NFL Draft

HEIGHT: 6'4 3/4"

WEIGHT: 249

HAND: 10 1/8"

ARM: 35"

WINGSPAN: 6'11 5/8"

40-YARD DASH: 4.76

3-CONE: 7.09

SHUTTLE: 4.55

VERTICAL: 40.5"

BROAD: 11'1"

POSITIVES

— Tall, filled-out build with elite length.

— Positional flexibility. Played both on and off the ball at Florida.

— Physical player. More than willing to scrap and initiate contact.

— Moments of good upper-body strength.

— Fairly sharp and physical coverage player. Does well to reroute players entering his area in zone assignments.

NEGATIVES

— Not a crafty or dynamic pass-rusher despite being asked to rush off the edge a fair amount.

— Hand usage and block deconstruction could use work.

— Speed and change of direction in space are average at best. Often lumbers in tight areas.

— Tends to not attack plays at full speed. Can be too patient and set himself behind the play.

— Tape does not quite match his 95th-plus percentile (among edge-rushers) jump testing.

2021 STATISTICS

10 G, 49 TOT, 3.5 TFL, 2 SK, 1 PD, 1 FF

NOTES

— 4-star recruit in 2016.

— Spent six seasons at Florida, thanks in part to the extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

— Started roughly half of the team's games between 2017 and 2021.

— Foot injury cut Moon's 2019 season short.

— Suffered a season-ending thumb injury early in 2016. (Struggling to find out exactly what)

OVERALL

Jeremiah Moon boasts an odd combination of skills, but brings enough size, physicality and versatility to warrant interest.

Moon, a tweener at 6'5" and 249 pounds, played both on and off the ball for the Gators. Regardless of which alignment, he showed off a tenacious attitude toward contact and flashes impressive moments of strength.

Moon's hand usage as a run defender can get wild and sap some strength from his punch at times, but he has the length to suggest that can be turned around. As a cover defender, he may not have the mobility to run with skill players, but his physicality does serve him well when he goes to reroute players running into his zones.

Moon has no clear home in the NFL. At this stage, he is not polished or flexible enough to make an impact as a pass-rusher on the ball. He also needs to work on reading keys and triggering in the run game as an off-ball linebacker.

Moon's range and change of direction may hinder him as an off-ball linebacker, even if he does begin to play faster. He has bits and pieces of skills to work with in each role, but not quite enough to make him an impactful player at either spot right now.

Moon has the size and physicality to merit a late-round selection, but whichever team drafts him will need to home in on a clear plan for him. Considering his length and explosive jump testing figures, perhaps the best plan of attack is to unlock Moon's potential as a rusher off the edge.

GRADE: 5.5 (Backup/Draftable - 6th/7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 284

POSITION RANK: EDGE30

PRO COMPARISON: Joseph Ossai

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

HEIGHT: 6'3 1/2"

WEIGHT: 241

HAND: 10"

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: 6'8 1/4"

40-YARD DASH: DNP

3-CONE: DNP

SHUTTLE: DNP

VERTICAL: DNP

BROAD: DNP

POSITIVES

— Solid length. Allows him to set the edge and lock OL out of his frame.

— Overall sound run defense technique. Good eyes and hand usage.

— Decent get-off on pass-rushing downs.

— Above-average balance when fighting through contact.

— Above-average movement skills in space.

— Showed comfort as a stand-up player and with his hand in the dirt.

NEGATIVES

— On the light side for an edge prospect.

— Anchor against the run is not terrible, but it does waver at times. Maybe more of an issue in the NFL.

— Hands do not pop upon engagement. Rarely overwhelms OL that way.

— Speed and bend around the edge did not show up often enough.

2021 STATISTICS

Did not play due to season-ending foot injury in season opener

NOTES

— 4-star recruit in 2017.

— Missed the entire 2018 season with a knee injury.

— Fractured his foot early in 2021, missing the remainder of the season.

— 2020 second-team All-SEC.

OVERALL

Christopher Allen played second fiddle to Will Anderson Jr. during his final full season in 2020, but he still has some NFL traits.

Unsurprisingly of an Alabama player, Allen is a technician. He does well to remain square when setting the edge and excels at making the most of his length to lock offensive tackles out of his frame. Though he lacks overwhelming strength to truly take over blocks, Allen's technique helps bridge the gap, and he consistently does enough to seal the edge. That said, Allen will likely need to pack on weight and strength to excel at the NFL level. His anchor does waver at times, and his hands do not pop upon engagement despite their consistent, effective placement.

Allen brings a confusing set of skills as a pass-rusher. He does well to hop out of his stance and get rolling, but his buildup speed from there is often lacking. That could be overcome with great bend, but Allen's bend and flexibility is closer to average than good, and it's not enough to fully make up for some of his other deficiencies. However, Allen does have better balance through contact than his run defense anchor would suggest, and he is a high-effort player with good movement skills in space, making him a good clean-up sack-earner. Allen also has comfort standing up on the edge as well as putting a hand in the dirt, so scheme and alignment should be no issue for him.

In a general sense, Allen is a fit for the modern NFL. He can play on the edge as a stand-up backer, attune to handling run defense responsibilities from there, and he can pin his ears back and rush the passer a little. However, Allen has no real standout trait, and his lack of weight and strength could become more of a problem in the NFL than it was at Alabama. Allen projects as a reliable, versatile backup or rotational player in a 3-4 structure.

GRADE: 6.4 (High-level Developmental Prospect - 5th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 163

POSITION RANK: EDGE21

PRO COMPARISON: Nate Orchard

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

HEIGHT: 6'5 1/8"

WEIGHT: 312

HAND: 10 1/4"

ARM: 34 3/8"

WINGSPAN: 6'9 3/4"

40-YARD DASH: DNP

3-CONE: DNP

SHUTTLE: DNP

VERTICAL: DNP

BROAD: DNP

POSITIVES

— Wide-bodied frame with excellent length and solid play strength.

— Does a nice job covering up, holding ground and walling off defenders on angle-drive (down/base) blocks.

— Has enough short-area quickness to work zone combos and cut off tightly aligned defenders over either shoulder.

— Excels bumping, displacing and feeding nose tackles over on ACE blocks with thump on contact.

— Uses his length to press, widen and keep defenders at his fingertips, elongating their path to work around his edges.

— Flashes good grip strength once latched to hunker down and end reps quickly on jump sets.

NEGATIVES

— Heavy feet without much snap in his movements, causing him to be late redirecting on the move and mirroring shifty defenders.

— Needs to speed up and tighten his strike timing and placement to better protect his chest and not allow quick access into his frame.

— Adequate processing skills and play speed, can be late recognizing delayed blitzes and loopers.

— Body control, posture and balance dwindle through contact as the rep progresses.

2021 STATISTICS

- Six starts at RG.

NOTES

— Former 3-star left tackle recruit who also played defensive tackle for St. Aloysius High School in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

— Honor graduate out of St. Aloysius with letters in football, basketball, track and powerlifting.

— Comes from a long line of Ole Miss football players including his father, both his maternal and paternal grandfathers, uncle, great uncle and father's cousin.

— Made 40 consecutive career starts (30 at right guard and 10 at center) before missing the final seven games of the 2021 season due to a biceps injury that required surgery.

OVERALL

Ben Brown was a four-year starter inside Ole Miss' multiple run scheme with 40 career starts (30 at right guard, 10 at center), including six at guard in 2021 before tearing his bicep on the 100th play against Tennessee. He stayed in for the final five plays to finish out the game.

Brown has a wide-bodied, thick build with excellent arm length, good play strength and physicality. He excels at holding the point and walling off defenders in the run game and his anchor with enough quickness to function in the zone-run game. He uses his length well to press and widen defenders when they work his edges, helping to mask middling lateral quickness and body control.

Brown is often late adjusting his aiming points to connect against quick-trigger, shifty 'backers on pulls and climbs to the second level, allowing too many run-throughs. That also gets him into trouble in pass protection due to being a tick late reading out late-loopers and delayed blitzes, lacking the twitch to redirect suddenly. Brown needs to improve his strike timing and placement, as he too often allows defenders to work past his length and inside his frame without having the recovery skills to sustain consistently if he doesn't win initial leverage.

Overall, Brown has the necessary size, strength and physicality to hold the point and create movement in inside zone/gap concepts, but his middling play speed and body control make him a career swing interior backup.

GRADE: 5.9 (Backup/Draftable - Round 6)

OVERALL RANK: 233

POSITION RANK: IOL24

PRO COMPARISON: Ben Powers

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

HEIGHT: 6'4 7/8"

WEIGHT: 308

HAND: 10 1/4"

ARM: 33 7/8"

WINGSPAN: 6'10 1/2"

40-YARD DASH: 4.96

3-CONE: 7.40

SHUTTLE: 4.65

VERTICAL: 22.5"

BROAD: 8'11"

POSITIVES

— Very good initial/lateral quickness and pad level to work under, inside and around defenders on the front and backside of zone runs.

— Has loose, springy movements on the move to track down targets on screens, pulls and climbs off of combo blocks.

— Gets his second step in the ground very quickly and has the range to consistently execute scoop and overtake blocks on the backside of zone cut-offs and combinations.

— Adept body control and understanding of the play's intent to adjust his positioning to pin, seal and create alleys off of his backside.

— Flashes the explosiveness and foot quickness to create space out of his stance and hit his landmarks on short, 45-degree pass sets.

— Long arms and broad shoulders with room to add weight to his frame.

NEGATIVES

— Rudimentary overall technique in pass protection that he'll need to revamp before he sees an NFL field.

— Plays with poor weight distribution and posture in pass protection due to a bad habit of leaning, playing on his toes and erratic strike timing.

— Struggles transitioning into his anchor, lacking the lower-half mechanics and play strength to effectively generate force through the ground, brace and slow down the bull rush.

— Middling power on contact and functional strength to consistently maintain his base against stout run defenders that work their hands inside his frame.

2021 STATISTICS

- 12 starts at LT.

- Team captain.

NOTES

— Former 2-star offensive and defensive line recruit out of Carlsbad High School in California.

— Had a season-ending knee injury three games into the 2018 season.

— Invited and accepted his invite to the 2022 Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas.

— 31 career starts; 17 at RT, 12 at LT, two at RG.

— Training with Duke Manyweather in Dallas leading up to the draft.

OVERALL

Thomas is a four-year starter with 31 career starts primarily at tackle and most recently at left tackle in 2021 inside San Diego State's run-heavy, zone-based run scheme. He has broad shoulders, long arms, large hands and very good athletic ability.

Thomas is an adept zone run-blocker who uses his quickness and pad level to work inside and around defenders on angle-drive, scoop and combination blocks. Once locked inside the frame of defenders, he shows a keen understanding of the play's intent, with the leg drive, strain and use of leverage to widen, displace and steer defenders to open up lanes off his backside. He is also a capable blocker in space who uses solid angles and his quickness to track and connect on smaller targets on climbs, pulls and screens.

Thomas flashes the burst and quickness out of his stance in pass protection to get to his landmark in good position on short, 45-degree angle pass sets. However, he quickly loses proper weight distribution, posture and leverage due to opening his hips too early, erratic strike timing/placement and leaning into contact. This leads to too many glaring, clean losses and suspect anchoring ability when rushers convert speed to power.

Overall, Thomas has one clearly identifiable strength as a skilled zone run-blocker with very good quickness, pad level and length to work with. However, he needs major work in pass protection, which will likely prevent him from seeing an NFL field until he learns to play with better posture, balance and use of hands. Thomas has the proven versatility to compete for a roster spot as a swing backup right away with some spot starter potential during his first contract.

GRADE: 6.0 (Late Round 5/Early Round 6 - High-Level Developmental Prospect)

OVERALL RANK: 221

POSITION RANK: IOL23

PRO COMPARISON: Will Richardson

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

HEIGHT: 6'1 1/8"

WEIGHT: 240

HAND: 9 1/2"

ARM: 31 1/4"

WINGSPAN: 6'2 3/4"

40-YARD DASH: DNP

3-CONE: DNP

SHUTTLE: DNP

VERTICAL: DNP

BROAD: DNP

POSITIVES

— Scrappy, physical player. Willing to play tight to his DL and bring some energy against blockers.

— Disciplined against the run between the tackles. Sees through traffic well and does not run himself out of plays.

— Above-average burst out of his stance and in short areas. Functions well in the box.

— Positional flexibility. Can play on the edge a little bit, mostly on run downs, and set the edge.

— Shows decent bend and burst off the edge for someone who is naturally an LB.

— Reliable tackler. Brings solid technique and strength.

NEGATIVES

— Poor speed. Struggles to get to the edge and often has to take high angles to even keep himself involved.

— Trigger wavers on plays attacking the edge. Plays unsure of his ability to fire through gaps and take quality angles.

— Short arms hinder how well he can take on blocks. Often resorts to ducking his head and shoulders, producing inconsistent results.

— Coverage responsibilities must be limited to basic underneath zone responsibilities. Cannot run with RBs or vertically up the seam.

2021 STATISTICS

12 G, 77 TOT, 15.5 TFL, 6.5 SK, 3 PD, 1 FR, 1 FF

NOTES

— 3-star recruit in 2018.

— Three-year starter.

— 2021 second-team All-Big Ten, 2020 first-team All-Big Ten, and 2020 third-team All-American.

OVERALL

Micah McFadden will be a nice Day 3 addition for defenses looking to get tougher in the box.

McFadden brings good bulk to the position at 6'1" and 240 pounds. True to his frame, he loves to play scrappy in the box and is willing to hit blockers and ball-carriers between the tackles.

McFadden also plays tight to his blocks and condenses rushing lanes as much as possible, both clouding a running back's vision and making it difficult for them to squeeze past the second level. He plays with good burst out of his stance, too, allowing him to beat blockers to their spot with consistency.

McFadden's primary issue in the box is his short arms, which often makes it difficult for him to take on blocks with good technique. As such, he tends to duck and lower his head upon contact, breeding up-and-down results with block destruction despite his strength and physicality.

The added value with McFadden is he can play on the edge a bit. He has the bulk and strength to set the edge fairly well. As a pass-rusher, McFadden is more useful as a looper and moving piece, but he does flash decent bend and tenacity for someone who more traditionally plays off the ball. In particular packages, even near the goal line, he can have some value here.

However, McFadden's play in space will be a concern in the NFL. He does not have legit sideline-to-sideline speed, and he plays as though he knows that.

Whenever plays immediately go to the perimeter, McFadden tends to be more hesitant to trigger and often has to take high angles to ensure he meets the ball-carrier at some point, rather than taking a sharp angle and risking getting run by. Those mobility issues bleed into his coverage abilities, largely limiting him to underneath zone coverages that do not ask him to cover a ton of ground and allow him to play top-down.

McFadden fits best as a 3-4 inside linebacker who can flex down to the edge in particular packages. He can be a stable depth player who may help a defense "save" a roster spot in the linebacker room with some of the versatility he provides as an edge piece.

GRADE: 6.1 (High-level Developmental Prospect - 5th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 217

POSITION RANK: LB21

PRO COMPARISON: Micah Kiser

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

HEIGHT: 6'4"

WEIGHT: 245

POSITIVES

— Good quickness. Works two-way-go situations effectively.

— Above-average flexibility. Does well to turn and reduce his surface to avoid getting hit by OL.

— Decent change of direction in space.

— Plays with quick, crafty hands. Helps keep OL's hands off of him.

NEGATIVES

— Thin frame. Looks and plays lighter than listed.

— Does not play with good length. Prone to allowing OL to strike him first and take over the rep.

— Burst off the snap is average, at best.

— Overall play strength is a concern, both upper- and lower-body.

2021 STATISTICS

12 G, 51 TOT, 13.5 TFL, 5.5 SK, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 TD

NOTES

— 3-star recruit in 2017.

— Three-and-a-half-year starter.

— 2020 and 2021 honorable mention All-Pac 12.

OVERALL

Carson Wells is a thin and quick pass-rusher who will need to muster better play strength to hang at the NFL level.

Wells wins primarily through his quickness and ability to make himself difficult to get hands on. While Wells may not spring out of his stance with much juice, he is quick as a blink after that.

Wells operates well when given a ton of space in which he can take advantage of his short-area quickness. Additionally, Wells tends to do a good job of turning his torso and making himself tough for offensive linemen to strike cleanly. His bend around the corner is nothing special, but it tends to get the job done if he succeeds at minimizing the offensive lineman's punch.

Size and play strength will be a problem for Wells out of the gate, though. Wells' listed height and weight seems fine, but he looks and plays thinner on film. Whenever offensive linemen do strike him clean, Wells tends to lose the rep straight away. On pass-rushing reps, he gets locked up. On run defense downs, he is prone to getting moved off of his spot. Wells does not have the upper-body strength to punch and control blockers, nor does he have the lower-body strength to maintain his balance particularly well in all situations.

Wells would be best in a system that allows him to stand up on the edge and operate with more space. He needs to be able to use his mobility and flexibility. That said, Wells' mediocre get-off and underwhelming play strength limit his usage as well as his potential to become a full-time starter. Wells could be a special teams ace and feisty pass-rush-only player deep in the rotation.

GRADE: 5.8 (Backup/Draftable - 6th/7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 257

POSITION RANK: LB24

PRO COMPARISON: Dadi Nicolas

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

HEIGHT: 6'4 5/8"

WEIGHT: 314

HAND: 10 3/8"

ARM: 35 3/8"

WINGSPAN: 6'11 7/8"

40-YARD DASH: 5.22

3-CONE: 7.83

SHUTTLE: 4.71

VERTICAL: 25.5"

BROAD: 8'3"

POSITIVES

— Excellent arm length with a stiff, firm punch that can stymie defenders on contact.

— Can establish first meaningful contact on defenders in the run game, latch and steer them away from the ball.

— Flashes the ability to generate torque to displace and create alleys on wide-zone base blocks.

— Has the frame and vast reach to engulf, tie up and blot out slow-trigger 'backers on his climbs.

— Plays with an edge and will strain to sustain blocks once latched.

NEGATIVES

— Marginal athletic ability, balance and body control.

— Uneven weight distribution in his pass sets; will overset, open the door and get dusted across his face by moderately skilled rushers.

— Will often drop his hands prior to his punch, which causes him to be late with wide hand placement and gives easy access to his frame.

— Slow to re-leverage his hips and hands underneath the bull rush, causing him to get knocked back on his heels and shed with ease against secondary moves.

— Steps under himself and loses critical ground out of his stance on the backside of zone runs, allowing consistent penetration.

2021 STATISTICS

- 12 starts at LT.

NOTES

— Former 3-star offensive line recruit out of Auburn High School in Rockford, Illinois.

— Married with two children and adopted his younger brother after their mom passed away.

— Finished with 52 career starts at left tackle.

OVERALL

Vederian Lowe was a four-and-a-half-year starter at Illinois with 52 career starts at left tackle. He started 12 games during the 2021 season in the Illini's multiple run scheme.

Lowe has excellent arm length that he uses to establish first meaningful contact on defenders as a run- and pass-blocker. He excels in pass protection using a stiff, firm punch to deliver jolt on contact, and his strong latch in the run game enables him to control, steer and open up alleys on frontside kick-out/angle-drive blocks.

Lowe can be effective at the second level on climbs in a straight line, and he has the wingspan and grip strength to tie up 'backers. He also brings a physical edge as a finisher through the whistle.

Lowe has marginal play speed due to middling movement skills, recovery balance and body control. He is slow to adjust his angles and fit on shifty targets on the move, reset and refit in his anchor and redirect laterally to protect against inside counters. This causes him to whiff and fall off too many blocks, and he struggles to stay upright with trash around his feet.

Overall, Lowe has a tremendous amount of experience at left tackle, along with admirable maturity and leadership qualities. His ideal length, good grip strength and competitive toughness should give him a shot at carving out a backup role. However, his subpar movement skills, contact balance and body control cap his ceiling as a depth piece.

GRADE: 5.6 (Round 7 - Backup/Draftable)

OVERALL RANK: 277

POSITION RANK: OT16

PRO COMPARISON: LaAdrian Waddle

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

HEIGHT: 6’0"

WEIGHT: 196

POSITIVES

— Physical player with good build and strength.

— Plays with good awareness and instincts. Reacts with quick acceleration to what he sees in front of him.

— Strong player against the run. Uses hands and takes on blocks with aggression. Best when playing underneath coverage and in the box.

NEGATIVES

— Can struggle in space at times. Slow reactionary defense. Lack of athletic ability can show up with below-average flexibility and change of direction.

— Questionable tackling, can come in out of control; diving for tackles instead up running through.

2021 STATISTICS

110 TKLS, 10 TFL, 1 INT, 3 FR, 2 FF

NOTES

— Middle Tennessee State’s All-Time Leading Tackler

— 2021 First Team All-C-USA

OVERALL

Reed Blankenship is an active player with good size and physicality. He triggers quickly to what he sees, with a high motor and good sense of awareness. He has the ability to play at multiple levels but does best in the box, closer to the line of scrimmage. He has good instincts and flows well to the ball, along with good vision in underneath coverage.

A bit heavy footed in open space, he often relies on his short-area quickness and decent footwork. Blankenship has some tightness and lacks the top-end speed to carry receivers deep. With average ball skills, he does a good job playing through the reception point breaking forward, but he can be uncomfortable playing the ball downfield.

Blankenship plays with physical hands when taking on blocks. At times he does struggle to disengage, but he plays his leverage and sets the edge.Though he has shown to run through ball carriers when playing in the box, when tackling, he can get overextended and forced to dive at better athletes, leading to missed tackles.

Ultimately, Blankenship was a successful player at Middle Tennessee State, where he left as the leading tackler in school history. A player with good movement skills, he may be tapped out with his athletic ability. He’s a consistent player who is draftable with backup potential.

GRADE: 5.7 (7th Round- Backup)

OVERALL RANK: 267

POSITION RANK: S18

PRO COMPARISON: Donovan Wilson

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

HEIGHT: 6'6"

WEIGHT: 251

POSITIVES

— Tall, rocked-up frame with good arm length. Looks the part.

— Good speed. Can stretch the field vertically and horizontally.

— Smooth mover. Glides in between and through zones.

— Decent route-runner. Clears the bar given his athletic profile.

— Flashes the ability to pluck the ball out of the air well outside of his frame.

NEGATIVES

— Play strength as a blocker can waver. Not going to be moving anyone at the pro level.

— Stop/start athleticism and explosiveness are not as good as his testing numbers suggest.

— Inconsistent hands overall.

— Play in traffic can be questionable. Has instances where he starts hearing footsteps and tenses up.

2021 STATISTICS

13 G, 38 REC, 451 YDS (11.9 AVG), 6 TD

NOTES

— Played two years of baseball at Jefferson College in Missouri before transitioning to football.

— Played football at Florida for two seasons before transferring to Pitt in 2020.

— Suffered a knee injury in 2020 that limited him to just one game.

— Started the 2021 season.

— 2021 second-team All-ACC.

OVERALL

Lucas Krull is a late-blooming tight end prospect with some athletic potential still left to be unlocked.

Krull shows all the necessary movement skills to be a field-stretching tight end. Though not a true blazer, Krull shows good speed both up the seams and across the field, showcasing the fluidity to weave around defenders through zones while still maintaining his speed. That same mobility shows up when he gets the ball in his hands, though he could stand to be a little meaner when fighting through contact.

As a route-runner, Krull looks a little uncomfortable on shorter routes at times in part because of his limited experience and average stop/start athleticism. On intermediate routes, however, Krull tends to do well to threaten defenders with his speed and transition smoothly in and out of his breaks to generate decent separation. Those separation skills are necessary given Krull's catching ability right now. Not only does Krull have random drops from time to time, but he is not yet comfortable hauling in passes in congested areas. He has the length and size for it, but the consistency is not there at this time.

As a blocker, Krull is not a trainwreck, but he needs to add some strength and try to play with better pad level. Krull too often loses his attachment to defenders whenever operating in space, while also not being a people-mover when asked to be the lead man at the point of attack. Again, Krull has the length and size to be a good blocker, but he needs to work on it.

Krull is an intriguing bet for teams looking to get bigger and more athletic at tight end. Though not a complete player yet, Krull can be an effective field-stretcher as a No. 2 early on while working to iron out his short-area route-running, hands and blocking skills.

GRADE: 6.6 (Potential Role Player - 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 146

POSITION RANK: TE9

PRO COMPARISON: Brycen Hopkins

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

HEIGHT: 5'9"

WEIGHT: 195

POSITIVES

— Good stop/start athleticism, especially with the ball in his hands.

— Smooth mover with great change-of-direction skills. Can weave through defenses.

— Quality route-runner in the short-to-intermediate range.

— Better hands and ability to catch in traffic than size suggests.

— Has some punt return experience.

NEGATIVES

— Undersized frame will limit him to slot duty in the NFL.

— Play strength is a concern. Can not block or reliably beat press right now.

— Long speed is average, and he tested even slower than he looked on film. Concerning for a small player.

— Contact balance as a ball carrier is lacking because of size and strength issues.

2021 STATISTICS

14 G, 150 REC, 1,902 YDS (12.7 AVG), 17 TD

NOTES

— 2-star recruit in 2018.

— Played most of his college career at Houston Baptist before transferring to Western Kentucky in 2021.

— 2021 first team All-CUSA; 2021 second-team All-American (AP).

OVERALL

Jerreth Sterns is dramatically undersized, but he has some NFL qualities that may allow him to hang around as a contributor.

At 5'9" and 195 pounds, Sterns will be limited exclusively to the slot in a wide-open offense in the NFL. He does not have the size nor strength to hold up on the outside in the NFL. Even now, Sterns struggles a bit to get off press versus long and/or competent cornerbacks. He also just does not have the traits to be a useful blocker, be that in the run game or on screens. Sterns' frame and average vertical ability make it difficult to go up for the ball in the air, too, though he does do a surprisingly good job at fighting for the ball in traffic if it's not placed too high.

That said, Sterns has a role as a shifty slot receiver. He is a smooth, explosive route runner in the short-to-intermediate area, consistently showing the ability to snap off cornerbacks with quick breaks. Once the ball is in Sterns' hands, he does well to weave his way through traffic. Though his long speed is lacking for a smaller player, his short-area burst and agility make him a nuisance for opposing defenses, and he's particularly effective on screens.

Sterns could fit in as a fourth receiver in the slot out of 10-personnel sets. His burst, short-area savvy and adequate YAC skills give him a place in the league, even if his size and long-speed concerns limit him from being a true difference-maker. Sprinkle in Sterns' punt return experience and it's easy to see how he could stick around as a returner and WR4/WR5 type.

GRADE: 6.2 (High-level Developmental Prospect - 5th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 204

POSITION RANK: WR27

PRO COMPARISON: Greg Dortch

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen