Santonio Holmes who is the second cousin of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, grew up in Belle Glade, FL and was a three-sport athlete at Glades Central High school. In addition to playing football Santonio played basketball and helped the track team to a state title his junior season. He was a member of a football team that won state championships his sophomore and junior seasons. As a senior, Holmes caught 33 passes for 970 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading his team to at 12-1 record on the year. Santonio played in the California-Florida all-star game and the Outback steakhouse all-star game. He caught 5 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in that game and was named MVP. He accepted a scholarship to Ohio State where he redshirted the 2002 season as a member of the scout team. Two months into his redshirt freshman season, Holmes became a starter after Drew Carter went down with a season ending injury. He finished the season with 32 receptions for 549 yards and 7 touchdowns. His sophomore season was his first year as a full-time starter. He recorded a career high 55 receptions for 769 yards and 7 touchdowns on the year. His 224 receiving yards against Marshall (199 in the first half) was the second highest total in Ohio State history. He was named second team all-big ten for his performance as a sophomore. As a junior Holmes caught 53 passes and had career highs in yards (977) and touchdowns (11). Although he has another year of eligibility, Holmes was a senior academically. He is a single father raising two sons (Santonio III and Nicori) and opted to enter the NFL draft a year early to help support his family.

Santonio Holmes has been a big play receiver since cracking into the starting lineup eight games into the 2003 season. He is a good deep threat with the speed to gain separation from most defensive backs. He had problems with his route running early on in his career. He has since improved his routes but this is still an area he can continue to work on. He does a good job of making sure he gets beyond the first down marker. He has good hands and rarely drops catchable balls. He catches the ball with his hands away from his body. He lacks ideal size for a receiver and can be pushed around at times, however he is a tough player who isn’t afraid to go over the middle and make a tough catch in traffic. He does a good job of using his body to put himself in position to make the catch. Once he has the ball he can be an elusive open field runner and he does a good job of getting yards after the catch. Although it is not one of his strongest areas, Holmes is a willing blocker. He has proven to be a very durable player, having not missed a single game due to injury in his three years at Ohio State. He has been an effective return specialist and could contribute in the area in the NFL as well, increasing his value to the team that selects him. Santonio Holmes is probably the best receiver in a weak wide receiver class. He should be a mid first round pick in April.