Positional ranking: #3

Big Board ranking: #21

 

Overview

Position: WR

College: Ole Miss

Class: Sophomore (RS)

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’3 3/8”

Weight: 228 lbs.

Arm length: 34 7/8”

Hand size: 9 7/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.33 sec.

Vertical jump: 40.5”

Broad jump: 134.0”

Bench press: 27 reps

3-cone drill: 7.38 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.50 sec.

 

Strengths

Elite physical attributes across the board. Top-end speed and explosiveness. Superhero physique with great leaping ability. Soft hands. Plucks the ball out of the air and understands pass trajectory. Extends for throws away from his frame. Works back towards the quarterback. Can burn press coverage. Tracks the ball exceptionally well. Knows how to use his size in the red zone. Uses timing to set up cornerbacks on fade routes. Long strider that’s difficult to bring down with the ball in his hands. Has some subtleness to beat the press or make defenders miss in the open field. Should thrive on go’s, posts, comebacks, outs, and curls.

 

Weaknesses

Straight-line player. Shouldn’t be used in the slot. Lacks change-of-direction skills. Doesn’t run complex routes. Needs to add polish to his game. Durability is a concern. 2018 season ended due to neck injury that required surgery.

 

NFL comparison

Josh Gordon – This isn’t a great comp (and there doesn’t seem to be one) for D.K. Metcalf because he isn’t close to as advanced as Gordon, but he should be able to similarly dominate if he rounds out the edges and becomes more of a weapon on in-breaking, intermediate routes.

 

Conclusion

Overall, D.K. Metcalf has sky-high potential based on his physical attributes, but teams need to know he’s best used on the outside where he can run a mostly vertical route tree. I think Josh Allen and the Bills would be an ideal fit at the next level.