The NFL is made up of the most dynamic group of athletes in the world, whether it be blazing speed, unparalleled strength, or insane bounce. Heading into the 2021 season we want to highlight the most athletic NFL prospects, as well as include their value on devy rosters. A series that we rolled out last offseason gave us much more actionable insights when we review the results.
This year we will be counting down the most athletic players from the least likely to make an impact in the NFL to the most likely. In doing this we are going to combine the players’ athletic traits, production profiles, and competition levels to highlight undervalued devy assets as well as players to keep an eye on for late breakouts. In this article, we will start with the uber-athletic athletes that do not have the production that indicates NFL Draft capital. Let’s dive into the higher-end devy dark horses!
Tez Johnson, WR, Troy
The 5’10” and 150 lbs. receiver possesses Olympic-gymnast level flexibility to go along with good speed. Johnson has his 22 MPH in-game speed and can deadlift more than three times his body weight with a personal record of 500 lbs. Johnson has only 18 receptions for 211 yards and no touchdowns, however doing so as just a freshman indicates he has room to grow, both in terms of production and to add some bulk to his frame. Johnson is a player to keep an eye on as a late-round Campus to Canton dart throw.
Griffin Hebert, WR, Louisiana Tech
The 6’3” and 222 lbs. senior receiver possesses NFL-caliber size-adjusted athleticism. With a BMI of 27.75 and a projected speed score of 108 elevate the receiver with only 812 yards and nine touchdowns in his career on to NFL Draft boards if he can put together a productive senior season where he can show that his 1.46-second 10-yard split, 40” vertical leap, and 405 lbs. power bench indicate NFL potential.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR, West Virginia
The junior receiver who stands at 6’3.5” and 222 lbs. also possesses elite size-adjusted athleticism similar to the aforementioned Hebert, however, Ford-Wheaton is still an underclassman. He has 27 receptions for 416 yards and three touchdowns in his West Virginia career and has shown that his 39” vertical leap, 1.48-second 10-yard split, and the 4.05-second short shuttle have translated to production in a Power Five conference. Ford-Wheaton is worth a late-round Campus to Canton draft selection.
Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati
The 6’3” and 213 lbs receiver for Cincinnati is not going to be the only Bearcat highlighted on this list. He possesses the size-adjusted athleticism that translates to the NFL with a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, 40” vertical leap, and an insane 675 lbs. personal record deadlift. The Senior has 967 yards and five touchdowns in his career and is primed to break out for the tenth-ranked Bearcats according to NCAA.com.
Myles Kitt-Denton, WR, Central Arkansas
The senior receiver who stands at 6’1” and 185 lbs. has a bounce that can elevate him above any defender. The former high school basketball standout elevated 45.5” in the vertical leap, which would tie the NFL Combine record. He also runs a 4.42-second 40-yard dash and can squat 600 lbs. The redshirt freshman has yet to record a receiving yard on his resume but has all the athleticism to make big plays with the ball in his hands.
Mike Martinez, TE, UCLA
Martinez was highlighted on last year’s freaks list as well due to his 6’6” and 260 lbs. frame, to go along with his 86” wingspan and would-be record-setting 12.5” hands. The junior has only recorded six receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown, however, he plays at a position that develops more slowly and is a dark horse for significant NFL Draft capital if he can translate his massive frame to red zone production for the UCLA Bruins.
Tanner Conner, WR, Idaho State
Conner is another FCS receiver who has NFL-caliber size-adjusted athleticism standing at 6’3” and 223 lbs. He has produced, though against subpar FCS competition racking up 872 yards and eight touchdowns for Idaho State. To go along with his requisite size, he also ran 14.03-second 110-meter hurdles, surpassed 40” in the vertical leap, and put up 15 bench press repetitions at 225 lbs. This is a senior to keep an eye on for significant NFL Draft capital.
Tyler Harrell, WR, Louisville
The junior wide receiver that you may not have ever heard of possesses absolutely elite-level speed, and this is reported by the same coach that had Tutu Atwell and T.Y. Hilton on his rosters. The 6’0” and 193 lbs. junior ran a reported 4.19-second 40-yard dash in the spring and hit over 24 MPH in-game speed. He has only three receptions for 71 yards, and his size should be taken with a grain of salt as the same program reported the aforementioned Atwell 35 lbs. above what he measured during the NFL Draft process.
In the next segment of this article, we will take a look at some devy options that have untapped athleticism and potential that could indicate early NFL Draft capital as well as collegiate-level production. As we work through this article we will learn more about the dynamics between athleticism and production and what leads to NFL Draft capital as well as future success in the NFL.
Read Part 1 of the series here.
Thank you for reading my article! If you enjoyed it, keep an eye out for my future articles. You can also follow me on Twitter @DynastyDiagnos1 and reach out with any questions, comments, or ideas you’d like me to explore for a new article.
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