This series of articles will break down the Red Raiders roster approaching the 2017 season. Staff members selected their top-15 players currently on the roster and for each one of them, there will be a profile with basic information, videos, and expectations.
PUBLISHED:
15th – Douglas Coleman (Sophomore, defensive back)
14th – Jack Anderson (Freshman, offensive lineman)
13th – D.J. Polite-Bray (Senior, defensive back)
12th – Clayton Hatfield (Junior, kicker)
11th – Octavious Morgan (Junior, defensive back)
10th – Broderick Washington (Sophomore, defensive lineman)
9th – Da’Leon Ward (Freshman, running back)
8th – Nic Shimonek (Senior, quarterback)
7th place
Cameron Batson
Position: Wide Receiver
Class: Senior
Height: 5’9
Weight: 170 pounds
Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
It might be surprising to see our first receiver on the list only appear now at No. 7. Have no fear, others will come, of course. Cameron Batson is one of the most experienced players on the unit, and one of those who saw more action, both as a receiver and a punt returner.
His high school career was typical—Batson was an outstanding dual-threat quarterback who was named State Player of the Year in his final season. Unfortunately, his length didn’t allow him to maintain the same position in college and Cameron turned to wide receiver. This didn’t affect his appeal as he had offers from many schools, including Arizona State, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma State, Washington State, Texas A&M, and Tulsa.
Batson’s strength is his exceptional speed, with which he doesn’t only run fly routes but he can also cut angles and create separation between him and the defender. In spite of his size, Batson is a very reliable receiver and his catch rate of 76.2 percent is the highest among the eight best receivers of 2016.
It’s when he has the ball in his hands the show really begins. He has an incredible acceleration and he’s almost unstoppable when he breaks free in the open field.
Batson has a real chance to put up a productive season and at the same time to grow his NFL draft stock: He’s one of the fastest players, if not the fastest in college football and he is the kind of a player who can run a 4.2 40-yard dash.
That kind of speed is always appreciated by the NFL teams, so Batson becomes automatically one of the players professional scouts will follow the most during his senior season.
Have you ever heard about Jalen Myrick? I can’t blame you if you haven’t. He is a very average cornerback, who played for the University of Minnesota. He ran a 4.28 at the NFL Combine, being the second fastest player of the event. The result? He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round. And Cameron is much more talented than Myrick.
Our speedy receiver can follow in the footsteps of another Texas Tech player who is physically similar to him and made it to the NFL, Jakeem Grant.
Batson has everything he needs to be one of the go-to guys on the offense and in addition he can also be an example for younger members of the unit with his big experience and respectability. He’ll probably maintain his duties as the team punt returner, another opportunity to show his outstanding speed.