Strictly speaking, wide receivers and running backs are two distinctly different positions, with the former focusing on breakthroughs, positioning, timing, and teamwork with the quarterback.
Obviously, Li Wei and the passing coach, who had never worked together before, experienced some slight misalignments, slowing down his steps slightly to adjust, and realizing that the pass trajectory continued over his head—
It went somewhat over.
Li Wei was very calm, accurately judging the three-dimensional space before stomping, jumping, and leaning back.
In his line of sight, one could see Li Wei display unparalleled core strength as his waist bent into a beautifully curved arch, and his upper body extended backward, akin to a fully drawn bow.
The entire field erupted in astonishment.
But then, Li Wei's body fully extended. Due to his standing position, it was impossible to catch the ball with both hands, and because he was turned with his back to the end zone on the left side of the field, his right hand was close to the sideline, away from the pass trajectory of the football—
How would he catch the ball?
Could it be, with his left hand?
Isn't Li Wei right-handed?
Before thoughts could unravel, at the critical moment, Li Wei's left arm rose high, appearing right in the falling arc of the football's trajectory.
Lightly, nimbly, accurately.
He completed the catch.
Incredibly, with a one-handed catch!
And with his left hand no less!
The crowd was in awe, the stadium fell silent, shocked and stirred, unable to believe their own eyes. Even Burns, watching the live broadcast on television, was completely flabbergasted and turned to ask Saban.
A flicker of admiration passed through Saban's eyes, "This kid..."
But it still wasn't over.
Kamara: "Falling. Falling. Falling."
Watson: "Faceplant. Faceplant. Faceplant."
Different perspectives crowded around Li Wei, projecting their thoughts onto him.
Li Wei had caught the ball, but the test was not yet over.
With his left hand, thrillingly and excitingly supporting the football, fingertips fully engaged, using the strength of his fingertips and wrist to maintain control, his mind taut with nerves, refusing to drop the ball due to relaxation or pride.
Then. Experience new stories on empire
Feeling the pull of gravity, his left foot touched down lightly, and his body unbelievably began to rotate clockwise around his left leg as the center.
Graceful as a soaring dragon.
A one-hundred-eighty-degree turn, and even before the gasp of astonishment had completely left, his right foot lightly touched the ground as if skimming water, the strength in his calf muscle instantly surging, turning his body into a blurring shadow, sprinting straight along the sideline.
Tap-tap, tap-tap-tap.
His dizzying footsteps precisely controlled within a palm-sized space inside the sideline, rapidly moving on tiptoes, leaving a series of afterimages behind.
Not far off, Watson turned and walked away, unable to bear the sight any longer.
And in McCaffrey's mind, there was only one thought, his eyes filled with excitement and exhilaration, as his blood soared.
Gasps, astonishment, shock—as smoothly as the clouds and flowing water during pass-through play, to the awe-striking one-handed catch, and unto the effortlessly dazzling dance at the knife's edge, it all built wave upon wave until Li Wei casually stepped into the end zone, finally putting a period to the pent-up breath of awe that had been accumulating in everyone's chest.
Beautiful, truly beautiful and thrilling!
Sleek, glamorous, agile, carefree, and most importantly, effortless—this was the first time Li Wei showcased skills beyond his running back capabilities, proving seamlessly once again his title as an Edgerunner.
Could anything be more perfect?
Brown was the first to stand up, leading the applause, but this time, the solitary clapping did not draw side glances. Bradley and Caldwell exchanged a look, their eyes sparkling with the same thought:
What Bradley saw was Li Wei's capability, a perfect fit for the team's strategy.
What Caldwell saw was Li Wei's marketability—his one-handed catch alone could rival Odell Beckham Jr., a hot topic when he entered the NFL in 2014, who became a social media sensation with his one-handed catch trick—
Setting aside Odell Beckham Jr.'s real abilities, but he definitely had the topics, the popularity, the traffic, so much so that the team had to consider market influences when pondering contract renewals.
They each saw what they wanted to see, becoming unprecedentedly resolute.
But what about Brown, what was he selling in his gourd?
Meanwhile, across the field, at a distance in the stands that Caldwell and his colleagues did not notice, Harbaugh was also watching this unfold.
Reed, standing by his side, bearing a kind and benevolent look akin to Maitreya, smiled at the sight of Harbaugh being simultaneously excited and bothered, chuckled silently, "What, not satisfied?"
Harbaugh looked towards Reed, somewhat helplessly, "It's no longer about whether I'm satisfied, it's about whether we can even pick him."
The Baltimore Ravens, although they didn't make the playoffs, didn't have a bad season either, ending up with the sixteenth pick in the draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars seemed determined to get their target, the Cleveland Browns were like a ticking time bomb, Harbaugh had just noticed Rivera with a pensive expression on his low-key face, not knowing if the Carolina Panthers were preparing to join the fray. Considering they held the eighth pick, it was simply... a mess.
Involuntarily, Harbaugh also felt a headache—
Lack of ability was disappointing; too much ability was equally thorny.
On the other hand, the relaxed Reed, an observer in this, said, "That might not necessarily be the case. There aren't many teams in the league willing to use a first-round pick on a running back, let alone the top three or top ten picks; you still have a chance."
"The question is, what pick do you think he's worth?"
The principle, Harbaugh naturally understood, he also needed to weigh.
At this moment, his talk with Reed was casual, "So, what about you? What are your thoughts?"
Reed shrugged slightly, "You know me, I'm waiting for a wide receiver."
Reed was a renowned offensive master in the NFL, and his best and most exceptional skill was in coaching quarterbacks, turning even mediocre ones into stars with his focus predominantly on passing over running.
Thus, don't be fooled that the Ravens relied on defense to win the Super Bowl; Harbaugh's approach to offense was also based on philosophies directly from Reed.
Harbaugh knew, Reed wasn't entirely speaking the truth, but it wasn't a lie either. The Kansas City Chiefs indeed needed another excellent wide receiver to support their leading wide receiver Hill; however, this was not their most urgent position, as the protection from the offensive line's pocket and the running back were more crucial—
The Chiefs' leading running back, Jamaal Charles, was out for the season due to an injury, and what lay ahead was uncertain, so Reed's draft strategy was largely dependent on the offseason negotiations with Charles and a few other key players; at this time, decisions could not be precisely made.
Reed added, "But I'll admit, Li Wei is an interesting player. However, if you can't pick him, chances are even slimmer for us."
This year, the Kansas City Chiefs had the twenty-seventh pick, ranked behind the Baltimore Ravens.
Harbaugh showed a rueful smile, though he anticipated Li Wei being in high demand, he had not anticipated it to this extent.