Robert Meachem, 2007 NFL Draft

Wide Receiver 6' 3" 218 lbs. Speed: 4.42 School: Tennessee Team: New Orleans Saints 1st round 2007 NFL Draft (27th over all)

Tennessee has a long history of providing the NFL Draft with outstanding NFL receivers like Carl Pickens, Willie Gault, Peerless Price, and Donte Stallworth, just to name a few. Enter the newest Volunteer receiver from the 2007 NFL Draft, Robert Meachem. The New Orleans Saints probably got the biggest steal in the 2007 NFL Draft by selecting Robert Meachem with the 27th over all pick. I had him rated as a top 10-15 pick and was shocked that he slid down that far. He came out as only a junior, and that is probably why he slipped, but he is a talented player with NFL Pro Bowl potential. He is my preseason pick to become the 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year (Offense).

After getting a medical redshirt for the 2003 season, Meachem spent his entire true freshman season recovering from a right knee injury.  As a redshirt freshman (2004) he led his team in both receiving yards (459) and yards per catch (18.4) while adding four touchdowns, he was the only Vols receiver with 100-yard game in 2004.

In 2005 as a sophomore Meachem had a disappointing year, but so did the Volunteers as they finished 5-6 and had inconsistent quarterback play. Meachem finished the season as team leader in catches (29) and receiving yards (383) and also caught two TD passes. Despite an under achieving first two years, he still led Tennessee in receiving yards each of his first two seasons.

His junior year (2006) is where Meachem really exploded. He has been over-shadowed by Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson all season, despite the fact that his receiving yards were actually better. Meachem ended 2006 second on the Volunteer’s single-season list for catches, fourth all-time at Tennessee in receiving yardage, fifth in receptions (125), and fifth in receiving touchdowns (17). He caught 71 passes, was ranked fourth in receiving yards in the nation with 1,298 yards, and recorded 11 touchdowns. Meachem was noted for moving the chains in his career; he had 60 catches for first downs.

"My strengths are my hands, reading coverages and my yards after the catch. And I'm a coachable player," Meachem said. Asked about his performance during Tennessee’s Pro Day on March 21st 2007, he said, “I think it went pretty well. I ran the 40-yard dash again; my official time was 4.41 seconds and some hand-timed runs were as low as 4.35.”  Gil Brandt from the NFL reported that Meachem (6-3, 217) ran 4.41 and 4.48 in the 40 and 4.19 in the short shuttle. He had a 37½-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-8 long jump.

He also dazzled at the 2007 NFL Scouting Combine, Meachem’s official 40 times were 4.42 and 4.46. He had a 4.31 second twenty yard shuttle run and a very impressive 6.97 second time in the 3-cone drill. Meachem is a natural athlete with great hands and nice size. His only weakness besides being only a junior and a little under experienced is his mental focus which has caused him to drop a few balls in the past.

The young Meachem has a ton of upside and could be a future Pro Bowl NFL wide out. NFL Draft Dog had him as the second rated receiver behind only Calvin Johnson in the 2007 NFL Draft.