Kd Cannon recruit scouting report: Elite 2014 deep threat

Name: Kd Cannon

High school and hometown: Mount Pleasant (Texas) High School

Position: Cannon projects as an outside receiver in college.

Height and weight: 6'0, 160 pounds

Ratings: Considered a four-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals, Cannon is ranked as the no. 5 wide receiver nationally by Scout, while ESPN has not yet ranked him. In the 247Sports Composite ranking, Cannon is a top-40 prospect nationally and the no. 3 wide receiver overall.

Offers: Cannon holds offers from Baylor, Clemson, Houston, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and West Virginia.

Twitter: You can find the Mount Pleasant star on Twitter @IAmTheOne_9.

Highlights:

K.D. Cannon Class of 2014 WR - Mount Pleasant (via TexasPreps)

Scouting report:

The first order of business for Cannon, variously listed between 5'11 and 6'1 and around 160 pounds, once he gets to college will be to add some functional strength to his lanky frame, though it is difficult to see him ever reaching 180 pounds. Right now, one of the few weaknesses in his game is his ability to set the edge as a blocker, which stems mainly from that lack of physical size and mass advantage over opposing cornerbacks, though he can show some effort downfield. More importantly, he will have to add that strength to combat press coverage.

Since Cannon does project as an outside receiver in college, cornerbacks will be much more able to get up in and into his body than they would if he were playing in the slot, where receivers typically receive a cushion coming off the line of scrimmage.

In high school, none of that really matters that much, as evidenced by the fact that Cannon averaged nearly 16 yards per catch as a junior on just over 100 catches, roughly one quarter of which ended up in the endzone along with Cannon, who has now scored 36 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

The high yards per catch average suggests that Cannon either does a good job after the catch or gets open deep, with the latter being the most elite element of his game, and one that compares favorably to 2013 Under Armour All-American and Baylor signee Robbie Rhodes. The pair represent two of the best deep threats to emerge from Texas in recent years.

If there's a difference in the two, it's in measurable speed, as Rhodes was the 4A state champion in the 200m last spring with a personal best of 21.06, while Cannon's listed 40 time on his 247Sports page is a rather modest 4.56.

Still, what matters is speed on the field and Cannon clearly has that in spades.

It can often be hard to pinpoint what exactly makes a certain receiver so capable of getting open down the field. For Cannon, a sneaky type of speed that seems to catch opponents and eat up their cushion faster than expected plays a role, as well as his ability to beat cornerbacks who try to get their hands on him. His ability to adjust to the football and throw defenders off with subtle hesitations also help, too.

But Cannon is more than just a deep threat, as he can show the ability to work his way through traffic with good vision and feet, though neither skill stands out as much as work down the field, in part because his lateral agility and short-area quickness are *merely* above average when compared to his elite skill. Getting behind his pads helps in his efforts after the catch.

Two element of his game that are top notch are his body control and his ability to go up and get the football, which combine to make him an effective target in the redzone and capable of coming down inbounds on difficult plays.

So while Cannon may not be a physical specimen like previous top talents Dorial Green-Beckham or Ricky Seals-Jones, the similarities between he and Robbie Rhodes represent a flattering comparison that makes Cannon one of the top receivers in the entire country.

The oddest thing about it all is that his offer list doesn't yet reflect his performance on film, which is phenomenal. Get with it, national wide receiver coaches.

Look through SB Nation's many excellent college football blogs to find your team's community.

Follow @SBNationCFB Follow @SBNRecruiting