STRENGTHS - Wheaton has all the physical tools to be a productive starting receiver in the NFL. With an explosive first step off the ball and good acceleration he is able to close the cushion on cornerback fast or can get separation off LOS vs press alignment. Deceptively fast, Wheaton has consistently shown the speed to gain separation on deep routes without looking like he flying. His burst shows up in his ability to burst out of his cuts to gain separation. He shows no fear going across the middle and catching passes in traffic. Catching the ball away from his body, he gets it tucked away quickly and consistently holds onto the ball when he gets hit right after the catch. Consistently able to maintain his focus, Wheaton has made tough catches seem like routine occurences throughout his college career. Not only good catching passes, Wheaton gets after man as a blocker and usually is able to keep man out of the play.
WEAKNESSES - Despite good measured size, Wheaton looks and plays smaller than it on film and actually looks 5'9. Not a big, muscular receiver, he has not shown the strength to run through grab tackles to consistently gain yards after contact. While he has shown the ability to be a sharp and precise route runner, he has a habit of rounding off his cuts, which limits his ability to consistently get separation from defenders. For a receiver who makes tough catches look routine, he drops more easy ones than he should and I feel it is due to him losing his concentration. He takes eyes off ball, which lets the ball get into his body and he drops passes he should easily catch.
SUMMARY - A highly productive PAC 12 receiver, I had doubts about his quickness and speed heading to the Senior Bowl, but after he stood out in every practice I no longer have any concerns about his athleticism. Two things both me - For a player who shows the ability to run such excellent routes and make highlite reel catches, too often he rounds off his cuts and drops easy passes he should catch. Overall, I think Wheaton is going to be a second or third round pick and has the talent to be a very productive starter if he can improve on those two keys issues that I mentioned.