SI All-American Candidate Ezavier Staples Highlights and Evaluation

Ezavier Staples is a wide receiver prospect from Millikan High School in Long Beach, Calif. Staples is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: Ezavier Staples 
Status: SI All-American Candidate 
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 182 pounds
Position: Wide Receiver 
School: Long Beach (Calif.) Millikan
Schools of Interest: Cal, UCLA, USC, ASU, Boise State, BYU, Utah and Utah State.
Projected Position: Wide Receiver   

Frame: Slender frame with long arms and legs. Needs to add size before stepping into padded collegiate practice. 

Athleticism: Built for speed with quick turnover in his stride. He’s an extremely effective downfield pass-catcher but he won’t necessarily win just any jump-ball situation at the next level without added strength. More of a “throw it here, and I’ll be there” type of weapon. 

Instincts: Unbelievable tracking skills and great hand-eye coordination. Would like to see more moves off the line. Fantastic ball skills. Stacks corners using pure speed as opposed to setting them up with his route. 

Polish: Unaffected by harassing hands. Not as crisp as some in his route running. Drifts off his target occasionally, but once the ball is in his hands he’s a house-call threat from anywhere on the field. 

Bottom Line: Staples and his high school quarterback played the “you know it’s coming and you still can’t stop it” backyard football game in his junior year at Millikan. He has explosive speed and can chop the top off defensive secondaries, providing any vertically-challenged offense some relief.