Former Tennessee wide receiver Robert Meachem's sophomore and junior seasons were dramatically different. And as he worked his way through the pre-draft process, he answered plenty of questions about his huge season in 2006 when he caught 71 passes for 1,298 yards and 11 touchdowns. How was that possible from a guy that had started just two games as a sophomore and caught just 29 passes for 383 yards and a pair of scores?
At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Meachem shared with the media how those results--which propelled him into becoming the top pick of the New Orleans Saints--were made possible.
"I attribute it to God and me asking him to come back in my life,"
he said. "My little girl was born. I would say Coach Cutcliffe and Coach Taylor
staying on me. And this year at receiver we didn't rotate as much."
Meachem also talked about the skills that helped him dominate his opponents and that should serve him well in New Orleans.
"My hands, reading coverages, and my yards after the catch," he
said. "And I'm a coachable player."
At the time when he was fielding questions in Indianapolis, he didn't have any idea where he would land. But he was asked whether or not he'd prefer to jump in right away as a starter or learn for a year or so while working with established NFL veterans.
"In my case, you always want to learn, because you're never to old to
learn," he said.
But the 6-foot-2, 214-pound receiver also didn't want anyone to think that he wouldn't be ready to step up right away if called upon to start. "Whatever I can do to help the team win, that's what I'm going to
do," he said.
Scout.com subscribers can click the link below and listen to Robert talk
about the toughest cornerback he faced--and what made him so tough, why he chose to
play in the SEC to develop his skills as a wide receiver, getting his life
priorities in order and more in this 5-minute audio clip
from our Scout.com team that was on site at the Scouting Combine in
Indianapolis:
Listen to Audio