OVERVIEW
Played in the 2015 Senior Bowl, finishing with two kick returns for 49 yards. In 2014, selected second-team All-Pac-12 (all purpose) and honorable mention wide receiver. Missed two games due to shoulder injury. Had shoulder surgery in the offseason. In 2013, selected second-team All-American (all purpose) and second-team All-Pac-12. Led the team in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. Led all qualified FBS returners in kick-return average. Missed three games in 2012 with a knee injury. Led team in kick and punt return averages in 2012 and 2011. Selected honorable mention All-Pac-12 in 2011. Lettered in football, baseball and lacrosse in high school.
PRO DAY RESULTS
40-yard dash: 4.5 and 4.51 seconds
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Built like a full-grown man. Body type resembles that of a running back with well-defined, muscular legs. Foot quickness to create separation on short to intermediate routes. Played outside, from slot, as a tailback and as a wildcat quarterback. Displays good lateral movement and balance with ball in his hands. Works to be a plus run blocker. Has size and determination to be used to crack-block ends. Good, not great run-after-catch potential. Scouts believe he can be a Pro Bowl returner. Scored four times over last two seasons as a returner. Strong personal character and considered an "accountable teammate" by coaching staff.
WEAKNESSES
Doesn't display natural wide receiver characteristics. Needs more than just polish with routes and must incorporate route diversity at some point. Averaged just 9.9 yards per catch in 2014. Extremely suspect hands with 16 drops and three fumbles over his last three seasons. Allows throws to get on top of him. Hands lack supple qualities and his catch radius is smaller than desired. His confidence has been questioned by scouting community. His body of work as a receiver hasn't matched his physical potential. Has had only one season of significant touchdown production. Tightly wound with scouts questioning if he's too muscled.
DRAFT PROJECTION
Round 3 or 4
NFL COMPARISON
Cordarrelle Patterson
BOTTOM LINE
Montgomery is a likable person with high character and an ability to leave a positive impression in draft interviews, but teams will still have to figure out how they want to use him. His hands might not be trustworthy enough to be part of a three-wide-receiver set. Montgomery can flip fields and change games with his ability in the return game and might be best-utilized in a dynamic, open-minded offensive system that gets the ball in his hands quickly and allows him to use his run after catch talents.
CBS STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS: Top athlete when healthy. Well-built with long arms, broad shoulders and a thick lower half. Appears well-suited to making the jump to the NFL. Quickly accelerates to leave defenders in his wake and is very aggressive, bursting upfield and fighting through arm tackles to generate positive yardage rather than dancing to avoid contact. He shows good hand-eye coordination to pluck the ball out of the air. Flashes toughness to take the big hit. Comes from a pro-style offense and program with exceptional academic standards, should be able to handle an NFL playbook.
WEAKNESSES: Like a lot of players with a rocked-up build, doesn't possess ideal lateral agility and flexibility, making him a bit straight-linish. Average explosion out of his breaks, perhaps one of the reasons why most of his damage came on vertical or quick screens. Allows too many passes to get to his pads, resulting in some ugly drops in which the ball simply goes right through his fingers. Accelerates fluidly and impressively for a man of his build but there is some question as to his pure speed. Could be seen as a bit of a one-trick pony whose greatest value in the NFL could be as a fourth receiver and kick returner.
--Rob Rang
PLAYER OVERVIEW
After a breakout junior season in which the Dallas native racked up 2,208 all-purpose yards (third-most in school history) in helping the Cardinal finish 11-3 and a Rose Bowl berth, Montgomery (and Stanford) appeared to be destined for greatness in 2014. Montgomery took a step back due to injuries and inconsistency, leaving scouts wondering if his spectacular junior season was a fluke.
In 2013, Montgomery earned consensus All-American honors as a kick returner, averaging 30.3 yards per opportunity with touchdowns. He also led Stanford with 61 catches for 958 yards and 10 TDs, many of the dramatic variety. In 2014, he struggled with a shoulder injury and drops. He matched last year's total for receptions but all three of his touchdowns came over the first four games and he finished with only 603 receiving yards.
Flashed early on at Stanford, emerging as a starter in the final four games of his freshman season in 2012, catching seven passes for 120 yards in the Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma State. Torn knee ligaments derailed most of his sophomore season and he finished with 26 catches for 213 yards.
Montgomery has an imposing build and his dual-threat ability as a receiver and returner could still earn him top 64 consideration. Concerns about his durability, agility and hands could impact his final grade.
