NCAA Scouting - Player Profile:
Early Doucet, WR
by Paul Hopkins
28/2/2008
 
Coming into the 2007 Early Doucet was seen as destined to become the No.1 receiver in college football. Following Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis' move to the NFL, he clearly became LSU's 'go to' guy. However, right now scouting sites all over the web have him ranked as low as 5th in wide receivers entering the draft.
 
Coming out of high school Doucet was regarded not just as the top wide receiver in America, but he was also widely recognised as the No. 1 athlete within the state of Louisiana. At St.Martinville High School he played quarterback, wide receiver, running back, and by returning on special teams.
 
Doucet contributed immediately at LSU, becoming the first freshman to start every year in over 30 years. He ended the campaign being named to the Freshmen All-SEC team after catching 18 passes for 257 yards and two TDs. His progression, albeit behind Davis and Bowe continued into his sophomore campaign, where he improved to 26 catches for 389 yards and five touchdowns.
 
Doucet finally broke out in his junior season, ranking second on the team with 59 catches for 772 yards and eight touchdowns, in addition to two rushing touchdowns. He concluded the season with a team high eight passes for 115 yards in the Sugar Bowl win over Notre Dame.
 
Unfortunately Doucet's ability to really stamp his marker down nationally was hindered in his senior year by injury. The first two games were positive, as he caught a combined 15 passes. But a severely pulled hamstring limited much of his campaign. He recovered to lead the team in the National Championship Game, but unquestionably it limited his campaign. It is feasible whether we would be talking about Doucet as the top receiver in this draft if he had not suffered that injury. Despite this injury, he still led Les Miles' team come in January with 57 receptions for 525 yards (and 5 TD's).
 
Doucet finished his career at LSU with 160 receptions for 1,943 yards, (at an average of 12.1 per reception) and 20 touchdowns. This sees him ranked fourth in school history for number of receptions, ninth in total yardage and third in total touchdown catches.
 
What we like about Doucet
 
Doucet is a tremendous athlete, built like a prototype wide receiver. He is strong and a solid frame to work from makes him an excellent blocker. Fortunately he is pre-disposed to working hard for the team. He is strong and tough, as highlighted by him leading the Tigers in receiving in 2007 despite injury hampering his progress most of the campaign.
 
Speed is important to any wide receiver, and Doucet has speed but is not electric fast. As shown by his touchdown reception in the National Championship game, he is elusive and difficult to tackle – particularly in the open field. He has good hands, and isn't afraid to take a hit when making big catches, which tend to be Doucet's trademark.
 
Question marks over Doucet
 
As previously mentioned, speed is nothing particularly special and this lack of true burst may prove a problem in the professional game, particularly when trying to get separation from CB's. During his senior year Early appeared to become more of a possession receiver rather than someone who can stretch the field. His yards per catch were down considerably in his senior year, averaging 9.2 ypc (in comparison to 14.3, 15.0 and 13.1 in previous campaigns). This suggests that Doucet is more likely to develop into a strong possession receiver.
 
He can be prone to easy drops at times, as he is looking down the field before securing possession. Franchises will have questions over his limited experience of being a No. 1 receiver as well as whether he was be injury prone, although they cannot question his toughness in often playing despite being hampered by injury.
 
Route running will need to be concentrated on for Doucet to blossom at a higher level. Question marks persist over whether he has limited ability to improve further.
 
Highlight of his college career
 
The pinnacle for any college football player is to win the National Championship, and Doucet did that in his final game as a Tiger, in the state of Louisiana, defeating the No.1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 38-24. Doucet was LSU's leading receiver on the day, making 7 catches for 51 yards and a touchdown.
 
Another fond memory for Doucet, as a Louisiana boy, will be his 39 yard touchdown catch from JaMarcus Russell deep into the 4th quarter, on a 4th and 10 in the 2005 season opener against Arizona State. The game is remembered in LSU folklore for being the Tigers first game since Hurricane Katrina devastated the state of Louisiana.
 
Other snippets of info

• His full name is Early Joseph Doucet, III

• Early's major at LSU is sports studies.

• NFL players that Doucet is similar to include Keyshawn Johnson.

• Potential good fits for Doucet include San Francisco, Chicago,

Video Footage: