Matt Waldman’s RSP Boiler Room examines the transition game of Liberty wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden, a notable 2020 NFL Draft prospect with a promising game. 

Antonio Gandy-Golden will be on your radar in January, if not well before. Gandy-Golden is a sturdy 6’4″, 220-lb. option who makes plays against contact bounces off on-coming defenders as a ball carrier and wins the ball in the air with grace.

Big receivers with Gandy-Golden’s grace often try to play “small ball” after the catch. A symptom of “small ball” can be the act of squaring-up defenders in the open field and trying to make defenders miss. When the first move doesn’t work, they try a second, and if they somehow still haven’t been wrapped and dropped, they’ll lose more yardage in a vain attempt to make a third.

Big or little, receivers must transition downhill sooner. But if you’re a big guy, be decisive and use your size and length. This is exactly what Gandy-Golden does well.

Against Idaho State last year, Gandy-Golden didn’t earn impressive yards-after-catch data in the box score, but he made the most of his opportunities in situations where he could have easily lost yards and put his offense in a down-and-distance hole. Here are a few examples of where Gandy-Golden transitions from receiver to runner with efficiency and grace.

Do you know who also transitions well as a receiver? Tight end George Kittle, who broke the NFL’s single-season record in receiving yards. To see parallels between the efficiency of transitions of Kittle’s and Gandy-Golden’s game, click here.

For the most in-depth analysis of offensive skill players available (QB, RB, WR, and TE ONLY), get the 2019  Rookie Scouting Portfolio. If you’re a fantasy owner the Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2018 RSPs at no additional charge.

Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 each.