Niners Nation Scouting Report: Brandon Gibson, WR Washington State
Many of you may be wondering who Brandon Gibson is and why we're bothering with a scouting report on him? After all, he's the 18th ranked wide receiver according to ESPN and doesn't scream any particular abilities. Over at Draft Tek, he's projected as a late 4th round pick. Big deal right?
Well, I bring him up because of an article I read over at the NFL.com blogs. Gibson held a private workout in Seattle and fifteen teams were present, including 49ers Director of Player Personnel Trent Baalke. The 49ers send reps to see a lot of players, but when it's someone higher than a scout, my ears perk up.
Furthermore, it's probably a pretty safe bet that the 49ers will draft a wide receiver this year. And with tomorrow's April Fool's deadline for Isaac Bruce to make up his mind, those odds could increase dramatically. And of course we'll have plenty of coverage of any Bruce decision tomorrow.
For now though, I thought we'd take a look at Brandon Gibson. He's 6'0, 210 lbs and at his Pro Day, held in light rain, he ran the 40-yard dash three times in a 5-mph wind, running in 4.63 seconds against the wind and 4.58 and 4.60 seconds with it. He also had a 34-inch vertical leap, a 9-foot, 5-inch broad jump, and times of 4.54 seconds in the short shuttle and 6.94 seconds in the three-cone drill.
I looked over his ESPN Scouting Report and he was listed as a 2 (out of 5=above average) in all the various categories. Most notable:
Ball Skills: A natural pass catcher who shows the ability to come up with tough catch. Is loose in the hips allowing him to open up and make catch throws behind him. Possesses the ability to go down and dig out the low throw
Separation Skills: A smooth route runner who displays good body control. Does a nice job of attacking defenders and gaining initial leverage while working his stem. Tempos routes well and comes out of breaks quickly. Lacks initial burst off the line of scrimmage.
Gibson's numbers dropped his senior year, but that was due in large part to being on a crappy Washington State team:
| YEAR | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST |
| 2005 | 9 | 172 | 19.1 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 49 | 731 | 14.9 | 91 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 67 | 1180 | 17.6 | 67 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 57 | 673 | 11.8 | 43 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 1.9 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
From what I've read, he's not fast, but he has a certain level of "football speed" about him (a phrase I think I just made up). To compare, Jerry Rice wasn't super fast but he had a certain football speed about him. Gibson is no Jerry Rice, but hopefully that comparison makes sense. If not, just ignore it.
After the jump, we take a look at Mocking the Draft's scouting report on Brandon Gibson, along with some closing thoughts...
Our own Mocking the Draft put together a scouting report and had some interest comments:
Strengths: Known to have great work ethic . . . Competes for the ball in the traffic very well. Does a good job adjusting to the ball in the air and making a play on poor passes. Catches the ball consistently at its highest point. Maintains good concentration when the ball is coming from over his shoulder and he knows a defender is bearing down on him. While Gibson is not the best blocker around, he gives a good effort. Strong enough to hold up a block for more than just a brief period of time.
Weaknesses: Only average hands. Had some struggles early during the 2008 season with dropped passes. Takes a while to get up to speed. Has a hard time breaking away in the open field. Could do a better job finding a hole in a zone and sitting in it. Below-average quickness and agility for a receiver. Not very slippery after the catch, Gibson won’t make many defenders miss on tackles. Has never gotten many yards after the catch. Benefited from playing Washington State’s spread, particularly his first three years with Alex Brink as his quarterback. Doesn’t have great agility or quick-twitch muscles. While Gibson has been mostly healthy his entire college career, he’s had some injuries linger on him.
They project him as a 5th round pick, which seems consistent with other sources. Draft Tek had him the second to last pick of the 4th round, so that seems reasonable, all around. I put him out there to see if folks here would be interested in him, or if you'd rather use that 4th/5th round pick elsewhere, be it another wide receiver or another position.
Personally, I'm intrigued by anybody who's willing to go across the middle and has a great work ethic. If Josh Morgan and Brandon Jones will be the big play guys, Gibson could be a great complement to Jason Hill.
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14 comments
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Comments
Why did washington state
still hold their pro day? I’m sure if there was a storm they would of rescheduled it or possibly even held it in an indoor facility.
who knows Gibson might be able to run a 4.4, just might not of been able to get up to full speed as fast.
http://www.49ersboard.blogspot.com
by supraman on Mar 31, 2009 1:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I think that's why...
… he held a separate private workout.
by sfgfan on Mar 31, 2009 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
does interest in a receiver
now go up considerably with the news that Bruce looks like he is hanging up the cleats
Simply by pulling on both ends, Patrick Willis can stretch diamonds back into coal
by 49erLou on Mar 31, 2009 1:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Geez, can we get a NSFW tag in here?
All I know is that I don’t want any player on my team “working his stem” while he’s on the field (see “separation skills” above). (Sorry).
Throwback unis? Yes. Throwback afros? YES!
by grantmp on Mar 31, 2009 2:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
hmmm
I checked and I actually just pasted that directly from ESPN. I’m looking at the sentence and I honestly don’t know what they were trying to say there. Any thoughts?
by Fooch on Mar 31, 2009 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Stem
I believe they meant the way he separates out of his routes. Stem out of the route like a branch to create separation perhaps?
by Andrew Davidson on Mar 31, 2009 4:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Balki?

I'm thinking but nothing's happening.
by JRPhillips on Mar 31, 2009 3:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
it took me 10 minutes to figure out what you were referring to
well done sir!
Simply by pulling on both ends, Patrick Willis can stretch diamonds back into coal
by 49erLou on Mar 31, 2009 7:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
no thoughts on that sentence, but
Are you talking first WR drafted, or draft if he’s available in the 4th??
In my opinion, a big receiver should be the target, a redzone threat. I think Ramses should be the only pick that our minds are set that if he’s there we take him!!
Below average acceleration, a history of dropped balls, and a poor release of the line of scrimmage. Plus he’s six foot. If we draft a WR I think he should be something we haven’t had since we were last in the playoffs, BIG.
by rlott#42 on Mar 31, 2009 3:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Sorry
I posted before I finished reading. But I would say 6th Round for this guy or the 2nd 5th round pick.
And I meant if Barden is there at 3 we should take him
by rlott#42 on Mar 31, 2009 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
We don’t really have a big wr like larry fitzgerald or Plaxico Burress. It is hard when you are coming up with a gameplan to be able to stop so many different types of players. I am 110% for Ramses Barden. Too big of a redzone threat to cover. Even if Brandon Gibson is good, he probably probably wouldn’t get drafted if we draft Barden earlier. Also if Bruce stays I don’t think a WR will be drafted
by iaalexeeff on Mar 31, 2009 7:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

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