2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Nelson Agholor

Strengths:
  • Advanced route-runner
  • Good run-after-the-catch receiver
  • Very polished
  • Explosive play-maker in college
  • Quickness
  • Consistently gets separation
  • Weapon on third down
  • Can get vertical
  • Quick release off of the line
  • Plug and play; ready to contribute
  • Experience in a West Coast offense
  • Kick- and punt-return ability
  • Safe pick to turn into a quality contributor
  • Upside




  • Weaknesses:
  • Not overly fast
  • Not overly big
  • Too many dropped passes


  • Summary: Over the past few years the USC offense has been led by a productive receiver and Agholor is the latest in the line of Trojan wideouts. Robert Woods and Marqise Lee were previous stars for USC, and Agholor took over as the feature receiver in 2014 after backing them up.

    In 2012, Agholor had 18 catches for 341 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman backup. A year later Woods was in the NFL and Agholor took over as the secondary receiver to Lee. With Lee drawing lots of attention in 2013, Agholor broke out with with 56 receptions for 918 yards and six scores. As a junior Agholor took over as the No.1 receiver with Lee in the NFL and Agholor had a fine season. He had 104 receptions for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014. That included some huge, clutch catches to help USC beat Stanford. Agholor also destroyed California.

    For the NFL, Agholor is a well balanced receiver. He is a very good route-runner and has experience running a variety of routes in the West Coast offense. Agholor is dangerous for yards after the catch. He is very quick to catch a slant and rip through the defense for a nice gain. Agholor uses his good route-running and speed to get separation from cornerbacks. He is sudden in and out of his breaks with some quickness.

    Agholor is a well-balanced receiver but he isn’t overly fast or overly physical. Thus for the NFL he looks more like a very good No.2 receiver rather than a true No.1. Agholor also needs to work on his hands as he can be prone to some drops. In the 2015 NFL Draft, Agholor could be a late first-round pick or second-round pick.



    Player Comparison: Greg Jennings. Agholor’s game reminds me of when Jennings was in his prime with Green Bay. Both are skilled route-runners with the speed to produce some big plays. They operate well in all levels of the field. Jennings (5-11, 198) and Agholor are basically the same measurements, but both play bigger than their listed sizes. The Packers took Jennings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, while Agholor could be a first- or second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Jennings has had a good pro career, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Agholor turns into a receiver of Jennings’ caliber.

    NFL Matches: New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots

    In the teens, some teams could start considering Agholor. It is obvious that Cleveland needs to improve its receiving talent. Josh Gordon can’t be counted on in the long-term plans, and the Browns have to give their young quarterbacks something to work with.

    New Orleans took a wide receiver in the first round last year, but the organization still needs to find more weapons for Drew Brees after trading Jimmy Graham. Marques Colston is slowing down, so adding a receiver to pair with the speedy Brandin Cooks could make sense for the Saints. Agholor could be in play especially at pick No. 31.

    Even though they signed Torrey Smith, the 49ers could use more young receiving talent given the age of Anquan Boldin and the departure of Michael Crabtree. Similarly, the Texans need a future No.1 receiver to replace Andre Johnson.

    Even after signing Jeremy Maclin, the Chiefs need to give Alex Smith more receiving weapons to work with. Kansas City could have a big-play combination with Agholor and Maclin.

    The Eagles lost Maclin, and with his size and speed, Agholor could be an intriguing receiver for Chip Kelly. There have been reports that Philadelphia loves Agholor.

    The Dolphins moved on from Mike Wallace, and Agholor could be a good fit in the Miami offense. He could make sense for the Dolphins in the first round.

    Baltimore could be a good fit for Agholor as a vertical threat with Joe Flacco’s big arm.

    New England won the Super Bowl despite being weak at receiver. Adding a threat on the outside could help the Patriots’ offense to take advantage of teams playing more underneath coverage to stop Julian Edelman.




    RELATED LINKS:


    2015 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s


    2015 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings


    2015 NFL Draft Scouting Reports








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