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1. What part of Lee's game last year made you think he was pro ready?
In the midst of a down year in overall production, Marqise Lee showcased his will to win and shear determination on offense. This was best exemplified by his performance against the Stanford Cardinal, highlighted on his fourth down catch in the closing minutes while basically hobbling on the field for most of that drive. Lee is a tremendous competitor, and his ability to wrestle for the football in the air combined with some fearless strength to run routes over the middle (which granted, came and went throughout the injury-riddled season) should give NFL scouts some strong reasons why he's pro ready.
Related: Oregon State perspective on WR Brandin Cooks | Odell Beckham Jr.
2. If Lee is going to struggle when he first gets to the NFL, why will that be? What does he need to work on?
Quite honestly, the area that Marqise Lee needs to work on is catching the football with his hands. Sometimes Lee will be too focused on making the spectacular play, and will lose his concentration on balls that he should easily be able to snatch. Whether it's a concentration issue, or just a lack of consistency, Lee will be both explosive for an offense and somewhat mind boggling about how to utilize his potential.
3. What kind of routes was Lee asked to run at USC? What kind of offense was it?
Well, long story short it was the Lane Kiffin offense. Look back to 2012, and Lee was asked a lot of the times to basically run streaks down the sideline, long post patterns that would cut over the middle about 15-20 yards deep. And yes, even that god forsaken bubble screen route where the TEs would crash down the line to free Lee up to make some spectacular moves down the sideline that would both make you scratch your head and also stare in awe of his talent.
4. Andy Reid loves speed. Is Lee a speed guy?
Lee is what I'd call a leaper, who happens to have a lot of speed. Marqise actually ran the 100M at USC, and has a unique ability to be deceivingly fast. He is by no means though a Jacoby Jones or Devin Hester type runner, but his speed (especially on the slo-go's or delay routes) combined with some strong force off the line of scrimmage could be explosive in tight windows.
5. Your gut feeling: What are you saying about Lee as a WR five years from now?
I would say that in five years from now, Marqise Lee will be a solid No. 2 WR that could be a great complementary piece. I'd say the pro comparison (but with much higher accolades from the start) would be Miles Austin. Now I feel like Lee's injury concerns may keep him off the field some of the time, but he could easily average 6-9 catches per game for about 80-120 yards in a few years.