6’4” – 218 lbs. – 4.54
High school tight end and safety who sustained a season-ending injury as a true freshman which forced him to redshirt, then spent the following three seasons in the starting lineup before foregoing his senior season to declare for the draft. Also played a few games on the SMU basketball team. Team captain whose work ethic and leadership skills are very highly regarded. Has excellent size and length for a pro split end. Was a volume receiver in college; ran a lot of screens and short curls to get the ball in his hands, but also worked at the intermediate level and further downfield. Long-strider who is more smooth than explosive but can eat up a defensive back’s cushion and thus drew a lot of respect from opposing cornerbacks in terms of the types of cushions he was presented with, opening up opportunities for shorter throws. A little bit high into his breaks, but uses head fakes and changes speeds to help uncover down the field. Does a good job of settling into soft spots in zone coverage when running intermediate routes. Willing to work the middle of the field. Reliable hands-catcher who can pluck the ball away from his frame and offers a massive radius. Has the flexibility and body control to adjust to passes thrown behind him or away from his frame. Can use his frame to shield opposing defenders from the ball. Able to maintain focus and possession when absorbing hits. Good awareness and footwork near the sidelines. Size should make him a valuable red-zone and vertical option. Good at gaining yards after the catch; gets upfield quickly and can help set the tone offensively with a punishing running style which also mixes in hesitation moves. Capable of running through arm tackles and making defenders miss in space. Ability to separate at the line of scrimmage and against press-man coverage requires some projection, as he was often presented with large cushions and zone coverages. As a long strider, looks deceptively fast with the ability to run past opposing cornerbacks on tape, but it will be interesting to see how fast he times. A bit of a projection in that his route tree in college was a little bit basic and he wasn’t subjected to a lot of tight man coverage, but does everything well on tape, with the type of size and length that should interest teams choosing in the first round.
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