Ty Montgomery | Wide Receiver | Stanford | 6'0" - 216 lbs.
STRENGTHS: Top athlete when healthy. Well-built with long arms, broad shoulders and a thick lower half. Appears well-suited to making the jump to the NFL. Quickly accelerates to leave defenders in his wake and is very aggressive, bursting upfield and fighting through arm tackles to generate positive yardage rather than dancing to avoid contact. He shows good hand-eye coordination to pluck the ball out of the air. Flashes toughness to take the big hit. Comes from a pro-style offense and program with exceptional academic standards, should be able to handle an NFL playbook.
WEAKNESSES: Like a lot of players with a rocked-up build, doesn't possess ideal lateral agility and flexibility, making him a bit straight-linish. Average explosion out of his breaks, perhaps one of the reasons why most of his damage came on vertical or quick screens. Allows too many passes to get to his pads, resulting in some ugly drops in which the ball simply goes right through his fingers. Accelerates fluidly and impressively for a man of his build but there is some question as to his pure speed. Could be seen as a bit of a one-trick pony whose greatest value in the NFL could be as a fourth receiver and kick returner.
--Rob Rang
PLAYER OVERVIEWAfter a breakout junior season in which the Dallas native racked up 2,208 all-purpose yards (third-most in school history) in helping the Cardinal finish 11-3 and a Rose Bowl berth, Montgomery (and Stanford) appeared to be destined for greatness in 2014. Montgomery took a step back due to injuries and inconsistency, leaving scouts wondering if his spectacular junior season was a fluke.
In 2013, Montgomery earned consensus All-American honors as a kick returner, averaging 30.3 yards per opportunity with touchdowns. He also led Stanford with 61 catches for 958 yards and 10 TDs, many of the dramatic variety. In 2014, he struggled with a shoulder injury and drops. He matched last year's total for receptions but all three of his touchdowns came over the first four games and he finished with only 603 receiving yards.
Flashed early on at Stanford, emerging as a starter in the final four games of his freshman season in 2012, catching seven passes for 120 yards in the Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma State. Torn knee ligaments derailed most of his sophomore season and he finished with 26 catches for 213 yards.
Montgomery has an imposing build and his dual-threat ability as a receiver and returner could still earn him top 64 consideration. Concerns about his durability, agility and hands could impact his final grade.