Is Marcell Ateman ready to step out of the shadows and into the NFL spotlight?

Ateman was Robin to James Washington’s Batman in college.

When Marcel Ateman was younger, he thought he’d wind up playing basketball. His father, Ronald Ateman, was a 6’5 forward at Western Illinois where he averaged 17.1 points per game.

But opportunities led Ateman to pursue football instead and — at 6’4, 216 pounds — he looks the part of a No. 1 wide receiver. Enough that the Oakland Raiders took the receiver with a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Marcell Ateman’s 1,156 receiving yards were the 13th most in the nation during the 2017 college football season. That was more than Calvin Ridley, D.J. Moore, Courtland Sutton, and Christian Kirk — four receivers that landed in the first two rounds — all recorded before entering the 2018 NFL Draft.

But Ateman still managed to be relatively hidden on a national scale. That’s because he put up those numbers at Oklahoma State, where he played second fiddle to Biletnikoff Award winner James Washington.

Washington led the nation with 1,549 receiving yards and eight receptions of more than 50 yards. The pair proved to be the top receiving duo in college football in 2017, but Washington’s huge statistics and propensity for big plays left Ateman relatively outside of the spotlight.

Ateman was Robin to Washington’s Batman.

“It was [Washington] with the deep balls, posts, and everything,” Ateman said at the NFL Combine. “And it was me with the ins and outs and everything. That’s how we played because those were our roles.”

Ateman is the one who looks like an NFL receiver, while Washington looks more like a running back at 5’11, 213 pounds. But regardless if Washington’s collegiate success continues into the professional ranks with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ateman’s chance with Raiders may be his opportunity to finally become a star.

Ateman needs to be more than just a rebounder

Despite his interest in basketball, Ateman received more opportunities in football and committed to Oklahoma State as a four-star receiver. On the field, he — like many former basketball-player-turned-footballers before him — brings his rebounding skills to the gridiron.

“I bring that same mentality going up for the football,” Ateman said.

To find success in Oakland, he’ll need to do the same, especially after the NFL Combine raised concerns about his ability to separate from defenders. Players who are 6’4, like Ateman, aren’t expected to set down blazing times on the track, but his 4.62-second 40-yard dash was among the slowest at the position.

Slow 40 times haven’t been a death sentence for receivers. Many of the best receivers in NFL history — like Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald — underwhelmed in the drill. But precise route running is a requirement for those unable to blow by defenders.

That’s where Ateman will have to prove doubters wrong.

“I feel like I’m a great route runner,” Ateman said. “I’m always improving. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but for my size, I do get in and out of my breaks well. And that’s just because I take pride in working on my craft.”

But despite his production, Ateman landed in the last round of the NFL Draft and his lack of speed will keep him from being a contributor until he proves that his routes can shake NFL cornerbacks.

There can be dangers that come with drafting spread receivers

The Big 12 conference is notorious for producing receivers who racked up huge statistics in college. Part of the reason is that schools like Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Baylor prioritize pacing and tempo over complicated passing offenses.

As impressive as the numbers of Washington and Ateman are, it’s fair to wonder how much the conference and the offensive scheme contributed to the totals. And it’s fair to be concerned about how much the situation prepared Ateman for the professional ranks.

Prior to the 2016 NFL Draft, Corey Coleman — an eventual-first-round pick for the Cleveland Browns — said he had to draw from his experiences in high school to show NFL teams that he could run a full route tree.

“[In] high school, I ran an NFL route tree,” Coleman said, via ESPN. “I have run every route then. I had to make a transition when I came to Baylor. It wasn’t the same, but I made the transition to routes that I did run. It is going to be a transition from college to the NFL. I’m just going to have to adapt and get used to the situation. I think I will be just fine, though.”

At Oklahoma State, Ateman didn’t get to show all of his route-running ability. But he insists that it’s there.

“Maybe we don’t run those routes in the games, but we work on them all,” Ateman said. “We work on all kinds of routes. We may not use them in a game, but we have them in our playbook. The whole route tree — we run outs, nine routes, a bang eight, a comeback, a curl, a slant, a hitch — we run all those routes.”

In the last decade, Oklahoma State produced first-round receivers Dez Bryant and Justin Blackmon. The success of Bryant puts a damper on concerns about Ateman’s readiness. But even now — eight years after the Cowboys drafted Bryant — the veteran receiver is working with a “route guru” to help him with the nuances at the position that he still hasn’t mastered.

Ateman says his route running is a strength. If that’s the case, Ateman has a chance to be one of the NFL Draft’s steals.