Wholly inspired: Larry Fitzgerald is the product of special forces—physical and emotional, collegial and professional, individual and familial—that have shaped him into an NFL-ready receiver and polished person at age 20

Sporting News, The, March 8, 2004 by Chuck Finder

Fitzgerald wouldn't be the prospect he is--the comparisons to Carter and other great wideouts keep pouring in--without his mental sharpness and maturity. "He comes up with very high marks in the maturity and attitude category," says one NFL general manager. "He is a very respectful young man who has been raised in a good value system."

Says Kennedy, "Most guys just run routes and try to beat guys in 7-on-7 drills. But he practices on setting guys up, doing things differently. He works on different things. Getting physically prepared is only one aspect of his entire game--and really who he is."

Who is Larry Fitzgerald? The answer is complicated, same as this young man. He is one of the youngest players in the NFL draft pool yet more polished than most. One who easily received special permission to enter the draft as if it were a soft fade route. One who just might be the most rounded and grounded of the lot.

Ready? Is he ever.

Scoutings the bigs The war Room breaks down Larry Fitzgerald's skills in the five categories commonly used to evaluate wide receivers and offers scouting reports on the top wideouts in the draft who have the size to pose matchup problems for NFL cornerbacks. A rich class of big receivers became even stronger last week when Southern California's Mike Williams announced he would enter the draft.

The War Room grades prospects on a 1.0-9.0 scale. Players rated 8.0-9.0 are considered "franchise players," those rated 7.0-7.9 are "potential Pro Bowl players."

Larry Fitzgerald (6-3, 218)

* Hands: Displays exceptional hand-eye coordination. Almost never drops a pass and often makes spectacular catches. Has an uncanny ability to adjust to poorly thrown passes over his shoulder. Is outstanding on jump balls. Has long arms and big, strong hands. Catches passes on the run without losing speed in transition. Shows the strength to make tough catches in traffic. Grade: 9.0

* Patterns: Is an impressive route runner. Knows how to create separation and get open. Shows good initial quickness off the line. Is smooth and fluid for a tall receiver. Knows how to set up man-to-man defenders. Rarely tips off his route. Bends knees and drops weight to make hard cuts without slowing down much. Lacks elite speed but is deceptively fast on downfield routes. Knows how to get open against zone coverage. Grade: 9.0

* Run after catch: Gets upfield quickly, shows some wiggle in the open field and is a big, strong runner. Mostly is a straight-line runner who looks for daylight, makes one cut and gets what is available. Makes subtle moves after the catch and is adept at cutting across the grain. Shows a second gear when getting a step on a defensive back but lacks explosive speed. Has a long stride and the great vision to find creases. Grade: 8.7

* Release: Shows good initial quickness for his size. Is difficult to jam because of intelligence, moves, size and quickness. Big cornerbacks might have success against Fitzgerald because he lacks the elite speed to burn them if they miss jams at the line. Most NFL corners, though, will struggle to jam him. Grade: 8.6