Kenny Lawler: Headed to NFL

Lawler will declare for the 2016 NFL Draft, ESPN's Joe Schad reports.

Analysis:

Lawler, listed at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, is a mixed bag as a prospect. His strong points are his combination of catch radius and general smoothness as an athlete -- he can present a big target while displaying good body control and flexibility. That allowed him to serve as California's preferred red-zone target the last three years, a span in which he caught 27 touchdowns. Lawler was borderline skinny at California, however, and generally weight is a more important predictor of red-zone effectiveness in the NFL than height. If Lawler bulks up for the Combine, he may need to sacrifice some of his athleticism in the process, which would negate part of the reason for liking him in the first place. He struggled with drops at times in 2015, too, which is not what you want from a receiver who's ostensibly on the roster to make catches in traffic. Still, if Lawler can bulk up to over 200 pounds and still show well at the Combine, he could make himself a consideration in the third round. His most optimistic NFL projection is probably as a Terrance Williams-type, though he could just as easily go the same way as the Dezmon Briscoes of days past.