2025 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Scouting Report (Part 4) - Isaiah Bond, Isaiah Neyor, Jack Bech, Jacolby George, and Ja'Corey Brooks
Hey all,
Back with another part of the WR Scouting Series! For part 4, I’ll be doing in-depth evals of Isaiah Bond, Isaiah Neyor, Jack Bech, Jacolby George, and Ja’Corey Brooks.
As usual, I have a video and Spotify/Audio-only option below if anyone prefers to watch/listen to the eval.
Video Link:
Spotify/Audio-Only Link
Isaiah Bond, Texas
Height: 5’11”; Weight: 180 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 21 years and 1 month
Class: Junior
Overall Grade: 2.54 (May Have a Future Role)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 56 targets; 34 receptions; 540 yards; 5 touchdowns
Drops: 2 (Drop Rate: 5.6%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (76.8%); Slot (22.6%)
Hands: B
Route Running: D+
Release: C-
Yards After Catch Potential: B
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: C-
Body Control/Ball Tracking: A-
Future role: B-
RAS: B+
Strengths:
Quality hands
Ball tracking skills to finish deep passes
Can extend his catch radius with attacks
Good vision as runner
Great athleticism
Areas of Improvement:
Poor at converting contested catches
Poor success against press
Really struggles against physical corners
Route diversity
Little to no nuance in routes
Comp: Phillip Dorsett
Isaiah Bond was a popular choice to be a likely first-round receiver going into the 2024 season. While that likely isn’t in the cards anymore, he still has a lot of the talent that made people excited about him. Despite getting an egg on his face at the combine after not breaking the 40-yard dash time as he predicted, he still has smooth, fast speed that shows on the field. His speed and movement skills also show after the catch as he’s able to use his quick transition after the catch to quickly pick up yards and blow past defenders. That being said, he isn’t just a stereotypical speedy receiver who just runs fast to the outside. Bond runs with good vision and has a good eye for when to cut back inside. He’s very effective at using his blockers and knows how to adjust his course to ensure his block can seal an opening for him. When a defender is getting close, he has some good cutting ability to give him a chance to make them miss in open space. That ability to contribute as a playmaker after the catch adds more versatility to his game and it was disappointing to see Texas not use that side of his game more. What also adds versatility is his experience playing in the slot and on the outside to give offensive coordinators different options with him. As a pass catcher, he has good hands and catches the ball with good hand technique despite some really ugly drops. He also is willing to go up into the air after the ball despite being a smaller receiver. He can make some really well-timed, difficult adjustments to throws that add a bit more upside to him despite his size and frame. Also, he has great ball tracking skills to find balls in the deep area of the field like a center fielder. That ability to finish catches over his shoulders is a necessity for him to be successful as a deep threat so it’s good to see him be able to confidently finish those catches. While his release and route running need a lot of work, he has good foot speed which gives him potential to improve in these areas.
As I said though, he needs a lot of work in his release and route running. He will often resort to just trying to get around the defender when his foot movements aren’t quick enough to cleanly get past the defender. Also, he doesn’t use his arms enough and tries to have his legs do the heavy lifting. What makes things much worse is his slow reaction to the defender’s press. That delay in responding and not having the urgency to make the first move led to the defender often dictating the play and even sometimes bullying him and completely shutting him down. As a route runner, he ran a limited route tree and ran with little to no nuance in the routes he did run. I would at least like to see him run with some tempo or stem breaks since those could create such easy opportunities with his athleticism. Instead he often just tried to overpower defenders with his speed which led to very inconsistent results. He also doesn’t always have the cleanest cuts due to rushing his process leading to sloppy cuts due to being too upright and not getting enough hip sink. While he’s out on his routes, he can also be easily pushed off his route path and have a really hard time adjusting to contact to get back on course. In general, he just had a lot of difficulties disengaging with physical coverage which will only worsen in the NFL. He also needs to improve his eye for zone coverage in the NFL. I noted his difficulties with this in my summer scouting series and he still didn’t show great awareness of finding openings and settling in them for an easy competition. As a pass catcher, while he typically caught the ball with good hand technique, his hand strength and focus could have lapses which especially led to trouble converting contested catch situations. What also led to trouble in those situations was Bond not fully extending his arms. While he wouldn’t resort to body catches very often, he also didn’t extend his arms out completely which gave the defenders more of a chance to make a play on the ball thanks to his smaller frame. His smaller frame also led to him going down at first contact if the defender got their hands on him. Finally, he was an ineffective blocker due to his frame and very poor mechanics.
I was lower than most on Bond and his 2024 year unfortunately didn’t do much to change my mind. It was just a really rough showing for him that exposed his biggest weakness and didn’t highlight his strengths. Honestly, I’m not exactly sure why he decided to declare for the draft. I think he could have done himself a favor by returning to school and having a bounce-back year. Unfortunately, that opportunity has passed and now he is stuck hoping for a team to fall in love with his speed. I just think teams will realize that he likely won’t be a consistent playmaker in the NFL since he never was in college and things will only get tougher. As for a comp, I have another speedy receiver who I was lower on than most back in his draft cycle, Phillip Dorsett. Both have great speed and experience playing inside and out. Also, both are capable of expanding their catch radius by attacking the ball in the air. Both also have good potential after the catch thanks to their quickness and movement skills. Unfortunately, neither have big frames to survive tackles and need to rely on their speed. Both also try to rely on their speed too much as route runners as they have poor nuance and deception in their routes. Also, both struggle at converting contested catch situations which will lead to frustrating missed opportunities. Dorsett lacked the polish and frame to be a regular contributor in the NFL and I fear Bond’s inconsistent college career is signaling the same will happen for him. Maybe a coach will find a way to unlock Bond. However, he just has so much negative momentum right now that it’s hard to see him rebounding and being the player that once excited a lot of people.
Isaiah Neyor, Nebraska
Height: 6’4”; Weight: 218 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 10 months
Class: Redshirt Senior
Overall Grade: 2.33/4 (Needs Improvement to Contribute)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 63 targets; 34 receptions; 455 yards; 5 touchdowns
Drops: 3 (8.1%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (95.7%); Slot (4.3%)
Hands: D
Route Running: C-
Release: B-
Yards After Catch Potential: C+
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: C
Body Control/Ball Tracking: B-
Future role: C+
RAS: A
Strengths:
Great athleticism
Quick feet in release
Has a good number of moves to use in release
Focused around the sidelines
Quality blocker
Areas of Improvement:
Hand technique
Ability to finish catches through contact
Ball tracking in all areas of the field
Disappointing ability after the catch
Doesn’t appear like a 6’4” receiver on film
Comp: Simi Fehoko
After a lackluster 2024 season, Isaiah Neyor was one of the biggest winners of the combine posting the 8th best RAS score out of 3445 wide receivers since 1987. So, naturally people are going to see how he looks on film with that type of athleticism. Well, his size can show up at times with some very good adjustments to balls to get his hands on them. He also showed great awareness on the sidelines to finish some tough catches. He also showed good awareness against zone coverage as he seemed to be able to find openings on a regular basis. Against man coverage, he had some solid timing with his stem fakes to help establish leverage after his cuts. He can also help get leverage thanks to his release. He has quick feet and a variety of moves to help him win at the line. He also doesn’t disappoint with his size as a blocker. He is a great blocker and can even operate effectively as a move blocker. He does a good job getting square whether he’s in motion or not and does a good job establishing his base. Also, he does a good job keeping his feet moving to help stick to his block.
Other than that though, oof. Things get really rough, especially with his hands. He only had a drop rate of 8.1% but he really seemed to fight with the ball at times. His hand technique would be very shaky and he didn’t seem confident catching it all the time. That led to a lot of double catches which could turn into drops in the NFL. He has a hard time tracking the ball in all areas of the field and struggles to finish catches over his shoulders. His confidence also can look shaky in his hands when he goes up to attack the ball and he isn’t always able to rise through contact. In general, it can be easy to forget he’s so tall with the way he plays small on film. He can also come off as less athletic than his testing indicates due to his difficulty evading tackles. He goes down to first contact too frequently and has little to no wiggle or creativity after the catch. Also, he seemed to run a limited route tree. For the routes he ran, he often rushed his cuts due to not having enough hip dip leading to very rounded cuts. He also had a lot of difficulties stacking his defender which capped his ability to consistently help as a deep threat. He also lacks tempo in his routes which further hurts his ability to separate downfield. That being said, he kind of just struggles to separate on a consistent basis in all his routes which is disappointing to see with the tools he has. Finally, while he can use his arms in his release, he often still lets himself get jammed up by the corner. That causes him to slow down and affect the timing of his route and gives a win to the defense.
Neyor is a great athlete who may be best for special teams as a gunner where he doesn’t need to be trusted to catch the ball as much. I just worry that his struggles will only get worse when space gets tighter in the NFL. Also, with the high number of freak athletes and ones who are more fluid than Neyor, I feel he will be viewed as less of a unicorn. As for a comp, I have Simi Fehoko as his comp. Both have great size and athleticism to give them great potential. Also, both are capable of some really great catches that they had to adjust to. However, both are raw route runners and have issues with ball tracking. Also, both have troubles with the hands that could wear out a coach staff’s patience. Fehoko has struggled to get playing time but finally got some snaps on the Chargers in 2024. It unfortunately still involved a lot of his struggles suggesting he hasn’t progressed enough to get more regular playing time. If Neyor doesn’t improve like Fehoko hasn’t I fear that he will have an extremely hard time earning offensive playing time and even a roster spot.
Jack Bech, TCU
Height: 6’2”; Weight: 215 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 2 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 3.08/4 (Good Starter)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 91 targets; 62 receptions; 1034 yards; 9 touchdowns
Drops: 1 (1.6%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (71.8%); Slot (26.8%)
Hands: A-
Route Running: C+
Release: B-
Yards After Catch Potential: C+
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: A-
Body Control/Ball Tracking: A-
Future role: B-
RAS: A-
Strengths:
Incredible hands
Great ball tracking skills
Very impressive ball skills
Hits rarely stopped him from making catches
Strong after the catch
Areas of Improvement:
Lacking top speed
Lacks explosiveness
Little wiggle in open space
Needs to have better hip sink in cuts
Disappointing blocker
Comp: Tyler Boyd
Jack Bech has been one of the biggest of the pre-draft process. I admittedly was selling him short during the regular season but I’ve grown an appreciation for him. He is just such a darn good pass catcher. There are some players who people will say “Anything in his direction will be a catch.” That usually is just hyperbole but that feels like it’s actually the case for Bech. He has such strong, reliable hands and consistently was able to catch the ball away from his body. Also, he never showed any hesitation in taking a hit to try to make a catch. There were times when he would leap into hits or run towards defenders and he would still make a play on the ball and secure the catch most times as was evident in his 65% success rate on contested catches. He also made some really impressive adjustments being able to make a play on a ball regardless of whether it was high or low. That gave him such a huge catch radius that made him a quarterback’s best friend. Also, he was able to use his strength to still rise through contact to make a play on balls and bail his quarterback out at times. What also made him easy to throw to was his ball tracking skills. He has great tracking skills for lofted balls in 50/50 situations but also down the field. He would do a great job playing like a center fielder at times finishing easily finishing less than ideal placed passes over his shoulders. He also showed great ball tracking and concentration skills to follow balls that required tough, last-minute adjustments and typically finished the catch. As a route runner, he showed a very good feel for finding openings against zone coverage. Also, he showed some nice flashes of deception with head and stem fakes. His understanding of how to get good leverage and maintain it with his frame also helped make him an easy target for his quarterback. He also does a good job using his frame and strength to maintain his path on routes and not be pushed around. That strength also shows after the catch as he has good contact balance to go through smaller defenders to pick up some extra yards. That strength along with his frame also gives him good potential as a blocker. Finally, despite being new to regularly needing to face press, he is one of the better receivers in this class at using his hands in his release. He does a really good job having urgent hands to make initial contact and dictate the rep.
While his hand usage in his release is really good, it does worry me out on his routes. He can get a bit pushy and grabby while running his routes could lead to penalties in the NFL. Also, his route running in general does make me a bit nervous in the NFL especially since he already struggled with some inconsistencies in getting separation. His cuts just weren’t overly impressive from a burst or technique standpoint as he lacked great hip sink which led to rounded cuts. Those poor, non-explosive cuts and his lack of great speed often made it easier for defenders to get themselves back into good coverage. So, while being able to box out defenders to get open worked in college, it will likely be less viable in the NFL. Also, his success in his release may also decrease in the NFL. While he has good hand use, his release seems a bit one note in his lower body at times. That predictability will make it easier for more savvy cornerbacks to be ready and have appropriate counters. Also, his lack of ability to get yards after the catch is apparent from his film even if it’s not apparent from his combine testing. On film, he clearly lacks great top speed and seems to be a stiff athlete when it comes to change-of direction-ability. That led to him having little ability to make defenders miss in open space. Also, while he was good at rising up to make plays on balls, I think he could make his job a lot easier by doing a better job establishing position and boxing out the defender with his big frame. Finally, though he has that big frame, he was a bit disappointing as a blocker. He often struggled to get aligned with his target and had poor leverage which led to defenders peeling off his block too easily.
While his ball skills are admirable and could be argued that they give him a very high floor, I do think he has more risk than some want to admit. As much as having a big catch radius and good ball skills can help make a player at least be a good contributor. However, we have many examples, even just last year, when this led to disappointment. Last year, a lot of people were very high on Ja’Lynn Polk which has aged poorly with him being one of the worst rookie receivers. If you look at the strengths and weaknesses of Polk and Bech, it gets a bit scary since there are a lot of overlaps. Now I will say that I am higher on Bech than I was on Polk. However, I’d be lying if I’m not afraid I’m going to experience a similar letdown as the Polk believers last year. As for a comp, to show my faith in Bech, I have him comped to Tyler Boyd. Both are known for their reliability as pass catchers and impressive body adjustments. Both can also track the ball very well and have strong hands to finish catches through contact. Also, both have good physicality to their route running to help get themselves open. However, neither have great speed or burst which limits their big play potential on deep passes and after the catch. Also, that lack of burst can sometimes lead to some struggles in maintaining separation. While I think Boyd was a better route runner than Bech when he was a prospect, I think there are a lot of similarities in their game and potential projection to the NFL. While Bech may never be a leading force for an offense, he has the traits to be a reliable contributor who could have some big games sprinkled in here and there.
Jacolby George, Miami
Height: 5’11”; Weight: 172 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 3 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2.17/4 (Unlikely to Contribute)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 77 targets; 53 receptions; 752 yards; 8 touchdowns
Drops: 4 (7%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (83.7%); Slot (16.3%)
Hands: B
Route Running: C+
Release: C-
Yards After Catch Potential: B-
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B-
Body Control/Ball Tracking: B
Future role: C
RAS: F
Strengths:
Quick, shifty feet
Capable of making tight cuts
Can expand catch radius with ball attacks
Good awareness for openings against zone coverage
Great vision on screen passes
Areas of Improvement:
Limited release ability
Unable to stack defender
Can get sloppy and round cuts
Separation can be inconsistent
Size and athleticism are limiting
Comp: Kyle Philips
Ja’Corey Brooks, Louisville
Height: 6’2”; Weight: 184 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 6 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2.25/4 (Needs Improvement to Contribute)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 93 targets; 61 receptions; 1013 yards; 9 touchdowns
Drops: 7 (10.3%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (89.1%); Slot (10.9%)
Hands: C
Route Running: C-
Release: C-
Yards After Catch Potential: C+
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B
Body Control/Ball Tracking: B
Future role: C+
RAS: C
Strengths:
Big catch radius
Capable of making sensational catches at times
Good acceleration to compensate for speed
Good vision and shiftiness after the catch
Good spatial awareness
Areas of Improvement:
Questionable long speed
Struggles with physical coverage
Inconsistent hands
Sloppy route running
Limited route tree
Comp: Dyami Brown
Ja’Corey Brooks has experienced a disappointing fall since high school. He was the 27t- best recruit in the country for his recruiting class and had a productive sophomore season. However, he dealt with a shoulder injury that limited his impact in 2023 and eventually transferred to Louisville. At Louisville, he got a chance to show off some of his talent again especially if you watch his highlights. He can make some really sensational catches including one-handed catches at the end of his frame. He is capable of making some really tough adjustments to the ball and is very comfortable catching the ball at the end of his big frame giving him a huge catch radius. He can also finish catches over his shoulders which is a necessity with the way he’s used as a deep threat. He even has tough hands which helped him convert 69.6% of his contested catch opportunities. He also does a great job high-pointing the ball at times with some good, well-timed ball attacks. He also has good timing in his cuts after the catch to make defenders miss. Also, though he lacks great long speed, he has good acceleration to pick up yards after the catch. His transition upfield also helps him pick up yards and he shows good peripheral awareness to know where defenders are when he makes his first move. That peripheral awareness also shows in his vision to follow his blocks. Also, he shows good awareness around the sidelines to make tough catches while keeping his feet inbounds. He also showed good awareness for zone coverage and did a solid job attacking the open areas of the defense. Finally, though he doesn’t have a hefty frame, he is a very willing blocker and will keep with plays downfield to help with a block.
While he can make some truly incredible catches, he can also drop some really easy passes. The issue with Brooks is that he can lack focus with his hand technique and ball tracking which led to missed opportunities and drops. Those lapses in ball tracking also led to some awkward ball attacks that while successful in college, could be less successful in the NFL. His route running will also lead to less success in the NFL. He is a pretty limited route runner with the majority of his routes being verticals, hitches, and posts. In his vertical routes, he really struggled to get open against off-coverage due to lacking great speed and not having enough nuance in his routes. He often rushes his routes with no nuance leading to sloppy, rounded cuts. He could really benefit from using stem fakes to make him a bit more efficient in his vertical routes. Also, he can struggle establishing leverage which makes his success more inconsistent against better defenders. He also struggles against more physical defenders as he can have trouble navigating around contact on his route and can be pushed off his route path by tough coverage. His limited release package doesn’t help as it doesn’t help him stay clean consistently. He often just tries to shake and bake past his defender but he doesn’t use arm counters enough and isn’t quick enough to win with just his feet. Finally, his long speed is very questionable as there were times when he got leverage against good athletes but had them work their way back into coverage after catching up to him. If that happens more in the NFL with more good athletes, that will instantly reduce his potential impact.
Brooks may have had a nice breakout year but I just don’t feel comfortable trusting him. He is a bit of a one-note player with his vertical ability but that can be dubious to trust with his lack of great speed. Add in his lapses in ball tracking and inconsistent hands and he kind of feels like a headache for an NFL coaching staff waiting to happen. Now if he at least cleans up his hands, that would make him a lot more interesting. However, this has been an ongoing issue for his entire college career. So, we may need to just accept this is what we have going forward. As for comp, I have Dyami Brown as his comp. Both are known for their vertical ability and can make some really impressive and difficult catches. Also, both are very capable pass catchers when making catches over their shoulders. However, they can have lapses when catching standard passes which makes them less reliable. Also, both can struggle with physical coverage due to their thinner builds. Dyami Brown has had a hard time making an impact early in his career due to his vertical ability being less viable in the NFL. I have concerns the same could happen for Brooks especially with his questionable athleticism. If that is the case and he continues to struggle to finish routine catches, I just have a hard time seeing him stick on a roster.