Tag Archive for: College

2023 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Watchlist

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Summer scouting season is underway and continues with the wide receiver class. Here is my 2023 NFL Draft wide receiver watchlist.

Top 5 2023 wide receiver watchlist

Kayshon Boutte

The top wide receiver of the 2023 class had a very productive freshman 2021 season and sadly dropped off a little bit due to injuries in 2022. Boutte is an extremely well-rounded receiver.

He flashes the foot quickness and toughness to handle slot duties at the next level and lines up all over the field. Boutte is dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Speaking of, the Tigers product hands’ accepts the ball fluidly on most throws and is ready to make a play afterward. He makes catches in traffic, even going up over taller defenders with vertical and toughness. 

Kayson Boutte is one of the most athletically gifted players in the 2023 class, who possess great speed, acceleration, and size and combines these traits with decent hands and outstanding route running.

The only reservation I have of Boutte is his medical issue. If he has a quality year in 2022, Boutte could easily become the top-rated receiver come the 2023 NFL Draft. Still, Boutte is the top prospect in the 2023 wide receiver watchlist.

Jaxson Smith-Njigba

At the age of 20, Jaxson Smith-Njigba has fine tuned his route running and has a great understanding of how to dissect different zones and attack the leverage on defensive backs.

As a sophomore in 2021 he played in 13 games and had 95 catches for 1595 yards for an average of 16.8 yards per catch, with 9 TDs, and a QB rating when targeted of 141.8. 

The Buckeye standout has the strongest hands any NFL wide receiver coach and quarterback would covet. He tracks the deep ball over either shoulder and brings in passes fluidly without breaking stride downfield

Expect 2022 to be even better than 2021 as Smith-Njigba will be gifted the number one receiving spot on the Buckeye’s offense. I have him slated as the number two prospect to watch in this 2023 wide receiver watchlist.

Jordan Addison

The third pass-catcher in this 2023 wide receiver watchlist is USC’s Jordan Addison. Addison had a very productive season last year winning the Biletnikoff trophy at Pittsburgh.

This off-season he transferred to USC and will play for offensive mastermind Lincoln Riley.  Addison is looking to replicate his 2021 season with Caleb Williams as his quarterback.

The Trojan playmaker has amazing flexibility and can pretty much make any catch you ask him to do. 

There’s evident speed to his game, along with the ability to break the angles of defenders in the open field. A slippery athlete, Addison is a headache to deal with when he has the football in his hands

Addison’s catch comfortability does not instill much confidence as he does tend to bring passes into his frame rather than working with his hands away from his chest. The further outside of his frame he has to work, the less dependable his hands become.

He has a chance this year to become to establish himself as a top ten pick if he continues to play at the level he displayed as a sophomore at Pittsburgh.

Parker Washington

Nittany Lions’ receiver Parker Washington had an 800 yard season sitting behind Jahan Dotson as the number two option. With a prime role coming this season, he’s looking to absolutely breakout and torch BIG-10 defensive backs.

Washington saw the bulk of his snaps from the slot last year, and got a lot of free releases. I expect to see him on the outside a little more and how he handles contact at the line of scrimmage. 

He is very good at tracking the ball in the air and, for his size, does a great job timing jumps to beat defenders for contested catches. So far in his career, he has brought in 11 out of 23 attempts on contested balls. A big reason to why is due to his strong hands.

When Washington gets in the open field, he can take it to the distance. He snags the ball well and is able to fully extend on off-target passes by extending his arms rather than pure speed.

Marvin Mims

Mims has the versatility to line up at all three receiving positions (X, Flanker, and Slot), and is able to execute all three levels of the field.

A savvy, natural pass-catcher with reliable hands and very good focus. He routinely looks the ball into his hands and can maintain concentration to haul in circus catches way outside of his framework. 

Despite being a smaller receiver, Mims competes well above his weight class and his competitive toughness shines as a blocker. Mims is one of the few receivers in this draft class that blocks well, which catapults him to the fifth spot in the 2023 wide receivers watchlist.

In 2023, Mims could solidify himself as a first-round talent if Oklahoma builds on his route tree. He runs the routes in his package well, but a more diverse route tree will allow him to produce more and more quickly at the NFL level.

Honorable Mentions: 

Josh Downs-UNC, Dontay Demus-Maryland, Zay Flowers-BC, Quentin Johnson-TCU, Xavier Hutchinson-Iowa State

 

***This article was originally published on the ATB Network by Hussam Patel***

Hussam Patel is a Miami Dolphins contributor and Lead NFL Draft analyst at Five Reasons Sports Network, Director of Scouting at PhinManiacs and Editor at Dolphins ATB. Follow him on Twitter at @HussamPatel
 
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2023 NFL Draft Quarterback Watchlist

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Summer scouting season is underway and it kicks off with the 2023 quarterback class. Here is my 2023 NFL Draft quarterback watchlist.

Top 5 2023 quarterback watchlist

Bryce Young

Alabama’s Bryce Young is coming off a heisman season and is looking to build off that as he’s regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation at making throws out of the pocket and out of structure. 

Although, his draft stock may be hurt by his slight frame. Young looks more like a slot receiver compared to what a franchise quarterback is billed at.

Young led the Crimson Tide to a win in the SEC Championship game, becoming the only quarterback to beat the vaunted Georgia defense last season. In that game he was 26 of 44 passes for 421 yards and three touchdowns. 

While the Crimson Tide ended up losing in the title game in the rematch against Georgia, Young showed throughout the season that he could play the position at a high level.

In the play above you see Young’s quick feet moving him to allow him a clean pocket. He throws a rope in-between two defenders outside the hash marks. 

His anticipation and touch at this level makes him one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and number one in this 2023 quarterback watchlist.

C.J. Stroud

Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud is one of the most pro-ready quarterbacks in this class. He completed 72% of his passes in 2022. Stroud will look to build off what he did in the rose bowl game against Utah.

Stroud is accurate, aggressive, willing to attack the middle of the field, and reads the field extremely well as a passer.

Pre-snap, Utah show single-high coverage in the defensive backfield. However, the post-snap reality does not match the pre-snap expectations. The Utes defense converts into a two-deep shell.

Stroud, after opening to the left side of the field, reads the rotation and throws to the post route from Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

He’s a smart signal-caller who is a natural leader with great instincts and the ability to quickly cycle through his reads. Which makes him the second quarterback on my 2023 quarterback watchlist.

Tyler Van Dyke

There is excitement in the area around the Miami Hurricanes this season, mainly in part to new head coach Mario Cristobal. Tyler Van Dyke’s play last season is another big reason for that excitement.

In 2021 as a sophomore he played in 10 games as he passed for 2918 yards on 326 attempts with a completion percentage of 62 for an average of 9.0 yards per pass, with 25 TDs, while also taking 23 sacks, and putting up a QB rating of 108.9. After the first year as starting quarterback, he earned ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

This touchdown early in that contest is a good example of how well Van Dyke sees the field and throws with anticipation. He hits the post route for a touchdown on a switch concept, letting the ball fly as the receiver gets into his break.

Van Dyke is my third ranked prospect in this 2023 quarterback watchlist because of his processing skills. Also, he uses good technique, squaring his shoulders to the target and stepping into his throws

Will Levis

Kentucky’s Will Levis came from nowhere last year and is now looked at as a legitimate first-round talent. He has great physical gifts as well as good accuracy and powerful quick release as well a natural feel for the game

Levis offers a nice blend of size, arm strength and toughness. In the pocket, he has a good feel to climb and avoid pressure — and also possesses enough athleticism to extend plays with his legs.

If he can work on ball placement issues, and lower-body inconsistencies with his mechanics, he’ll live up to the hype.

The Wildcat product has an elite quick-release coupled with fast processing skills which makes him an ideal for a condensed formation offense, similar to the likes of the Rams.

Tanner McKee

In his first year starting at Stanford, Tanner McKee showcased a handful of NFL Traits. He has elite size for the position – stands 6-6 and weighs 230lbs and has the arm strength to match.

The Cardinals product accuracy is decent but his ball placement is one of his best traits overall. McKee shows excellent accuracy on short timing routes to backs and receivers. Slightly, he places the ball in front of receiver to lead them to potential yardage after the catch.

This completion against Oregon highlights two of his strengths: Aggression and ball placement. McKee is not afraid of challenging small throwing windows, and has no fear throwing over the middle. Couple that with accuracy, and McKee can have a solid foundation for the NFL.

He’s an intriguing pro prospect due to his obvious tangibles. McKee looks the part possessing prototypical drop-back passer qualities, is a quick decision-maker, and decent accuracy. He can easily transition into a pro-style offense which makes him the fifth prospect on the 2023 quarterback watchlist.

Honorable Mentions:

Phil Jurkovec-Boston College, Spencer Rattler- South Carolina, Hendon Hooker-Tennessee, Anthony Richardson-Florida, Jake Haener-Fresno State.

 

***This article was originally published on the ATB Network by Hussam Patel***

 

Hussam Patel is a Miami Dolphins contributor and Lead NFL Draft analyst at Five Reasons Sports Network, Director of Scouting at PhinManiacs and Editor at Dolphins ATB. Follow him on Twitter at @HussamPatel

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