6’1” – 188 lbs.
Background:
Caught 12-197-3 (16.4) as a freshman, then became a major contributor the following season, finishing with a line of 49-849-12 (17.3). Put together 50-729-8 (16.2) over seven games in 2020, then closed out his career with his most productive season, a 65-936-13 (14.4) campaign, breaking David Boston’s career receiving touchdown record with the Buckeyes.
Positives:
Highly productive over the past three years. Offers a solid combination of size and length. Lined up all over the formation: inside and outside, on and off the line, tight or wide to the formation. Does a nice job of mixing up his releases and changing speeds to stay unpredictable and keep opponents off-balance. Smooth accelerator with good speed to run away from man coverage over the middle or to create windows down the sidelines; opposing cornerbacks have to respect his speed, which allows him to work back to the ball on short/intermediate throws. Shows very good attention to detail as a route-runner. Able to track over his shoulder when running down the sidelines. Very flexible player who makes nice adjustments to throws. Sideline awareness and body control are good. Shows creativity and elusiveness in the open field. Showed the ability to rack up yards after catch running shallow crosses over the middle of the field. Able to draw flags downfield. Gets good extension as a blocker, setting up with a wide base.
Negatives:
Overall physical/athletic tools are good but not elite; relies on suddenness and craftiness to generate separation but isn’t really a size/speed mismatch. Could stand to add more bulk/functional strength, the lack of which creeps into his game at times. Can be disrupted or knocked off of his routes by physicality. Looks like he might struggle to make contested catches. Might not be able to climb the ladder and win over the top consistently at the next level. Some drops down the field trying to snatch throws away from his frame. Many of his big plays were either shorter passes with long runs after the catch, or against zone coverage. Ability to sustain blocks is just adequate; also has some issues with balance.
Summary:
One of the most polished and productive receiver prospects in this year’s class, he offers an impressive combination of releases, route-running skills, flexibility, and speed, traits which helped him create plenty of separation during the games reviewed. Doesn’t have dominant physical tools and his lack of ideal functional strength carries over into his game at times, but projects as a starting receiver whose high football IQ should allow him to get open at the pro level. Looks like he’ll be one of the first receivers off the board on draft day.
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