From high school ALL-USA to NFL Draft: Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell

As the NFL draft nears, USA TODAY High School Sports will look back at the high school careers and draft prospects for former American Family Insurance ALL-USA selections. Today’s installment features Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.

Crete-Monee’s LaQuon Treadwell (6) holds the championship trophy in the Illinois Class 6A title game (Photo: Bradley Leeb, Associated Press)

PLAYER PROFILE:

LAQUON TREADWELL

Position: Wide receiver

High school: Crete-Monee (Crete, Ill.)

ALL-USA history: Named to the American Family Insurance first team in 2012. As a senior, he led Crete-Monee to the Class 6A state title, including a 69-yard touchdown run, 57-yard touchdown pass and 12 tackles and an interception in the state title game. Overall, he had 81 receptions for 1,424 yards and 16 touchdowns and ran for 257 yards and seven touchdowns.

College: Ole Miss

Height, weight: 6-2, 210 pounds

Mississippi receiver Laquon Treadwell runs a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine (Photo: Darron Cummings, Associated Press)

By the numbers: Is the career leading receiver in Ole Miss history with 202 career receptions and finished third in school history with 2,393 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns.

Draft positives: A three-year starter and playmaker. SEC Freshman of the Year in 2013. A big, strong pass catcher who can be more physical than most defensive backs. Pure hands catcher with ability to make things happen after the catch. Smooth and easy route runner. Will fight through the whistle.

Cons: Lacks the athleticism to consistently separate from man coverage. Average change of direction. Doesn’t scare a defense deep. Lacks top-end speed to run through a secondary.

Projection: Round 2

What he says:  “Mentally, I just feel like I can overcome anything. I’ve been through so much in a certain time period, coming back from the injury in 2014 and being where I am today. It made me appreciate the game more and made me want to work harder. Just continue to get better, continue to push myself to a new level. I just don’t take the game for granted. My mentality towards the game is completely different.”

STATISTICS AT OLE MISS