gaffney and Terrence Austin. Gaffney has 31 catches and Austin 8. No other NFL team’s top two receivers have combined for fewer than 45 receptions this year. Eight teams, in fact, have at least two wide receivers who’ve posted more catches each than any Redskins receiver.

Washington’s top receiving target has been tight end Fred Davis, who leads the team with 40 catches. In recent weeks, quarterback John Beck has struggled to get any of his wide receivers involved, and Hankerson hopes that changes this weekend.

The likelihood of Hankerson in a starring role seemed a distant possibility not long ago. During the preseason, he dropped balls in both practices and games. He made the 53-man roster as a project, and even coaches weren't sure when he'd be ready to contribute.

Hankerson struggled with the transition from college to pro ball more than perhaps any player in the Redskins locker room. He’d always been the star. His high school team, St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., made three straight trips to the state title game. He was coached by eight-time Pro Bowler Cris Carter and received tutoring from Mark Duper, a three-time Pro Bowler.

Hankerson accepted a scholarship to the University of Miami, near his home, and was a regular starter by his junior year. His senior season was one of the best ever posted by a Hurricanes receiver. He hauled in 72 catches for a school-record 1,156 yards. His 13 touchdowns broke Michael Irvin’s school mark for most in a season. Hankerson left Miami as one of only three players in school history to post consecutive 800-yard receiving seasons, joining Irvin and Andre Johnson.

“Being No. 1 back in school, then coming here being No. 2, you’ve got to work hard each and every day to try to get No. 1,” Hankerson said. “That's what the difference was. Because I was No. 1, it probably slowed me down a little bit from busting my tail every day.”

Redskins wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell stayed in Hankerson’s ear, encouraging him to study veterans such as Moss and Gaffney. Coaches kept telling Hankerson he had to learn how to practice and play like a professional.

“He knew what he needed to do, but I also knew he was frustrated,” McCardell said. “He has high expectations of himself and everybody else had high expectations of him.”

Hankerson’s mother, Lisa Williams, flew up for his first pro game, the Redskins’ Week 1 contest against the New York Giants. But Hankerson didn’t dress and he told her stay in Florida the next several Sundays.

“For the couple weeks that I didn't dress, I just been going to practice, grinding out each and every day,” Hankerson said, “doing the little things it takes . . . practicing like it’s a game.”

Hankerson improved each week, and the drops that plagued him since college seemed to decrease. There was no magic solution, he said. In training camp, he was eager to impress coaches and usually started running before he had fully secured the ball.

“I was just very anxious to make a play,” he said.

Hankerson watched four more games from the sideline and was finally active for the first time after Moss broke a bone in his hand. Hankerson was held without a catch in his Oct. 23 debut, but one week later, against the Bills in Toronto, he pulled in a 23-yarder to convert a third down late in the first quarter.

Hankerson earned his first start in last Sunday's loss to the San Francisco, playing in 63 of 64 offensive snaps. He finished the game with 34 yards on four catches.

“I think he’s got a good future in the NFL,” Shanahan said. “He’s the type of size you look for and he’s got the type of hands and speed. Hopefully, he can get to the next level.”

Hankerson hopes this Sunday’s game solidifies his place. He’ll be playing in front of a hometown crowd. His mom will be in the stands again, as will about 50 other family and friends.

“Sometimes you just wait your time,” McCardell said, “and the right time will pop up and you can show everybody who you are.”

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson will remain in the starting lineup for a second straight week after recording four catches for 34 yards Sunday.

In the last three weeks, Hankerson has risen quickly. After spending the first five games on the inactive list, he has improved his play in practices and three weeks ago, he suited up for the first time all season.

He didn’t record a catch that day. Instead, he and quarterback John Beck miscommunicated on the one pass route Hankerson ran, and the throw was intercepted. Last week against Buffalo, Hankerson recorded one catch for 23 yards and was overthrown deep while going for the end zone.
Sunday, Hankerson played 63 of the 64 offensive snaps against the 49ers, and Shanahan said he believes that the University of Miami product has a chance to become an elite receiver.

Speaking of Hankerson’s progress, Shanahan said, “We’ve talked about guys that get the opportunity to start over guys that stay in that position for a length of timel. You’ve got to do it on the field and do it in practice. There’s a lot of competition at the wide receiver position. The week before we let Niles [Paul] take a shot at it, we let [Anthony] Armstrong take a shot at it. But Hankerson has been pretty consistent. We wanted to give him the opportunity to start the game. He showed starting the game that he deserves to be the starter next week.”

Hankerson has overtaken second-year pro Anthony Armstrong, who last season ranked second on the team in receiving but for the second straight week went without a catch. This season, Armstrong has only five receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Armstrong started against Buffalo, but played only eight snaps against San Francisco although both Mike and Kyle Shanahan, the team’s offensive coordinator, said last week that they needed to get him more opportunities.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Monday Leonard Hankerson "deserves to start again" in Week 10 after hauling in four catches for 34 yards in Sunday's loss.
Hankerson was on the field for all but one snap Sunday, and acquitted himself well in just his second career game. Playing in one of the league's most anemic passing attacks, however, he's still little more than a low-upside flier despite his newfound starting status.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

Redskins WR Leonard Hankerson played on 63-of-64 offensive snaps in Sunday's loss to the 49ers.

Credit the Redskins for at least realizing their season is lost and getting their young building blocks playing time. Hankerson projects as the starter opposite Jabar Gaffney going forward. However, Hankerson is really the No. 3/4 option in a passing game that can't get the ball downfield. The talented rookie is just a flier.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

A week after a communication breakdown led to an interception on receiver Leonard Hankerson’s first NFL snap, the rookie from Miami made his first reception when he hauled in a pass from quarterback John Beck in the Washington Redskins’ 23-0 loss to Buffalo in Toronto.

Hankerson’s catch, a 23-yard gain, came over the middle late in the first quarter. He converted on third-and-8 with the reception, and in the excitement of the moment, stood up and spun the ball on the Rogers Centre turf.

“I mean, at the moment, it was what, the first quarter?” Hankerson said after the game. “It felt good, because it was a big catch, a third-down catch.”
Beck again went to Hankerson two plays later but overthrew him deep on another fly route. He targeted him twice more, including a potential touchdown grab in the end zone that was broken up by Buffalo cornerback Leodis McKelvin.

Head coach Mike Shanahan said a week ago that Hankerson got his first opportunity because he had been making “some unbelievable plays in practice.” He was active again after missing the first five games with receiver Santana Moss out because of a broken left hand.

“It’s not exactly what I wanted, but hey, I’ve just got to do what I’ve got to do,” Hankerson said. “Whenever my number’s called, I’ve got to make a play, keep studying the playbook, stuff like that. Keep working hard in practice, getting better each and every day. A performance like that makes it better.”

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(fredriscksburg.com)

A week after his first pass route in an official NFL game ended in an interception, thanks to a miscommunication between him and quarterback John Beck, Redskins rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson did better, recording the first catch of his career.

Beck connected with Hankerson on a 23-yard pass on a third-and-8 play late in the first quarter.

Hankerson caught the ball in the flat at the Redskins’ 48-yard line, turned up field and gained four yards before he was tackled.

Hankerson, who spent the first five games of the season on the inactive list, wasn’t able to come away from the game with much of a sense of accomplishment, however, given the Redskins’ blowout loss.

“I mean, it was actually a big play on a third down, but right now, it doesn’t mean anything,” Hankerson said. “We didn’t win the game, we didn’t score on the drive. We need to make more big plays and win games.”

Two plays later, Beck had Hankerson running down the center of the field with a step on his man. But the quarterback overthrew the 6-foot-2 Hankerson by about 10 yards. In all, Beck threw Hankerson’s way four times, but the rookie did not record another catch as a member of an underperforming offense.

“It’s very frustrating, because we’ve got to do things – offense and defense -- to make plays,” Hankerson said. “The defense is getting stops , but we on offense need to make plays, convert on offense and we had zero points today, so that’s what hurts us.”

During the preseason, Hankerson found himself coming off the bench, which he says affected his focus. But since getting the nod in each of the last two games, Hankerson has worked to remain loose on the sideline while doing a better job of remaining in touch with what’s going on in the game.
When he wasn’t playing, Hankerson occasionally sprinted up and down the sideline and stretched while discussing plays and assignments with receivers coach Keenan McCardell and teammates.

“Everything, it’s all good,” Hankerson said. “I’m out there, ready to play, do what I have to do. And I’m working with my coaches and it’s all good. I just need make sure I stay warmed up on the sideline because you never know when they’ll need me.”

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Through the first six games of the season, rookies Leonard Hankerson and Niles Paul found game reps at wide receiver hard to come by.

Hankerson – drafted in the third round out of Miami – spent the first five games on the inactive list, and Paul – a fifth-round pick out of Nebraska – played primarily on special teams.

But with Santana Moss now sidelined for five to seven weeks with a broken left hand, the Redskins will count on both rookies to make contributions in an offense that already struggled in the play-making and scoring departments.

Paul is competing with second-year pro Anthony Armstrong for the starting spot that Moss previously had held, while Hankerson – who got in last week’s game for one play – could see his activity increase as well.

“All I can do is go out there and play the role I’ve been given. If something special happens out of it, that means I’m doing my job, right?” said the 6-foot-1, 224-pound Paul, who last week recorded two catches for 25 yards. “…Just learning from [Moss], I’m ready to be put in this position. Hopefully I can come through during the game.”

Hankerson spent the first six weeks of the season working to pick up the offense and make up for lost time since the lockout prevented the team from holding OTAs.

“It was tough coming in, being on top in college and then coming in here, being all the way down to the bottom,” Hankerson said. “Not getting the same amount routes every day and stuff like that, not playing the game. It was tough. … I’ve learned a whole lot.”

Coach Mike Shanahan said in the last couple of weeks of practice, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Hankerson has “made some unbelievable plays,” and so he received his first opportunity on Sunday.

That debut was less than memorable as Hankerson and quarterback John Beck had a miscommunication on the one pass that came his way, and Carolina’s Chris Gamble picked it off.

But Hankerson is eager to redeem himself.

“I look forward to it a whole lot,” he said. “Just keep doing what I’ve been doing the last couple of weeks, working out, getting better, meeting with the coaches, doing what I’ve got to do and just keep putting in work.”

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Washington Redskins quarterback John Beck said that his late-game interception on a pass intended for receiver Leonard Hankerson was his fault, not the rookie wide receiver’s.

With Washington down 30-20 on second-and-15 with 3:19 left to play, Beck threw a pass up the right sideline that Carolina cornerback Chris Gamble picked off before Hankerson – playing his first play all season – even looked back.

After the game, Beck said only that there was a “miscommunication” on the play, and it was believed that Hankerson — Washington’s third-round pick out of Miami — ran the wrong route. But Beck came into the locker room Monday to address the media regarding the interception.
The Redskins usually make the starting quarterback available only on Wednesdays and after games. But Beck told a PR representative that he wanted to talk to the media Monday morning.

Beck took several questions and then said he wanted to clear something up.

“On the play with Hankerson, it’s on me,” said Beck, who in his first start since 2007 completed 22 of 37 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown. “I’m the guy who’s got the ball in my hand, and I’m the one that makes the decision on where that ball goes. We’re very excited to have Hankerson be a part of this football team. He’s going to be a great asset to this team. Nothing goes on Hankerson. It all goes on me. You got that?”

Hankerson wasn’t in the locker room during the media availability session this morning.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

A lot of fans have been calling for Leonard Hankerson all season, after the third-round draft pick had failed to make the active roster during the Redskins’ first five games.

Well, the fans got what they want on Sunday, although Hankerson didn’t enter the game until Washington’s final drive. Then he appeared to have a miscommunication with quarterback John Beck, leading to Beck’s first interception of the day, which sealed the deal.

After the game, everyone said harmless things about the incident.

“I don’t know what to say about it,” Hankerson said, via The Insider.

“I might have maybe not needed at that moment to try that,” Beck said, via the same. “Hindsight, you can always say the ‘what ifs’ or the ‘should’ve would’ves.’ Hank came in and he and I weren’t on the same page, that was the ultimate thing.”

Thing is, though, several fans had already sent their thoughts on the matter to Hankerson via Twitter, which he didn’t exactly appreciate. See below.


For the record, here were the three tweets he was responding to, sent from the three accounts referenced above.

* i wondered why @HankTime85 never got on the field, then the runs wrong route. Drafting receivers is not our specialty. #Redskins

* @HankTime85 way to run the route chumpzilla

* That is why @HankTime85 can’t get on the field. One play. Wrong route. #pisspoor


But apparently there were more. So then Hankerson spoke more generally to his critics. See above.


And then he realized that this was a losing battle. Seen here.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Several young Redskins saw significant action Sunday against the Panthers. In addition to center Erik Cook getting his first career start, rookie DeJon Gomes saw his first action at safety, rookie Niles Paul notched his first two career catches and rookie Leonard Hankerson was active for the first time of his career.

For Hankerson, it wasn’t a particularly memorable debut. Hankerson got on the field for one play – in the final three minutes of the game – but had a miscommunication with quarterback John Beck on the route he was supposed to run.

Beck fired the ball toward the right sideline as if he were expecting Hankerson to come back for the ball, but the rookie never turned around, and cornerback Chris Gamble intercepted the pass. It was Beck’s lone interception on the day.

“I don’t know what to say about it,” Hankerson said.

Said Beck: “When Hank came in, we felt good about trying to get a chunk play with him, if it was there. We just weren’t on the same page there. Maybe if we had been on the same page, something could’ve happened. I might have maybe not needed at that moment to try that. Hindsight, you can always say the ‘what ifs’ or the ‘should’ve would’ves.’ Hank came in and he and I weren’t on the same page, that was the ultimate thing.”

Drafted in the third round out of Miami, the 6-foot-2, 209-pound Hankerson is Washington’s biggest target, but he had struggled with drops during the preseason, and still had significant portions of the offense to learn, according to his coaches.

Hankerson, who in four preseason games recorded nine catches for 101 yards with a long of 25, got the nod on Sunday over veteran Donte Stallworth, who this season has appeared in three games, recording five catches for 46 yards.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

I know that many of you are very interested in the progress of wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, who has yet to be active for any of the Redskins’ four games this year. Here is what Kyle Shanahan had to say about him on Thursday:

“He gets a chance every day on the scout team. We coach our scout team hard. It’s as important as anything. If your scout team slacks at all, it’s going to hurt your starting defense or your starting offense. We stay on those scout team guys hard and I think it really benefits those guys, too, because they actually get a year to really practice and develop their craft. I think it really helps them. I think he’s getting better each day. He’s showing improvement each week.”

I realize that “scout team star” is far short of the expectations that many fans had for him a quarter of the way through his rookie season. The Redskins, however, traded for Jabar Gaffney and signed Donte Stallworth because they suspected that Hankerson would not be ready to play anytime soon. They have to luxury of letting their third-round pick develop without any pressure.

One issue preventing Hankerson from being active is that he does not play special teams. If you’re one of the top two or three receivers, that’s fine. But if you’re not there — and Hankerson clearly is not — you probably are not going to be active if you don’t. 

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(csnwashington.com)

Leonard Hankerson shuffled through the hallway outside the locker room at Redskins Park on Thursday morning with a backpack slung over his left shoulder. His presence was required in a meeting upstairs in six minutes, barely enough time to chat.

The meeting was another element of preparation for the Washington Redskins‘ game Sunday against the Phil-adelphia Eagles. It’s a huge NFC East matchup, one in which Hankerson knows there’s a strong chance he won’t play. The rookie receiver wasnt activated for any of the Redskins‘ first four games, and nothing appears to have merited a change to the depth chart.

This wasn’t what Hankerson envisioned when the Redskins drafted him in the third round in April. For now, “Hank Time” involves running the scout team offense on Thursday instead of making plays on Sunday. But he is maintaining a positive attitude and determined to capitalize on his chance to play, whenever that arises.

“Any competitor, anybody that wants to play and knows he can help the team out, it’s going to be tough for them,” Hankerson said. “I can’t control it. The only thing I can control is going out to practice and doing what I got to do, keep working hard and getting better.”

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan touted the decision to draft Hankerson 79th overall as an easy one. His 13 touchdowns for the University of Miami last season were a school record. The Redskins, meanwhile, needed a receiver to spark their middling offense.

Hankerson, however, dropped passes too frequently in training camp and in preseason games. That landed him at the bottom of a seven-receiver depth chart.

“Any player is going to come in and be anxious wanting to make a play to get playing time,” he said. “But now I look back on it, and I didnt really have to do that. I could have just been doing what I’m doing now, just coming in here, catching the ball, looking it all the way in and getting better.”

Now he’s stuck waiting for his chance. He knows it likely will take injuries to other players, but its difficult to be patient.

Hankerson has turned to coaching assistant Richmond Flowers for support. Flowers, a former receiver who spent a short time on the Redskins‘ active roster in 2002, understands Hankerson’s mental struggle. He fought to be noticed in several teams’ training camps and on various practice squads during his brief NFL career.

“Hank’s got a challenge,” Flowers said. “I want to let him know that the most important thing is to not let any of it weigh you down and just come out and fight every day. Don’t worry about anything else besides coming to practice, working on your technique and catching every ball you can.”

Hankerson’s attitude is paramount, Flowers said. Either he could pout about being left out of the rotation, or he could productively use this time to prepare himself for an eventual opportunity to play.

“At times you start to feel like you’re not a part of it, and I can see that with him, but I tell him just to keep working,” said Terrence Austin, a former seventh-round receiver who experienced a similar struggle in his rookie season last year. “The coach sees everything that he’s doing, and really it’s about being patient. His time will come. It’s not like he can’t play. He can definitely play.”

Hankerson must prove that by being consistent. That was his downfall in the preseason. On some plays, he would appear every bit the playmaker the Redskins believe the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder can be. Then he’d drop a pass over the middle because he turned to run before securing the ball.

“I think that’s what Hank is working to do - being consistent in practice, the meeting room, the way he approaches his studies, his workouts, consistently catching balls after practice,” Flower said. “Good players … consistently do the same things every day.”

Outside the locker room, Hankerson concluded his chat with a reporter and bolted up the steps, another chance to hurry up and wait.
“I just keep doing what I’m doing in practice, just keep getting better,” he said, “and my time will come.”


(washingtontimes.com)

Comments

Redskins third-round WR Leonard Hankerson has yet to be active through four games this season.

Fifth-rounder Niles Paul has been getting the call due to his edge as a blocker and in special teams play. Until he breaks into the top three receivers, Hankerson will continue to ride the pine.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

Redskins rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson feels like it’s freshman year of college all over again.

But rather than sulk about being buried on the depth chart, the University of Miami product’s goal is to continue to work hard so when coaches do call his number, he’ll be ready.

“It’s nothing new for me,” said Hankerson, who is listed seventh on Washington’s depth chart at wide receiver, and on Sunday was on the inactive list. “Back at University of Miami, we had eight-plus guys and you can’t cut nobody in college, so that’s eight-plus guys to the receiver corps and you had to keep working to keep your job and not worry about how many other guys there are. Just control what you can control.”

The Redskins drafted Hankerson in the third round of April’s draft following a college career that saw him finish as one of the most prolific receivers in Miami history. Blessed with big hands, good size and athleticism, Hankerson has the potential to be a red-zone threat for the Redskins. But throughout the preseason, he struggled with consistency and was guilty of several drops on what would have been routine catches.

Coach Mike Shanahan elected to keep Hankerson on the 53-man roster, however, believing that he has the potential to be a legitimate threat in the NFL. It’ll just take some time, the coach says.

“Hankerson is a little bit further behind,” Shanahan said on Monday. “But it doesn’t mean he’s not going to be a great player, but he just has to keep on working and the things in practice to consistently show the coaches that he’ll be ready to play on game day. You see the ability, but you have to see the consistency.”

Hankerson said the speed of the NFL took some getting used to. But he believes he has already improved significantly since the start of training camp thanks to extra work he has put in after practices. He admits, however, that it’s hard watching.

“Of course it is. For any player, it’d be tough to be at the top and then coming to the next level, being a freshman all over again,” Hankerson said. “When I was a freshman at the University of Miami, I didn’t play a whole lot. I wanted to, and it was bugging me a whole lot. But now I’m at the next level, so I’ve got to keep focused, keep working hard in practice and keep my mind right.”

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

As a third-round pick in April's NFL Draft, Leonard Hankerson was seen as the solution to the Washington Redskins' problems in the receiving game.

Here he was, a 6-foot-2 specimen who caught a record 13 touchdown passes as a senior at Miami last fall and became just the third player at the school to have 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

The thought was that the Redskins would have a solid possession receiver in Jabar Gaffney, a proven slot receiver in Santana Moss, a speedy deep threat in Anthony Armstrong and a tall red-zone target in Hankerson.

That hasn't worked out the way it was expected. Hankerson, who has struggled with drops and inconsistent route running during training camp and the preseason, wasn't even active for his first NFL game Sunday when the Redskins defeated the New York Giants 28-14.

"I'm assuming it's because when I had them three drops or whatever [during the preseason], but I don't know," Hankerson said. "I mean, I have no clue. I'm just out here working and trying to get better each and every week and keep doing what I've got to do on my end and not worry about what's going on out there."

Instead, Hankerson watched as Niles Paul, a fifth-round pick who had the same ball security questions coming out of Nebraska, was active for the Redskins on Sunday. Originally pegged as a potential member of the practice squad, the 6-foot-1 Paul improved through the preseason and earned a spot on the 53-man roster.

Paul has been especially productive on special teams, where Hankerson does not play. Paul has some quickness but is also a downhill runner as a returner, and he nearly tipped a 38-yard field goal attempt by Lawrence Tynes that linebacker Brian Orakpo did end up blocking.

"Niles Paul, by far, has been a guy that can work on special teams," head coach Mike Shanahan said. "He's been very consistent all throughout the preseason games with the way he's practiced."

He did not see any time in the rotation as a receiver, but he did catch four passes for 37 yards during the preseason.

That's fine for Paul, who knows his place in the rotation. The Redskins also have Terrence Austin and veteran Donte Stallworth working at the position, and Brandon Banks, a receiver in name only, is the team's primary returner.

"Obviously we've got 'Tana and Jabar, and those guys are out there making plays," Paul said. "Me, as a receiver, I'm just a role player as of now. If I continue to play my role, that's all I'm focused on."

And for Hankerson?

"I've just got to keep focused and it's like I'm back at my freshman year at the University of Miami--you've got to keep doing what I've got to do, keep working hard, keep competing at practice and just keep my mind right," he said.

hanahan kept Donte Stallworth and rookie Leonard Hankerson inactive. While Paul is a big special teams contributor and Stallworth has experience, Hankerson, a third-round pick out of Miami, could be the odd receiver out for a while.

“Hankerson is a little bit further behind, but it doesn’t mean he’s not going to be a great player,” Shanahan said. “But he just has to keep on working on the things in practice to consistently show the coaches that he’ll be ready to play on game day. You see the ability, but you have to see the consistency.”


(nbcsports.com)

Coach Mike Shanahan confirmed Monday that rookie Leonard Hankerson is behind fellow rookie Niles Paul and Donte' Stallworth on the Redskins' depth chart.
Paul was drafted behind Hankerson, and Stallworth was inactive for Week 1. Also a healthy scratch, Hankerson "has a ways to go," Shanahan said. At this point, we don't anticipate any rookie-year impact from the third-round pick.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

Redskins declared FB Mike Sellers, WR Leonard Hankerson, WR Donte' Stallworth, OL Willie Smith, DL Darrion Scott, LB Markus White and SS LaRon Landry inactive for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Chris Cooley will be active but should not be counted on in fantasy leagues. Landry (Achilles', hamstring) was ruled out earlier in the week. Hankerson and Stallworth were unable to crack Washington's deep wide receiver depth. Darrel Young will serve as the team's fullback.

Click here to order Leonard Hankerson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

Redskins third-rounder Leonard Hankerson will enter the season behind fifth-rounder Niles Paul on the depth chart.

Hankerson will be a game-day inactive early on after a drop-filled training camp and exhibition season.


(rotoworld.com)

Leonard Hankerson is on his way to Byrd Stadium following Redskins practice, and he was so excited to get there that an officer had no choice but to pull him over. I know this because I've been reading his Twitter feed. The noteworthy tweets are below the jump.

What's Maryland stadium called so I can #gps it????
less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply

Leonard Hankerson
HankTime85

Who's tailgating????
less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply

Leonard Hankerson
HankTime85

Jus got pulled over, #Dang lol 78 n a 55.... Didn't kno
less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply

Leonard Hankerson
HankTime85

"@jefe327: @HankTime85 were waiting for u bro!"<<<< if I can find my way
less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply

Leonard Hankerson
HankTime85

(sbnation.com)

As he enters the third professional game of his career Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens, rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson has two items on his to-do list:

Stop thinking, and catch the ball.

Drafted in the third round out of Miami, Hankerson potentially could give the Redskins the big target that they have lacked for years now. Standing at 6-foot-3, weighing 205 pounds and boasting hands that measure 10-1/2 inches wide – the largest of any rookie at the combine – Hankerson has all the tools to be a prime red-zone and possession threat.

But he has to catch the ball first. Throughout training camp and the preseason, Hankerson has made spectacular, acrobatic grabs, only to drop the ball on routine pass plays.

In each of his two preseason games, the drops have hung over Hankerson’s head. In the preseason opener, he likely would have scored a touchdown if he could’ve secured the ball. Last week against Indianapolis, Hankerson dropped the first pass that came his way. He got back on track, caught the next three passes and finished with 46 yards receiving.

Despite the struggles, Coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan both continue to express confidence in Hankerson. Kyle Shanahan said the drops are a result of mental lapses that can plague any rookie adjusting to the NFL.

“I think he’s not used to coming off the bench,” Kyle Shanahan said. “I don’t think he’s ever done that in his life. Guys like that, their eyes aren’t ready, and the speed of the game, they’re off. We need him catching balls more on the sideline and getting ready, and have the mindset that there’s no makeup play. Even if it’s the last play of the game and he hasn’t played all game, he needs to be ready like it’s the first play of the game. It just shows what rookies go through.”

Hankerson acknowledged that he is going through growing pains.

“I’m still adjusting, man. Coming from college, the ball comes out quicker here in the NFL,” Hankerson said. “You turn your head and it’s already there. I’m just adjusting to looking it all the way in and trying to slow it down. Being that No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 guy on the depth chart, you wanna prove a point and go out and make a play. But I need to stop worrying about all that and go out there like I have been the last three years and make a play.”

Hankerson is one of the most prolific receivers in Miami history, so he’s used to playing in the spotlight. But the pressure of battling for a roster spot in the NFL has proved daunting. Hankerson has sought the advice of veteran teammates, all of whom have told him to simply play, and not focus on the situation.

“Coming off the bench in the third quarter is nerve racking. But I need to take my opportunities as they come and make plays to help this team,” Hankerson said. “I need to capitalize when I get in there, because that could be the last time I ever play. I need to put all that behind me. Even though I was the top guy in college and come here and I’m the two, three or four guy, that stuff, I got to put it behind me and go out and work hard.

“I’m getting more comfortable each and every game,” Hankerson said. “One game, now two games, and this is the third game. I just need to realize, football is football, no matter where you’re playing.”


(washingtonpost.com)

On Friday night, Leonard Hankerson was the Redskins top receiver, with four targets and three receptions for 46 yards.  He had a 25-yard catch and run over the middle for a first down.  He moved the chains again with an 18-yard reception over the middle.

But no congratulations for this rookie; the only play that Hankerson wanted to reflect on after the game was the one that got away.

“I felt good actually playing out there, but I still gotta focus,” he said after the game.  ”I still had that one drop that I wish I could go back and catch it, but it’s over now, man.”

Hankerson has talent to spare, but he said that his concentration is to blame for his drops this preseason.

“I just gotta go out there and keep my focus and stop trying to run before I get the ball, because if I keep doing that I won’t be playing for long,” he said matter-of-factly. “I just gotta keep working in practice to put it all together, and just keep coming back and translating that into the game.”

Part of his struggles can be attributed to the old cliche of the game coming too fast.  With two games under his belt, however, Hankerson said that he’s starting to grasp the pace of the game.

“It’s starting to slow down especially when these teams coming out here playing zone,” he said.  ”If they playing zone, then it’s just run your route and get open–run your route and you’ll be open.  It’s a little different man-to-man, but in that zone you wide open.”

Hankerson has drawn a line in the sand and does not accept drops as part of his game.

“I can’t just drop that one pass and expect that to be okay,” he said.  ”I gotta be mentally stronger to catch the ball before I try to run. I gotta keep improving each and every week and get better.”

The Redskins thought they were getting a future No. 1 receiver with Hankerson in the third round of the draft, and only time will tell if they were right.  But for now, he certainly has the required mentality to develop into that guy.


(blog.redskins.com)

Beat writer John Keim confirms rookie Leonard Hankerson is ticketed for the No. 4 receiver job.
After struggling with drops early in camp, Hankerson has put in his best week. But he's still not ahead of Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney or Anthony Armstrong. The No. 79 overall pick isn't on the re-draft radar.



(rotoworld.com)

Much of the hype surrounding Leonard Hankerson leading up to the draft was the enormous size of his hands.  The biggest hands in the draft? He used them to break all of the records held by Andre Johnson and Michael Irvin?

Yes, please.

His pro debut on Friday was rather anti-climactic, however, as he ended the game with one reception on three targets, for eight yards.

But Hankerson shook all of that off today and said that he doesn’t feel any pressure going into Indianapolis.

“I don’t feel like I have to prove, I just have to go out there and make plays for the team,” he said.  ”Do my job, know my assignment, and just go have fun.”

That’s comforting to hear from a guy that the Redskins clearly have a lot of faith in.  Most of the best players in the history of the game were just out there having fun.

Some fans were ready to cut Hankerson and Aldrick Robinson after they had ball-handling issues against the Steelers, forgetting that they were experiencing their first NFL action against guys in different helmets.  Both of them made some nice catches today. On one throw Hankerson did a great job of coming back to the ball and using his large hands to grab it out of a crowd. Robinson made a good grab on the sideline.



(csnwashington.com)

As the Miami Dolphins‘ all-time leader in receiving yardage, No. 2 in receptions and No. 3 in receiving touchdowns, Mark Duper knows about playing the position. So when some of Leonard Hankerson’s uncles learned that their employer was a close friend of Duper‘s, they asked if the three-time Pro Bowler would tutor the young wideout, a rising junior at Miami.

“When I first started working with him, the talent, mentality and the ability to play football was there,” Duper said recently. “But an athlete needs guidance. He needed to learn how to practice properly. He needed to learn how to position his hands. He learned how to develop himself as a ballplayer.”

Hankerson, the Redskins’ third-round draft pick in April, was underwhelming during his first two years with the Hurricanes. But after working hard with Duper and youth coach Jack Doucett - his uncles’ employer - Hankerson departed among Miami’s top five receivers in career yardage, receptions and touchdowns.

Entering Friday’s preseason opener against visiting Pittsburgh, Hankerson yearns to prove he belongs among names such as Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Michael Irvin and now-teammate Santana Moss.

Eight receivers were drafted ahead of Hankerson. The Redskins selected two more after him, Niles Paul and Aldrick Robinson. Then came the addition of two veterans, Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth. And just to be safe, the team also signed undrafted wideout Issac Anderson.

“That’s part of the NFL,” said Hankerson, who has dazzled at times during training camp. “Everyone wants to win and everyone’s going to do what it takes. As soon as you sign, they go out and try to find someone better.”

Hankerson’s determination to improve was a driving factor after he totaled 17 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns - and developed a reputation for untimely drops - entering his junior season. Duper and Doucett put him through concentration drills and workouts that were posted to YouTube. Whenever Duper couldn’t make it, Hankerson insisted on continuing the program with Doucett. A breakout junior year convinced Hankerson to bypass the draft and redouble his effort.

“We had a goal of catching 10,000 balls over the summer before his senior year, and he did it,” said Doucett, a lifelong Redskins fan who hosted Hankerson’s draft party and adorned him in the Redskins’ cap and Joe Theismann jersey that appeared in photos.

“We worked even harder, sometimes twice a week,” Doucett said. “The Miami coaches invited me in to work out with him as much as we wanted. We set goals of 60 catches, 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns, and he surpassed them.”

To be precise, Hankerson capped his college career with 72 receptions, 1,156 yards and a single-season record 13 TDs. He finally was maximizing the athleticism and potential displayed at Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas High, where another noted wideout - Cris Carter - was his position coach.

“When I first got to college, I thought it was going to be a lot easier than it was,” said Hankerson, explaining his slow start. “It was tough going up and competing against everyone. I wasn’t really staying after practice for extra work. I had the ability, but I had to catch a lot of extra balls.”

Hankerson typically stays on the field with others after practice to work with Redskins receivers coach Keenan McCardell. He used to hang around after the Redskins’ voluntary training sessions during the lockout. Duper said Hankerson’s work ethic is the receiver’s most-impressive trait, adding that there’s nothing wrong with his rather large mitts.

“He has the opportunity to lock onto a football if his hands are positioned properly,” Duper said. “He was taught all those things in our two years and did a great job. Leonard doesn’t have bad hands; his hands are great.”

Nonetheless, several balls that Hankerson should’ve caught have hit the ground in practice. The perception that he’s unreliable, in addition to his lack of blazing speed, helped him fall to the ninth receiver drafted. But McCardell said Hankerson’s physical attributes - 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds with long arms - will help him overpower cornerbacks and overcome perceived weaknesses.

“He’s a big target and has a big catch radius,” McCardell said. “Sometimes balls maybe are not on target, but with his big catch radius he’s on target.”

As far as Duper is concerned, there’s no question where his former pupil is headed: “I think Leonard Hankerson was a steal in the third round,” Duper said. “I think he’s going to be a star in the NFL and do great things in the NFL.”

If not, the reason won’t be lack of effort.


(washingtontimes.com)

Rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson continues to show coaches mixed results -- which is why he slipped to the third round of the 2011 Draft. His biggest problem remains a penchant for dropping passes.

Hankerson had that problem at Miami (Fla.) during his college career, and he has yet to solve it.

Coaches say Hankerson sometimes turns his head upfield before catching the ball. But too often, he simply drops it. Yet he has made difficult catches in traffic, using his body well and showing strong hands.


(sportingnews.com)

Leonard Hankerson bought himself a 2011 Infiniti FX50 shortly after being selected by the Washington Redskins in April's NFL draft.

Otherwise, it's all business for the rookie receiver.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound third-round pick out of Miami is a virtual lock to make the Redskins' roster despite the team's plethora of receivers. But that hasn't prevented him from doing everything he can to give himself an advantage when the cuts start coming.

"If you don't know the playbook, you're not going to play," Hankerson said after yesterday's practice. "If you don't know what you're doing, you're not going to play. You've got to understand the playbook.

"A coach is going to like that guy, or a coach is going to like that guy, but you can't worry about how many guys are on the field. You've got to do your job."

Hankerson has one obvious advantage: his height. Aside from the oft-injured Malcolm Kelly, who's out of practice with a bruised foot, Hankerson and Jabar Gaffney are the tallest receivers on the team.

And while Hankerson has large hands, they've not been much of a blessing thus far. Not only has he had trouble catching passes in team scrimmages--including a wide-open drop over the middle from about 10 yards away on Friday--he's also demonstrated issues catching them in position drills.

When Hankerson made a long catch Saturday afternoon, coach Mike Shanahan walked up to him and briefly praised him before reminding him to tuck the ball away.

"He's got big-time ability," Shanahan said. "If you've ever evaluated wide receivers, his size, his ability to cut, one-on-one--he's got all the physical attributes you look for in a wide receiver. He's got a chance to get to the next level.

"[But] there are going to be some growing pains. There are always going to be that with a rookie wide receiver."

Hankerson, 22, was a touchdown machine at Miami, where he caught 13 scoring passes last fall to top Michael Irvin's school single-season record. The all-ACC selection also joined elite company when he caught 72 passes for 1,156 yards, becoming only the third player to surpass 1,000 yards in a season and first to also have 2,000 in his career.

That performance earned high praise from Santana Moss, who also played at Miami but never reached those marks himself.

"I mean, he's one of the best in college in what he did, and one of the best at UM," Moss said. "The level he's coming off of, that level prepares you to play over here. I feel like all he can do is just be a sponge to everything around him--to the guys around him, to the offense, to everything that's telling him something, and take that and be able to lean on that and be his crutch for the season or whenever it's time for him to be that guy."

Little has been decided with regard to the Redskins' offense. The team has 10 other receivers in camp and is likely to keep five or six, though Moss and veterans Gaffney and Donte Stallworth are on the roster.

The end of the lockout just two weeks ago doesn't help either, with Hankerson missing a summer's worth of conditioning and acclimation and only recently obtaining a copy of the playbook.

He said it's similar to the pro-style offense Miami ran last season under offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. To learn the plays, Hankerson has been equating the concepts and names he already knew to the Redskins' terminology.

"It's a whole lot of stuff, a whole lot of information being thrown at us now," Hankerson said. "I'm just saying, 'Oh, this is this play, and this is this play.' I'm learning it all. I'm not trying to wait, because if I wait, it's going to hurt. I'm just trying to learn everything now."

When Moss was first breaking into the NFL with the Jets in 2001, he relied upon veterans such as Wayne Chrebet to help him pick up the concepts. Moss said Hankerson hasn't yet asked him for help, and that he'd be wise to watch other similar receivers around the league--Houston's Andre Johnson, or Detroit's Mike Williams--for pointers.

Until then, it's about business--and a little enjoyment.

"Just get everything down, learn the offense, try to [know] it like the back of my hand and have fun out there," Hankerson said.


(fredricksburg.com)

Here is Leonard Hankers in his Redskins Jersey at practice on Monday August 1st.

Leonard Hankerson tweeted this photo of his new Redskins locker.

At least one Redskins draft pick will be on time when training camp opens Thursday.

Wide receiver Leonard Hankerson announced on Twitter shortly after midnight that he has agreed to terms of a contract with the Redskins.

“Done Deal peeps!!” he said.

Terms were not immediately known.

Hankerson, out of the University of Miami, was a third-round pick, the draft’s 79th overall selection. He’ll be competing in camp with more than a dozen other receivers, but at least he’s wasting no time by signing so quickly.


(washingtonpost.com)

As the release date for EA Sports “Madden 2012″ draws near (August 30th), player rating numbers are being floated around the blogosphere.  For Redskins fans, commence the gnashing of teeth.

According to a post by author “EA Sports” on the official Madden 12 blog entitled “Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings: Top Wide Receivers,” Leonard Hankerson ranks eighth among rookie receivers and a 67 overall.

Ouch.  For comparison’s sake, AJ Green of the Bengals was listed as an 80 overall, and Atlanta’s Julio Jones is a 78 overall.  Is Hankerson really only 84 percent the player that Green is?  Redskins and Miami University fans took to their keyboards in protest.


(redksins.com)

The Washington Redskins’ 2011 draft was generally called a big success largely because of the depth the team was able to acquire with its 12 picks.

In Purdue linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, the Redskins believe they have found a dominant pass-rusher to complement Brian Orakpo. Clemson’s Jarvis Jenkins is expected to help shore up the defensive line, and Leonard Hankerson offers much needed size to the receiving unit. Naturally, Shanahan also raved about running backs Roy Helu and Evan Royster as well as safety DeJon Gomes, wideouts Aldrick Robinson and Niles Paul, cornerback Brandyn Thompson, guard Maurice Hurt, linebacker Markus White and nose tackle Christopher Neild.

But how much can really be expected from rookies chosen in this locked out offseason? All but Jenkins got an introduction to the Redskins’ systems during player-led group workouts. But Hankerson left the June session saying, “I need a coach, bad.” He understood the benefit of getting together with his new teammates, but knew the only way to really learn the offense was to hear it straight from a coach’s mouth.


(washingtonpost.com)

It’s called the Hammer route and it’s one that provided Leonard Hankerson problems. At 6-foot-2, he’s a long strider; this route calls for quick breaks – and shorter strides.

“They’re trying to get you to push in at 5 yards and push up to 10 yards and then stick,” said the Redskins third-round pick. “I’m looking at my yardage and when I get there I feel I overrun it so it’s difficult for me to plant and go. I just have to keep working on it.”

The significance? Had Hankerson not attended the workouts, he would have struggled with this move in training camp. Now, he said, having been tutored on the route by Anthony Armstrong, he can work on it in Miami.

Perhaps the benefits of the players-only workouts are overblown. In some cases that’s probably true. But not in Hankerson’s case, even if this was a glorified passing camp. Considering he’s a receiver, and the Redskins need the young wideouts to help, this sort of setup was beneficial.

“In Miami you don’t have a quarterback like that to throw,” he said. “All I can do is run routes on air or do cone drills. But coming up here and working with the quarterback and running routes and getting that timing down, it’s a good situation. You need that. So when the season comes it’ll be on time when you get there.”

Hankerson received some of the playbook, a seven-day installment.

“But you need the coaches there to take you through everything,” he said. “Without that coach, it’s tough to look in the playbook by yourself and get it all down.”

A side benefit was getting to know some of the other players. Of course, when camp opens there will be approximately 50 or 60 players he hasn’t yet met. But meeting some of the veteran receivers, such as Armstrong, Brandon Banks and Malcolm Kelly, helped.

“They taught me this route and that route and how to run it and where to run it at,” Hankerson said. “The first time I didn’t know all that stuff. I had to learn it first-hand. [Now] the quarterback can call out a route and tell me to run this route and I can be the first one to run it.”


(washingtonexaminer.com)

It’s not uncommon to see athletes jamming to music on their headphones. Ask them what they’re listening to and they’ll tell you, but is it actually what's playing?

Here at Capital Games we do it a little differently. We ask local athletes to give up their iPod (or iPad, iPhone, or whatever they use to hold music), and let someone else put it on shuffle to see what comes up.

Sure, they could just tell us themselves. But what fun would that be?

Today we take a look at Redskins' Leonard Hankerson's iPod with some help from fellow draft pick Ryan Kerrigan.
We tried to get Hank to sing for us, but no such luck.




(nbcwashington.com)

While some of the Redskins spent their Wednesday getting their hands dirty, others kept with the football theme.

Leonard Hankerson and Brandon Banks played a contentious game of Madden. Listening to Hank talk about it told us one thing: These guys really miss football.

It was a simple video game, but Hank broke down every play, analyzed the defenses and recounted the final minutes of the two-point game.

“It was a high-scoring game,” he told us. “There wasn’t no defense. It was tied up 42-42 at halftime and I said, ‘Let me get this defense right.' So after that I got a couple of stops, scored two more touchdowns. He was up by four points, and I scored a touchdown and went for two, but I missed so I was only up by two. He got the ball back but I stopped him on fourth down and won.”

Geez. This lockout can’t end soon enough, huh?

Apparently Banks played as the Philadelphia Eagles, which is quite the scandal on a slow news day.

Banks wasn’t at the practice Thursday and Hank has his own idea as to why.

“He got beat," he said. "He’s probably embarrassed.”


(nbcwashington.com)

Thirty-one Washington Redskins players gathered Tuesday morning for a third round of informal group workouts as the NFL Lockout reached its 94th day.

Twelve defensive players and 19 offensive players met for the first of three days of workouts at a location in northern Virginia.

Quarterbacks John Beck and Rex Grossman again alternated leading the offense. Linebackers Lorenzo Alexander and London Fletcher headed up the defense as they did last time around, in May.

That session drew 41 players the first day, including 10 rookies. Six rookies - Ryan Kerrigan, defensive lineman Chris Neild, receivers Leonard Hankerson and Aldrick Robinson, and running back Evan Royster were are on hand today.

Alexander said some of the rookies weren’t able to make the trip for financial reasons.


(washingtonpost.com)

Comcast Sports Washington beat writers Rich Tandler and Ryan O'Halloran are both convinced that No. 79 overall pick Leonard Hankerson will be a rookie starter.

Even if the Redskins re-sign free agent Santana Moss, Hankerson is likely to be a starting outside receiver in Washington. Without OTAs or minicamps, Hankerson is going to have to learn on the fly. On the bright side, Hankerson was a touchdown maker at Miami, comes from a pretty pro-style offense, and has the size to compete immediately with NFL defensive backs.


(rotoworld.com)

PORTLAND, Ore. – May 31, 2011 – adidas today announced partnerships with NFL rookie wide receivers Leonard Hankerson of the Washington Redskins and Edmond Gates of the Miami Dolphins.

Hankerson and Gates are the latest additions to the adidas football roster, which includes Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller, New York Giants defensive back Prince Amukamara, Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb, Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, New York Giants wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan, Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess.

The Redskins’ third-round selection (79th overall) in April’s NFL Draft, Leonard Hankerson finished his four-year career at the University of Miami as one of the most prolific wideouts in the country. As a senior, Hankerson set single-season school records with 72 catches, 1,156 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. Hauling in five catches for 99 yards and a touchdown at the Senior Bowl and running a 4.43 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine, Hankerson further established himself as one of the fastest and most athletic receiver in this year’s NFL Draft.

“My game is all about speed,” said the All-ACC wide receiver Hankerson. “Being a half step faster than the defense is what made the difference in my games at Miami. Playing football in the NFL means I’ve got to bring everything I’ve got and really focus on being even faster. adidas is making the lightest cleats out there right now and in the NFL, I know I’m going to need a light cleat that keeps me fast and gives me the confidence I need to join the ranks of the other fast NFL receivers coming out of the U.”

adidas’ new adiZero 5-Star, the lightest cleat in football, made its long anticipated arrival in stores on April 1 and at 6.9 ounces is three ounces lighter than the nearest competitor. The adiZero 5-Star was on display in February as the NFL prospects in Indianapolis who ran the fastest 40-yard-dash times at each position, all wore the lightweight cleat.

“Football players are faster than ever before,” said Mark Daniels, director of football for adidas. “Players at all levels are looking for an edge to keep them fast and we’ve changed the game with the new adiZero 5-Star. Both Hankerson and Gates are going to be equipped with the lightest cleat in football to help them make an immediate impact in the NFL.”

Football players and fans can visit www.facebook.com/adidasfootballUS for more information, photos and videos of adidas’ NFL prospects and the adiZero 5-Star cleat.

Rookie WR Leonard Hankerson is a touchdown scoring machine. Void of blazing speed, he somehow manages to find the end zone. Expect Hankerson to be the No. 1 red zone option for the Redskins this season and don't be shocked if he approaches double-digit TD receptions.



(nfl.com)

So, London Fletcher has said rookies don’t get to pick their own nicknames just yet.

“We had Leonard Hankerson out here talking about ‘Yeah, call me Hank,’ ” Lorenzo Alexander told reporters. “[Fletcher’s] like, ‘Man, no, your name is Leonard. You don’t get no nicknames until you earn ‘em.’ So he’s definitely putting them in place, making sure they get here early, lay out the equipment, clean up, picking up all the bottles and stuff afterwards.”

“After that first play being made, I’m sure they’ll be calling me Hank,” Hankerson said.



(washingtonpost.com)

He thought of the name in high school, then used it to create a website. His new Redskins ballcap had that address written on the side (www.hanktime.com). There's also a tattoo on his right biceps with the same moniker, Hank Time, with a football in between. Redskins rookie receiver Leonard Hankerson is not shy about sharing his self-confidence.

Just don't expect him to be another prima donna receiver.

"I have fun, but I don't do much," he said. "I just go out and play the game."

Not that teammates would mind if he played with a little extra personality.

"The No. 1 thing that sticks out is the kid wants it," quarterback John Beck said. "He wants to go extra. I love people that want to put in extra time. If he has swagger with him, that's great. You have to be like that."

Hankerson indeed worked out with Beck for parts of three days in San Diego earlier this month. Hankerson went early so he could get time in with Beck. After the Redskins' minicamp workout Wednesday, he caught passes from Beck for another 10 or so minutes.

He might not want to display that swagger, but he's happy to show his hands -- largest in the draft, according to coach Mike Shanahan. They measure 10 5/8 inches. And they allowed him to palm a ball starting around age 10.

"That's my patented move, catch the ball one-handed," Hankerson said. "I love to do it. I work on it in practice. There's nothing better than catching the ball one-handed."



(washingtonexaminer.com)

Almost from the moment he was drafted in the third round, wide receiver Leonard Hankerson has been tweeting pictures of himself in Redskins gear. It was a cool story, interesting enough that I talked to the longtime friend who provided Hankerson with the burgundy and gold accoutrements, but apparently a few twitpics of himself wearing borrowed clothes wasn't enough for Hankerson: late Sunday, the former Miami wide receiver tweeted a picture of himself in a pretty authentic-looking Redskins uniform.

Before I re-post Hankerson's picture, let me make it very clear that no uniform numbers have yet been issued; as far as I know, Mike Furrey is still on the roster and is still the person who would officially be wearing 85. [UPDATE: Furrey is apparently no longer on the roster; according to his website, he's the head coach at Kentucky Christian University. Still, no numbers have been issued to draft picks that I know of, so that point remains accurate.] THIS IS NOT OFFICIAL IN ANY WAY. That said, it still looks pretty freakin' cool.

Based on the background signage, it looks like this shot comes from a photo shoot for a Topps football card -- presumably something to do with the one from the company's high-end "Inception" line that Hankerson tweeted on Wednesday. Here, look:

Here's the description of the Inception line, from sports card industry mag Beckett:

As the 2011 video card war rages on, Topps is talking about its new football line - 2011 Topps Inception - dreamed up for a rare early season high-end release. Due out in early July, the premiering premium product will be rookie heavy, mostly defined by top draft picks and supplemented by established stars.

The description goes on to say that the rookies will appear in "airbrushed uniforms," which doesn't do much to explain the clearly non-airbrushed picture at the very top of this post, but the most interesting thing to me is the "defined by top draft picks". It's not every day that a third-rounder gets called a "top draft pick," and it serves only to reinforce the high expectations that Hankerson is going to be facing in his rookie year.

“Have you guys had Leonard Hankerson on the show yet?” Beck asked Arrington at one point. “You know what, I like this guy. Here, I’ll let you guys talk to him.”

“Alright, that’s pretty interesting,” Arrington said. “How cool is that? Dude, what are you doin?”

“Uh, just out here working out in Cali,” the rookie wide receiver said upon catching the phone from Beck. ”Working out with John Beck, going over some of the plays, getting them down, so I can, whenever it’s time, go in and be ready and not be far behind with this lockout....It’s very exciting right now that I’m with John Beck and he’s going over the plays, teaching me and stuff like that. And it feels real good to be out here with him.”

Then Dukes asked if Beck seemed like an NFL starter.

“Oh yeah, he seems like it already,” Hankerson said. “Getting me out here, going over the plays, going over everything, getting to the field, working out together and doing all that type of stuff that a leader do. That’s what it feels like....That’s what leaders, that’s what quarterbacks do.”
Beck then came back on and explained that Hankerson was coming to California anyhow.

“I said hey as long as you’re making this big long trip and I’m out here, let’s just try to get together, sit down a little bit and I can introduce you to the plays,” the quarterback and media heartthrob said. “I really just tried to help him out and say, hey, let me introduce you to what it is we do offensively.”



(washingtonpost.com)

If Leonard Hankerson is right – or even close to being right – the Washington Redskins got one hell of a deal.

The Redskins, who have had an acute need for wide receivers for a few years now, selected Hankerson in the third round Friday night, No. 79 overall.

The Miami product was the ninth receiver chosen in the draft and he ranks himself right up there at the top. The very top.

“I know I’m better than each one of those guys that was drafted before me,” Hankerson told The Sports Junkies this morning on 106.7 The Fan, according to Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. “Hey, it’s over with now. I’m a Washington Redskin. I can’t do anything about it. Only thing that matters is what I do after the draft, so I’m looking forward to getting on the field with my new teammates, getting to meet my coaches and just having fun with them and proving (it) to everyone.”

Better than Julio Jones, who went sixth overall to the Atlanta Falcons after a blockbuster trade?

“Of course, I wouldn’t say anything differently,” Hankerson said. “Of course I think that. I feel I’m the best receiver in the draft, I feel like I can make plays, i can do everything the other players do. I feel like I can block, run routes, go up and get the ball. I make plays. I broke every single season record this year. I feel like I can do it all.”

Mike Shanahan got a pretty good wide receiver in the fourth round a few years back – Brandon Marshall. Maybe he can make things happen with Hankerson.



(naitonalfootballpost.com)

Leonard Hankerson may never become the next great wide receiver from the University of Miami. That doesn’t mean he won’t eventually become a useful player for some NFL team, including the Chiefs.

Few NFL teams are as needy at wide receiver as the Chiefs, who have several candidates but no appealing choice to pair with Dwayne Bowe.
“It’s an honor being mentioned in the same category of some guys: Lamar Thomas, Reggie Wayne, Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson,” Hankerson said, referring to some of the best receivers to play for the Hurricanes. “It’s an honor just having my name up in the category with those guys. You want to carry on their traditions.

“It’s no pressure. You just got to go out and work hard, compete in the weight room and in practice, you just have to do what you have to do to make plays and help the team out.”

Hankerson’s final season at Miami stands statistically among the best ever at Miami. He caught 72 passes and set school records for yards (1,156) and receiving touchdowns (13).

That alone puts him in good company, and those numbers could have been better had Hankerson not dropped so many passes. Those drops show he still has some developing to do, one reason he will probably be a second- or third-round pick.

He may begin his career as a part-time player but perhaps could become an accomplished player over time. That type of receiver would be of value to the Chiefs.

Bowe made the Pro Bowl last season for the first time in his career, but this year will be the final season of his contract. The Chiefs tried several players as their second wide receiver last season but had no success finding a reliable player.

Other than Bowe, their best receivers were tight end Tony Moeaki and running back Jamaal Charles.

The draft’s two best wide receivers, Georgia’s A.J. Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones, will be selected by other teams by the time the Chiefs make their first pick at No. 21 in the first round.

The only other receiver possibly worth the 21st pick is Maryland’s Torrey Smith.

“If Torrey Smith is available, they should at least consider him,” draft analyst Shawn Zobel said. “I’d have no problem with them taking him with the 21st pick if they feel he’s a guy who could add to their offense. He’s a vertical threat, so he would fit in nicely with Dwayne Bowe. They’ve got Moeaki in the middle and (Dexter) McCluster in the slot. That would make for a good offense, especially when you consider they also have Jamaal Charles.

“If they’re looking for a receiver in the first round, that’s who they’d take.”

If the Chiefs pass on Smith, Hankerson could be their choice in the second round.

“He doesn’t play to his speed but is certainly a tall, angular receiver and a good, natural pass catcher,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said. “He had some drops, but that was because of concentration issues rather than hands. He has real good hands.”



(kansascity.com)

We all know about the upside of Green and Jones, but a guy who impressed me at the Senior Bowl was Miami receiver Leonard Hankerson. He runs good routes, has demonstrated he catches with his hands and is fast enough to be more than a possession receiver. There really aren't enough No. 1 wide receivers to go around in the NFL, and teams such as New England have won a lot of games with guys much like Hankerson. With the right quarterback, Hankerson will have a very productive career.



(chicagobears.com)

ESPN's Mel Kiper said on SportsCenter Thursday that he's "hearing" Miami WR Leonard Hankerson will be drafted in the third round.

Kiper is higher on Hankerson than most draft analysts, and believes he deserves to go in round two. He's even mocked Hankerson late in the first round before. The good news for Hankerson is that many teams drafting toward the end of frames need receivers. Beginning with the Chiefs at 21, you could argue nine teams from that point on can use upgrades at the position.



(rotoworld.com)

(profootballweekly.com)

A once-a-day look at a draft prospect that either has been targeted for the Patriots in a mock draft, has had a private workout for New England or has made an official visit to Gillette Stadium. In the end, mocks are good for discussion and workouts and interviews could be a smokescreen or a sign of real interest, but these are players who make sense as being on the Pats' radar for the upcoming draft.

Name: WR Leonard Hankerson, Miami (Fla.)
Height, weight: 6-2, 209 pounds
Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Senior season stats: 13 games (11 starts); 72 receptions for 1,156 yards (16.1 ypc), 13 touchdowns [receiving yards and touchdowns were single-season school records]
Career stats: 41 games (27 starts); 134 receptions for 2,160 yards (16.1 ypc), 22 touchdowns
Honors: first-team All-ACC, Harding Award (Hurricanes' team MVP)
Combine: 40 dash - 4.43; bench - 14 reps; vertical - 36 in.; broad jump - 9-9; 3-cone - 6.94s

Why he's a fit for the Pats: Scouts and draftniks say Hankerson runs solid routes and has a strong work ethic - two things that would serve him well with Tom Brady as his quarterback. Hankerson isn't a burner, but he has good height, tracks the ball well and will go across the middle. One caveat: while he can make the tough catches, he drops a few too many easy balls.



(boston.com)

Todd McShay has the following proCanes going in the 2nd and 3rd Rounds of the upcoming NFL draft.

2nd Round:

50. San Diego
Allen Bailey DE Miami (FL)

57. Seattle
Orlando Franklin G Miami (FL)

3rd Round

70. Cleveland
Leonard Hankerson WR Miami (FL)

89. San Diego (from Seattle)
Colin McCarthy LB Miami (FL)



(espn.com)

Omar Kelly's 2011 NFL Mock Draft (2.0)

21. WR Leonard Hankerson Miami - KC Chiefs
Hankerson would be the perfect complement for Dwayne Bowe, providing a consistent weapon who could replace Chris Chambers. Team needs: WR, OL, NT, ILB

26. DE Allen Bailey Miami - Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are big on finding players with raw talent who have position flexibility. Bailey could be groomed to play three spots on the front seven. Team needs: WR, T, LB, DE

To see the rest of Kelly’s 1st round click here



(sun-sentinel.com)

The Chiefs might like to draft a wide receiver in the first round but there will be no first-round talent available to them when they make their initial choice.

So they will have to wait until round two to fill this need, one big enough it can wait no longer. Hankerson, of Miami, is a good choice at this spot.
Like most young receivers, Hankerson will take some time to fully develop. Once he does, the Chiefs should have a dangerous receiver to pair with Dwayne Bowe.

“He has the potential to develop into a solid number two receiver,’’ said Shawn Zobel, who runs a draft website at www.draftheadquarters.com. “He’s got the size and speed and playmaking ability. There’s not a downside to him. He’ll be a good NFL player but probably not a superstar.’’

In the meantime, the addition of Hankerson gives the Chiefs a deep threat at wide receiver, something they’ve lacked for some time. He adds to their arsenal of speed and makes the Chiefs even more difficult to defend than they were last season.



(chiefsblog.kansascity.com)

University of Miami wide receiver Leonard Hankerson is scheduled to visit the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.

The 6-foot-1, 209-pounder caught 72 passes for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, breaking Michael Irvin's single-season record for touchdown catches.

He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, bench pressing 225 pounds 14 times.

He registered a 36-inch vertical leap and a 9-9 broad jump.

He has been drawing late first-round to eary second-round draft grades.

Among the teams who attended Hankerson's Pro Day workout: the aforementioned Buccaneers, Chiefs and Dolphins as well as the Tennessee Titans, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, New York Jets, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons.

As a junior, Hankerson caught 45 passes for 801 yards and six touchdowns and averaged 17.3 yards per catch.

Hankerson overcame some dropped passes early in his career after working with former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mark Duper.
In high school, Hankerson's position coach was former NFL wide receiver Cris Carter.

The All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection ranks third all-time with 22 touchdowns behind Irvin and Lamar Thomas, finishing with 134 career receptions for 2,160 yards.

He was named the Hurricanes' Most Valuable Player last season.



(nationalfootballpost.com)

Miami WR Leonard Hankerson was reportedly "up and down" at the Hurricanes' recent Pro Day, struggling with drops and route running.

The drops are a concern because Hankerson also failed to consistently secure the football in Senior Bowl practices. (He did blow up for 99 yards and a TD in the game.) According to one scout on hand at the Miami Pro Day, Hankerson looked "a bit stiff as a route-runner and isn't as fast as he timed at Indy." Hankerson still projects as a high second-round pick.



(nbcsports.com)

This year, defense is going to dominate the early part of the draft, especially defensive linemen. Still, there will be a good number of offensive linemen and wide receivers going in the first round. Two players who could very well fit into the bottom third of the first round are receiver Leonard Hankerson of Miami and offensive tackle Derek Sherrod of Mississippi State.

Hankerson was a highly recruited receiver from the Ft. Lauderdale area. Rivals.com had him as a 3-star recruit and Scout.com as a 4-star player. He played as a reserve his first and second years before becoming a starter and Miami’s go-to receiver his final two seasons. Last year was his breakout season with 72 catches for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns. He followed that up with strong Senior Bowl and combine performances.

Hankerson has very good size for a receiver, as he measured 6-1 and 209 pounds at the combine and ran a 4.44. When watching tape of him I thought he was going to be a 4.55 type, as he is a long strider who doesn’t have a real explosive burst. Still, he is very smooth with good flexibility. He breaks down well and gets in and out of cuts quickly. Hankerson has long arms and huge hands (10 5/8) and plays taller than his size because he is so long. While he has some concentration drops, he has very good hands and shows the ability to pluck the ball. He does an excellent job of adjusting to the ball in the air and making difficult catches. He shows good courage and will go inside to compete for the ball in traffic.

This past season he played in the slot much of the time and had to run a lot of underneath routes. He runs good routes and uses his body control and flexibility to get separation. He is quick off the line of scrimmage and does a good job escaping jams. He gets open both by using moves and a change of pace. He can uncover versus both man and zone and does a good job reading coverages. While he is very good with the short and medium routes he is also an effective deep receiver. He is good at tracking the deep ball. As a runner after the catch, he is not overly elusive but he uses his speed well and has strength.

Overall, because of his size and route running ability, Hankerson has the skill set to eventually become a No. 1 receiver in most NFL offenses. Like most receivers coming out of college he is going to need some developmental time but he has excellent upside.



(nationalfootballpost.com)

Leonard Hankerson, St. Louis, 47th overall (Second round)

If Mark Clayton isn’t around, Hankerson would possibly be St. Louis’ best receiver right away. Guys like Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson and Danario Alexander would get their hands on a few passes, but none have the No. 1 wideout potential that Hankerson possesses. Like all eventual Rams wideouts, Hankerson’s production in this scenario would also hinge heavily on Sam Bradford’s development.



(foxsports.com)

At No. 28 in the first round, Kiper has the Patriots selecting Miami receiver Leonard Hankerson.

"The Patriots have the underneath options, but could use a threat that can stretch defenses and cause matchup problems against smaller corners, and Hankerson provides that," Kiper writes.

The Hankerson pick is interesting, as the Patriots’ need at receiver was highlighted in the playoff loss. The thought is that the Pats need speed, and Hankerson had a fourth-best 4.43 40-yard-dash at the Combine.



(espn.com)

Many mock drafts have University of Maryland wideout Torrey Smith coming to the Ravens with their 26th-overall selection, but ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper said Smith isn’t even a first-round talent.

Behind Georgia’s A.J. Green and Julio Jones of Alabama, Smith falls behind Miami’s Leonard Hankerson, according to Kiper.

“[A]fter the first two [receivers], Green and Jones, find me the third receiver,” Kiper said Wednesday in a conference call.  “There’s no consensus there. I have Leonard Hankerson from Miami at that point right now. Torrey Smith from Maryland is in the second round. Tandon Doss from Indiana is in the second or third round.

“There are a lot of other guys in the second or third round, but the third receiver after the top two? Good luck trying to figure out who it’s going to be.” 

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Hankerson could fit what the Ravens want in a wideout. Ravens Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta said that he wants to get younger and faster at the position, and Hankerson meets that mark, having run a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Last year, Hankerson led Miami with career-high 1,156 receiving yards on a team-high 72 receptions.  He also scored 13 touchdowns.

Kiper noted that drafting a receiver is a tough science to master, however.

The Ravens have been bitten in the past with first-round picks like Travis Taylor (2000) or Mark Clayton (2005), both players who were solid but not the game-breakers many thought coming out of college.

Kiper said the reasons receivers are difficult to judge are myriad.

“It’s a hard position because you’re dealing with guys at the quarterback spot in college where you don’t have to be precise in your routes,” said Kiper.  “The route tree is not there, so they have to adapt mentally, making those adjustments on the move. They have to be more precise with their routes. Timing is everything, and you have to get your head around.  You have the cushion in college, you can double-clutch or bobble.  It doesn’t matter.

“The NFL is a big adjustment for a receiver, a huge adjustment for a receiver.”



(baltimoreravens.com)

For their Number 50 and 61 picks are the San Diego Chargers looking at two future proCanes?

Orlando Franklin, OT: A reach at 61? Maybe. But he’s got the frame, toughness and upside.

Leonard Hankerson, WR: Broke Andre Johnson’s school record for receiving yards at Miami. Fast, physical at line.



(signonsandiego.com)

Miami's Leonard Hankerson caught everyone's attention at the Senior Bowl with his route-running and hands, but teams wanted to see him run because he has a "possession receiver" label that follows him around. Hankerson ran an impressive 4.43, and while I don't think he always plays to that speed, I think he's a lock for the 2nd round now.



(chron.com)

Riser:
Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami Hurricanes: Demonstrating good speed was something he had to do on Sunday. He did just that, running a 4.43 40, which turned out to tie for the 10th best time in Indy and the fourth best among receivers. He shows good hands on the field after questions arose earlier in his career, but some weren't sure of his speed because he wasn't that deep burner at Miami. Questions, answered.

Matt Bosher, P, Miami (Fla.): Bosher showed a strong leg and the ability to turn the ball over and drive it with no trouble. One issue was that he showed only adequate quickness catching the ball and getting off the punt.

Miami guard Orlando Franklin quietly had a solid day, turning in an adequate 5.20 (official) in the 40 and showing good short-area quickness with a 1.72 (official) 10-yard split. At 6-5 and 316 pounds, he showed just average quickness during drills but did display good short-area lateral agility. He also looked balanced throughout and did a nice job staying low out of his stance during pulling drills. Franklin was clearly playing out of position at left tackle during the college season, but he has the strength and short-area capabilities to be a reliable starter on the inside at the next level.

Damien Berry posted top marks in the broad jump - 10”0’ - and the bench press,  where he repped 225 pounds 23 times.  

Faller:
Graig Cooper, RB, Miami Hurricanes: Cooper's career took a serious turn when he tore an ACL on an awful, muddy field at the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. He never really got all the way back since the injury and shared time in a busy backfield rotation, but a nice showing at the Combine could have helped his stock. He ran a 4.63 40 on Sunday, which could hurt his stock as a change of pace back who can contribute as a homerun threat or a returner.

Cooper though did lead all running backs at the NFL Combine with a time of 6.66 seconds in the 3-cone drill. Cooper also ranked second among all running backs in the 20-yard shuttle with a time of 4.03.



(xtrapointfootball.com)

Wide receiver Leonard Hankerson has heard all of the names: Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss. So, he understands the track record of Miami receivers in the NFL.

"It's great to be mentioned in that company," Hankerson said. "You want to carry on that tradition."

The Ravens were one of 10 teams who spoke with Hankerson at the combine, according to the 6-foot-1, 205-pound receiver.

Hankerson is projected to go in the third or fourth round. He had 72 catches for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Asked about his favorite memory at Miami, he said, "Catching the game-winning touchdown at Maryland last season."



(baltimoresun.com)

Leonard Hankerson can see the irony that a couple hundredths of a second could cost him millions of dollars.

Never mind what this former St. Thomas Aquinas standout did on the field for the University of Miami, breaking all kinds school records, arguably putting together the best statistical season in Hurricanes history. 

Never mind that Hankerson, who is compared to former UM standout and Colts star Reggie Wayne, was one of the top performers at the Senior Bowl during the week’s practices, or starred at the game by catching five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.

At this early point in the draft process it’s all about silencing the critics, and the biggest knock on Hankerson are questions about his speed considering he wasn’t a deep threat at UM.

Hankerson’s done an excellent job addressing the inconsistent hands issue (thanks to Mark Duper, who coached him for the past two years) and silencing erratic route running concerns.

Now all that’s left is a fast 40-time.

Hankerson said he’s presently shaving off a few hundredths of a second on his 40-time, L-cone drills, and shuttle run while training at Pete Bommarito’s Performance Systems. He’s optimistic he’ll get into the 4.4 seconds range in the 40-yard dash either at the combine, or UM’s workout day for draft prospects.

Hankerson knows if he can produce a sub-4.5 40-time it’s possible he could sneak into the first round.

“I’ve proved myself in every category, doing whatever I have to do. Only thing people worry about is how fast I am,” Hankerson said during this video you should check out by clicking on the link.

Most draft experts have Hankerson rated amongst the top seven receivers in this draft. He’s placed somewhere behind Georgia’s A.J. Green, Alabama’s Julio Jones and Pittsburgh’s Jon Baldwin, and on par with Maryland’s Torrey Smith, Troy’s Jerrell Jernigan and Boise State’s Titus Young in most rankings.

But unlike Hankerson, Smith, Jernigan and Young are perceived as deep threats, which is something teams like the Miami Dolphins are specifically looking for to complement their receiving corp. Hankerson is perceived strictly a possession receiver, which plenty of teams are also searching for. Just not the Dolphins, which already have Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Brian Hartline in the fold.

It’s very likely that Hankerson, who is rated by NFLDraftScout.com as the No. 44 prospects in the 2011 class, will be selected in the second round. But a quick 40-time, and impressive combine, school workout, and individual team workouts could push him up.

Hankerson ranked among the ACC’s best in receptions (72), receiving yards (1,156) and broke Michael Irvin’s school record with 13 touchdown grabs.

His drastic improvement over the past two seasons should be enough to make him the first senior wide receiver drafted, but this long-strider knows that 40-time he runs will be critical, determining how much of a signing bonus he lands.

“I’m getting faster and faster and working on my speed mechanics,” said Hankerson, who never ran track in high school or college. ”This is the first time I’ve ever trained for speed…. It’ll be a big difference when I get there. I feel like I’m faster, and I know I’ll be faster [at the combine].”



(sun-sentinel.com)

CORAL GABLES – After 14 years of having at least one player selected in the first round of the NFL – 1994 through 2008 – the Hurricanes were shut out the past two years.  

At this point, UM’s best hope for the new streak to be snapped in April is CB Brandon Harris.

DE Allen Bailey, once seemingly a sure-fire first-rounder, is now projected to be chosen in the second round by many draft experts, including Mel Kiper Jr., who once had Bailey rated as the 11th best prospect last season.

I asked fellow ESPN draft guru Todd McShay on a conference call Wednesday why Bailey’s stock has fallen.

“He’s obviously physically gifted. I know he’s working hard and preparing and he’s probably going to work at well at the Combine,” McShay said of Bailey, who in 2009 was rated college football’s No. 2 “workout warrior” by ESPN.com.

“He has all the tools. It just hasn’t all come together yet,” McShay continued.  “I think part of it is inconsistent effort. Sometimes you see he’s not going 100 miles per hour. I also think part of it is instincts and consistently knowing what he wants to do in certain situations. He played different positions and that could factor into it. He hasn’t ever really settled into what he’s doing.

“He struggled sometimes getting off of blocks,” McShay added. “He’s not a guy that’s going to come in as an outside pass rusher having the speed and burst to get around the edge. But he’s also undersized playing inside. So you’ve got to get him in the right scheme, an undersized scheme and either bulk him up to defensive tackle or play him at left end in a 4-3 [scheme] which is where I think he fits best.

“I think he can be a good player in the NFL, I really do. I just don’t think it has all come together. He has to continue to work and be willing to pay the price in order to get there. If he does, he could wind up being a steal in the second round.”

McShay also gave his thoughts on WR Leonard Hankerson and LT Orlando Franklin.

— “Hankerson is one of the good stories coming out of the Senior Bowl. He’s clearly working hard to improve his route-running skills. Over the past year we’ve seen his consistency catching the football, getting better and better.

“Is he an elite prospect? No. But I do think when you start talking about that second day, when you’re looking for a potential No. 2 wide receiver, that Hankerson has a chance to really become a good value for a team. That’s where a lot of the quality depth in this wide receiver class is – in that second and third round.”

— “I was disappointed with Franklin this year, to be totally honest. I gave him a late-first, early-second round grade coming off of the previous season. I thought he struggled in space at left tackle. I think he got exposed at times.

“But I think if you move him to guard, which is where I project him, and you get him late-second, early-third round,  that with his size and the way he can move his feet in the short area, he has a chance to be a really good player.

“I think he becomes a good starter in the NFL. I just think he was playing the wrong position in college and got exposed against speed rushers and guys who were quick off the edge.”



(sun-sentinel.com)

Miami wide receiver Leonard Hankerson concluded his All-ACC season with the most outstanding offensive player award in the Senior Bowl on Saturday. Not that Hankerson’s five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown were out of character; he caught 72 passes for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. But it underscores the mystery that was the Hurricanes under Randy Shannon. The talent didn’t produce the wins anyone thought it would.



(espn.com)

University of Miami WR Leonard Hankerson stood out in Saturday afternoon's Senior Bowl, reeling in five catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Christian Ponder hit him for a 48-yard completion on the first play from scrimmage before finding Hankerson on an 18-yard score later in the first quarter. Hankerson has NFL size and speed, but isn't considered a great route-runner. Unless he wows at the Combine, he'll remain a second-day talent.

The Patriots' personnel and scouting staffs didn't make themselves as visible as some other teams at the Senior Bowl, but they were spotted talking to University of Miami WR Leonard Hankerson. Hankerson could satisfy the Patriots' need for a wideout who can create separation and make big plays, as he was considered one of the top receivers in Mobile. He should be available with one of the Patriots' second- or third-round picks.

ESPN's Todd McShay believes University of Miami WR Leonard Hankerson improved his draft stock at this week's Senior Bowl.
More specifically, McShay says Hankerson "made bank." He's not considered to be in the same class as Georgia's A.J. Green or Alabama's Julio Jones, but is beginning to look like a definite day-two talent. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Hankerson certainly has NFL size.



(rotoworld.com)

MOBILE, Ala. – — During the linemen's one-on-one drills at the Senior Bowl Allen Bailey steamrolled Rodney Hudson twice, pushing Florida State's standout guard backwards so fast it appeared as if he was on skates.

In his next practice rep the Hurricanes two-year sack leader got stonewalled by Florida tackle Marcus Gilbert because he lacks the counter moves needed to compliment his power.

"I know I have a bull [rush] but I'm trying to add a few other things," said Bailey, who played defensive tackle and end at UM. "I'm switching things up a little bit."

Bailey better polish his skills in the next few weeks because he's one of three UM draft prospects who have a realistic shot of ending the Hurricanes' two-year first-round drought.

For a 14-year period, from 1994 through 2008, UM had at least one player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Safety Kenny Phillips was the last to get in when he was taken by the Giants 31st overall in 1998.

Four Hurricanes were selected in last year's draft, but tight end Jimmy Graham, who was taken 95th overall, was the highest. This year at least three players – Bailey, receiver Leonard Hankerson and cornerback Brandon Harris - are projected among the draft's top 50 talents.

But Bailey, Hankerson and Harris, who left school early, each have plenty of work to do. That's why Bailey and Hankerson are two of the four Hurricanes – with cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke and linebacker Colin McCarthy - participating in the Senior Bowl with hopes of improving their stock.

Bailey's had mixed reviews of his Senior Bowl practices. But Hankerson consistently impressed, running good routes, continually creating separation, and showing off his ability to hawk down difficult passes.

"It's an honor to be out here with some of these guys. It's a lot of competition. Everybody is good. Everyone is the best player on their team," Hankerson said. "I just want to show the coaches the way I practice, and how quickly I can learn and pick up an offense."

Mike Mayock, the NFL Network's draft guru, said despite Hankerson's strong practices he's firmly placed in the second tier of receivers, behind Georgia's A.J. Green and Alabama's Julio Jones.

"[Hankerson's] a big body kid who runs well in a straight line. I'm trying to get a feel for him getting in and out of breaks," Mayock said. "Great receivers, especially the big guys, fluidly get in and out of their breaks."

Mayock said Bailey's athleticism and power has been evident. He believes Bailey's a natural pass rusher who could work in either a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive scheme.

"What I want to see [Bailey] consistently playing with proper leverage. Sometimes when you put the Miami tape on he plays high, especially when he's tired," Mayock said. "He's got the quick twitch, come off the end speed, but needs to work on his technique, especially his hand placement."

Once he masters that, and shows off his athleticism at the NFL combine, Bailey hopes he can corral first-round status.

"It would mean a lot to the program and to myself," Bailey said. "We got a pretty good feeling this is the year."



(sun-sentinel.com)

MOBILE, Ala. — The South receivers have not been getting much publicity at the Senior Bowl this week, but Miami’s Leonard Hankerson could be changing that.

Hankerson was exceptional during Wednesday’s practice, repeatedly getting open and making catches against tight coverage. He also seemed to emerge as one of the favored targets of the South quarterbacks, who knew he could make the play if they gave him a chance.

With his performance, Hankerson has elevated himself as one of the top wideouts in the draft. His combination of speed, route running and hands make him look like a potential No. 1 receiver at the pro level.

Hankerson goes through his routes with a smoothness and precision that will serve him well. He doesn't look as fast as he is because he does run so well, he manages to avoid the jerkiness you'll see from less practiced route runners. He's good on routes where he needs to come back or turn inside after faking an out, but he's not a guy who will blaze off a cornerback when he's running a crossing route. He's a bit slow on those types of routes - when he hits a hard cut, it takes him a second to get back up to speed. But he is a good lanky strider with excellent hands (after solving a drop problem earlier in his collegiate career) and he doesn't back off in traffic. If you want a player who understands route complexity and can execute it, Hankerson's a good place to start ... though I thought the same of Ohio State's Brian Robiskie(notes), and Robiskie hasn't shown a lot just yet.

I thought Hankerson was most effective outside, with a smaller, faster slot guy inside to take potential zone problems away with inside routes. Two of those players were Greg Salas of Hawaii and USC's Ronald Johnson. Johnson impressed me with his pure quickness on quick slants and crosses. He knows how to get into zones and create yards after catch, and he could make a career out of his ability to get the quick sideline pass and peel off the defender - it was driving the guys covering him nuts. Salas also showed a nice burst after catch, and he's a slightly bigger guy.



(nfl.com + yahoo.com)

At the moment, Kiper feels cornerback Brandon Harris will be the only first round pick. He has him going to the Ravens with the 26th overall pick. “That’s a need area for the Ravens," Kiper said. "I think if Harris doesn’t go there, I think [he’ll be drafted] late in the first round. There’s a couple of other teams that certainly could look at cornerback – Chicago being one and Pittsburgh another."

> After Harris, Kiper has defensive lineman Allen Bailey going next. Bailey, who has received a lot of praise at the Senior Bowl this week for his 'Adonis body', has also been ripped this week by a few pundits. Kiper thinks Bailey will be a second round pick.

"You look at him as a 3-4 end, a 4-3 defensive tackle that I think he would fit the bill," Kiper said. "I think the ball location this year was a little lacking. There were times where it looked like he didn't have that awareness, getting in the backfield and making the play some other defensive ends had. Maybe, he felt that wasn't a position that could maximize his ability, that he feels comfortable at that spot when he was kicked out. I think inside maybe he'll feel comfortable as a 3-4 end. I think he can hold stout against the run and hold double teams. I think he's strong enough to do that. I just think his stock dropped from where it was. I thought he would be a first round pick potentially, now he's more of a second."

> If anybody has really shined or improved their stock, its receiver Leonard Hankerson. Kiper believes Hankerson is the best senior receiver in this draft class.

"Hankerson I've liked all year," Kiper said. "I've never put him in the first round. I've never had him in my Top 25. But as a senior receiver I thought he was the best out there. With his size, he runs good routes, I like the pacing of his routes. I think he's a little underrated in terms of the quickness out of his cuts. His hands are very good. He'd have a drop or two, which was very uncharacteristic -- it was more of a concentration issue, not a hands issue. He's not going to be a vertical stretch guy on a regular basis. But he runs well enough. I think he could come in and be a good complimentary good number two guy and be worthy of being a second or third round pick."

> Kiper on a few other Canes:
“In terms of the other players from Miami, offensive tackle Orlando Franklin has some versatility that he provides. I don’t think he played to the level of his talent in games that I saw. He’s going to have to define where he fits best into an NFL blocking scheme. He could be in that early Day 3 area, maybe late Day 2.

“For linebacker Colin McCarthy, probably Day 3 for him which isn’t bad. Day 3 starts with the fourth round.

“I think cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke Day 3 as well. [Kicker Matt] Bosher free agent.

“You also have [running back] Graig Cooper who needs another year to come completely back from that [knee] injury. He came on a little late the year. He was [projected as] a second-round pick before the injury. You might be able to get him on Day 3. Remember James Starks was a guy was a guy that had an injury and fell to the sixth round and has a heck of a finish to the season for the Packers. I think Cooper could be in the fifth, sixth, seventh round and be a nice pickup for somebody once he gets back to where he was a few years ago.”



(miamiherald.com)

Miami WR Leonard Hankerson is getting rave reviews. While his height was a mild question mark (apparently he was 2 inches shorter than what was listed in the "U"’s Media Guide), Leonard caught everything thrown in his general vicinity. He could really improve his stock and shake his inconsistent label. Hankerson measured just 6'1" 205 lbs.

Hankerson proved to be a handful for whomever attempted to cover him. He continually created separation and beat multiple cornerbacks deep to make the downfield catch. Hankerson did not drop a pass all day and made several difficult receptions in practice.



(cnnsi.com)