Wednesday, March 22, 2017

2017 NFL Draft Profile: David Njoku

David Njoku, Miami
6-4, 246
Njoku played just two seasons at Miami after redshirting as a freshman to transition from WR to TE As a freshman, he posted 21-362-1, and averaged 17.24 YPR in 13 games. As a RS Sophomore in 2016, he dropped a line of 43-698-8, and averaged 16.23 YPR.
The Good
Despite his overall size, he can still play outside at WR when needed.
Has room on his frame to bulk up further, which could improve his overall game as a blocker.
Very precise, sharp cuts on routes.
Creates separation easily, and creates major mismatches.
A major creator in the open field, and excels in YAC.
Major leaping ability to go get after the high throw.
Knows where the seams are against zones and finds the soft spot, will camp out there.
First rate hands.
He can line up anywhere on the field and excel.
Plus blocker.
The Bad
Severely limited sample size, as he only started in nine games in two years.
Still learning how to play TE, and thinks like a WR too much.
Footwork on blocking is still a work in progress, and may be a better receiving option than straight up blocker.
He can lose focus on some plays, leading to drops.
Still learning route tree from TE perspective.
Lacks lower body explosion, needs more on his frame.
More raw than anything else, depends on being a freakish athlete over knowledge of what he is doing.
Final Overview
As a pass catching TE, I think that Njoku, despite his lack of overall experience, could be a nice, late first round addition for anyone needing a TE who is not the best as a pure blocker in the trenches. Get him wide, and let him run, and allow him to block downfield as a decoy, because that is where he will excel right now. He will learn the rest later, but he has amazing talent potential, and could develop into being a star.

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