2025 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Scouting Report (Part 5) - Jalen Royals, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Lane, Jaylin Noel, and Jimmy Horn Jr.
Hey all,
Back with another part of the WR Scouting Series! For part 5 we have another star-studded lineup as I’ll be doing in-depth evals of Jalen Royals, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Lane, Jaylin Noel, and Jimmy Horn Jr.
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:
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/backseat-scout/episodes/2025-NFL-Draft-Wide-Receiver-Scouting-Report-Part-5---Jalen-Royals--Jayden-Higgins--Jaylin-Lane--Jaylin-Noel--and-Jimmy-Horn-Jr-e311p34
Jalen Royals, Utah State
Height: 6’0”; Weight: 205 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 2 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 3.17/4 (Good Starter)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 81 targets; 55 receptions; 834 yards; 6 touchdowns
Drops: 3 (Drop Rate: 5.2%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (77.9%); Slot (22.1%)
Hands: A-
Route Running: B
Release: C+
Yards After Catch Potential: B
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B
Body Control/Ball Tracking: A-
Future role: B
RAS: A-
Strengths:
Great, urgent hands
Impressive body adjustment skills
Showed good route running fundamental
Has potential in his release
Good YAC potential
Areas of Improvement:
Expand route tree
Consistently break down in cuts
Hand use in release
Blocking technique
Played against lower-level competition
Comp: DJ Moore
Jalen Royals’ grades may come off as just being high for a hot take but I just fell in love with his film over the summer. He wasn’t quite as productive this season in part due to a foot injury. However, he still has a lot of untapped potential that could really shine with some NFL coaching. What still pops out in his film is his athleticism. He has great acceleration and speed to be very good after the catch. He also showed some pretty impressive vision in the open field to find the best path to take after the catch and did a good job following his blocks. The level of competition he faced helped him survive tackles but he also showed some good ability to stay on his feet. He runs with good pad level which is rare for a receiver and balance which can be rare for a receiver and has some good jukes he can pull off to avoid contact. Those movement skills as well as his good transition after the catch make him a great weapon on screen and short passing plays. That being said, he isn’t just limited to being limited to screen passes as he shows some really good fundamentals as a route runner. He has a good understanding of how to establish leverage and can also get his defender’s hips turned to get an easier win. Also, he is very good against zone coverage and has a great eye for finding and settling into openings in the defense. Those technical aspects and his fluid movement skills as a route runner help create consistent separation against albeit lesser competition. His ball skills also will jump out as he consistently catches the ball with good hand technique and focus. He also does a great job working back to the quarterback to ensure he can secure the catch. He has such tough hands to be able to finish catches through contact which showed with a 53.3% success rate in these situations for 2024 which actually regressed from his 73.9% rate in 2023. He just has such a great “that ball is mine” mentality and is never afraid to attack the ball. His timing on his attacks and being able to raise his hands through contact also give him some good upside and ability to play bigger than his size. He brings such great timing to his attacks and is capable of making some impressive last-minute adjustments to off-target throws. He can make those adjustments thanks to his great ball tracking skills which helped him finish catches over his shoulders and on deep passes down the field. His release may be questionable at the next level, but he has a really great starter kit. He has really good foot speed and quickness that he can throw at corners with different timing to create early separation at the start of his route. Finally, while he needs work as a blocker, the effort is there which is a good starting point for NFL coaches.
While I will likely be the highest person on Royals out there, I understand that the question of how he will perform against better competition is the biggest question for his outlook and requires hopeful projection. His games against quality defenses like Utah and USC in 2024 and Iowa in 2023 were noticeably less productive than the rest of his games. This is expected but is still a red flag if he is just beating up on lesser opponents for the rest of his games. I know he did reportedly have a good Senior Bowl but he just had to perform well for a single week whereas he will need to perform well over the course of a full season to remain a regular part of an NFL offense. As far as what showed on his tape, while he can be a really good route runner, his route tree was noticeably more limited for 2024 with a lot more screen, slant, and go patterns. His 2023 film showed the ability to handle a more diverse route tree but he needs to prove he can handle that in the NFL. Also, he can sometimes skip breaking down in his cuts and just round his cuts instead of making them crisp. Other times he can sometimes be a bit slow in his cut which gives the defender time to catch up and get back into coverage. Part of why I think his cuts can sometimes look a bit slow is that he may not have great explosiveness to guarantee separation in the NFL on his cuts. With him choosing to skip jumps at the combine, I kind of have a feeling this is the case and he knows it. Also, I’d like to see him use a bit more tempo in his routes as he can often just operate at one speed which can make him a bit easier to cover. His release, while solid, will also need improvements to be ready for the NFL. He has some good foot moves but he doesn’t use his arms enough which leads to him taking extra contact in his release. That led to him having more struggles against physical press and coverage. Utah and Iowa love to run press coverage so go figure why he struggled against them. Regardless, if he continues to take on unnecessary contact I fear he will have a lot of trouble separating in the NFL especially since he may lack great burst in his cuts. If he does have trouble separating and needs to be limited in screen plays, he needs to work to get more creative and have better timing with his moves in open space. A number of times he was a bit delayed in making a move which didn’t matter as much against lesser opponents. However, that delay likely won’t work against better tacklers in the NFL who could take him down earlier and limit his gains. Also, I would like to see him have a bit more patience with his blocks. At times he can rush things instead of letting his blocks get set which sometimes stops him from having an even bigger gain. Finally, to help earn playing time, he will need to improve his blocking technique. As I mentioned, the effort is there but he blocks with really poor technique as he is too upright in his stance, has poor leverage, and does a lot of head ducking.
Having Royals this high likely won’t age well but gosh dang it these are my rankings and grades and I’ll stick to them no matter how dumb they may look in the future! But I just can’t help but see a future NFL starter in Royals. He has the athleticism, build, ball skills, and fundamentals in his route running and release to be a good to very good receiver. I think a lot of people even have trouble finding deficits in his game from what I’ve seen which is usually a good sign that people also see the talent but are just cautious about having a player at a smaller school so high. Now he isn’t without risk since he needs to prove he can take the next step in the NFL and isn’t this year’s Skyy Moore. However, as someone who wasn’t a Skyy Moore but has been a Royals fan, he just feels different. As for a comp, just as my grades for Royals are lofty, my comp is also lofty with a comp to a different Moore in DJ Moore. Both Moore and Royals have good athleticism and are very effective players after the catch. Also, both have tough hands and are able to attack balls despite their average size. Both also showed a lot of good fundamentals as route runners and in their release to have the potential to be better players with more coaching. That being said, that success is dependent on them taking that next step and proving they can handle a more expansive route tree. Also, neither have great burst in their cuts which makes it important to improve their release to ensure they can get consistent separation in the NFL. I know a comp to Moore is likely a reach but I just keep seeing Maryland DJ Moore whenever I watch Royals and since I made that connection I just can’t shake it from my head. I don’t think he will go in the first round like Moore did but I do think Royals could really surprise people and one day become a top receiver for a team if he makes the right adjustments.
Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
Height: 6’4”; Weight: 214 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 4 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 3.08/4 (Good Starter)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 129 targets; 87 receptions; 1183 yards; 9 touchdowns
Drops: 2 (Drop Rate: 2.2%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (70.9%); Slot (29.1%)
Hands: A-
Route Running: B
Release: D+
Yards After Catch Potential: C
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: A-
Body Control/Ball Tracking: A-
Future role: B
RAS: A
Strengths:
Combination of size and fluidity
Can play inside and out
Good route runner at his size
Ball skills
Jump ball winner
Areas of Improvement:
Ran a limited route tree
Can get sloppy with cuts at times
Release disappointing at this size
Difficulty separating downfield
Limited YAC ability
Comp: Corey Davis
As someone who has been a part of the Jayden Higgins fan club for the past few years, I’m happy to finally see him get his roses. There’s a lot to like about Higgins starting with the first noticeable thing, his size and athleticism. He’s a very fluid athlete for his size and has good foot speed to make cleaner cuts than you’d expect. He is also able to make snappy cuts and has good use of head fakes and jab steps to create deception. He also has nice movement skills to get consistent separation on his hitch routes by selling his vertical and then shifting to using efficient footwork to work back to the quarterback. In general, he also does a good job working back to the quarterback to make him an easier target. Also, he knows how to make himself an easier target against zone coverage as he has a good eye for finding openings and knows when to settle into open space. Though he ran a limited route tree at Iowa State, he was reportedly very successful in the majority of his routes at the Senior Bowl which suggests that he could be capable of handling a more diverse route tree. Now having that route running ability is nice but having that at 6’4” makes him a unique weapon. He makes the most of his size by being able to soar and make catches at the very end of his frame to make off-target throws look like easy completions thanks to his ability to adjust. He has such great timing and fluid movements to attack balls that it makes it very difficult for defenders to defend the entirety of his huge catch radius. That makes him a dangerous jump ball winner especially since he has the strength to jump through contact and make a play on the ball. To make things even better he has such great, late hands that make it even harder to stop him in the red zone. To put in perspective how good his hands are, he only has had 4 drops in the past 3 seasons on 295 targets for a drop rate of 1.02%. For those unfamiliar with standard drop rates, that’s incredible. He has also been very successful throughout his career at converting on contested catches and converted on 58.3% of his opportunities in 2024 and 55.6% for his career. He just does such a great job using his long arms to get his hands on the ball first and then using his strong hands to secure the catch. He also does a great job following the ball downfield to routinely finish catches over his shoulders. Finally, he has solid effort and a very good frame to help as a blocker. Also, despite his size, Higgins gets good leverage to help sustain blocks.
As much as I want to be excited about Higgins’ route running at his size, I do have to admit that he did so on a pretty limited route tree. He primarily ran slants, shallow drags, hitches, and vertical routes. Now he ran most of those well, but being that specialized and not branching out to run a full tree does make it a bit risky to trust he can win consistently in the NFL despite how he performed at the Senior Bowl. Also, I mentioned that he ran most of those routes well but I had to say “most” and not “all” due to him having trouble winning with his vertical route. In general, his separation down the field was pretty inconsistent as he can struggle to clear and stack the defender. For his more shallow routes, there were a number of times when he would sometimes rush his process and would be too upright in his break leading to more rounded cuts. Also, his release scares me in the NFL. He has these long arms but just doesn’t use them very well leading to the defenders being in his hip pocket at the start of the route. His hands are just way too slow and his counters are too weak to effectively disengage from press and physical coverage. While he has good foot speed for his size, he doesn’t have quick enough foot speed to cleanly get past the defender. Also, he can struggle having good timing with his upper and lower body in his release which can put him in a jam. Also, he doesn’t offer very much in yards after catch scenarios and doesn’t have much wiggle to make defenders miss. He also sometimes will have a slight hitch in his transition from receiver to runner which further limits his ability to get yards. Finally, while he is a very good jump ball winner, he can get even better by doing a better job at boxing defenders out. Also, he can sometimes attack the ball with suboptimal hand technique which he’ll want to clean up to stay as successful in these situations in the NFL.
Jayden Higgins is such an interesting prospect since he has that rare ability to play from the slot or out wide and proved it in college. He has really impressive ball skills, hands, and good route running upside to seem like a do-it-all receiver. The parallel that does make me nervous is another Iowa State receiver I really liked for similar reasons, Xavier Hutchinson. Hutchinson had a lot of the same traits but ended up going in the 6th round of the draft and has struggled to carve out a role with the Houston Texans despite the injuries they dealt with in 2024. I do have concerns that I’m falling back into my tendencies of falling for a tall, lean receiver but Higgins just feels like a more fluid athlete and a more confident route runner. Also, the strong impression he made at the Senior Bowl makes me hopeful that his outcome will be different than Hutchinson’s. So, instead of comping him to Hutchinson, I instead have Corey Davis as his comp. Both have a big catch radius and great hands to make them easy targets for quarterbacks. Also, both are more fluid than you’d expect for bigger players which allows them to be versatile route runners. However, neither are great separators and sometimes need to rely on their ball skills to win. Also, neither has great ability to create after the catch which can limit their upside. Davis’ high draft capital and poor results after signing with the Jets have made him come off as a disappointment. However, with Higgins likely to go on day 2, I think he will get more time to be eased into the offense and improve his release. Once he cleans up his release, he could be producing as Corey Davis did at the end of his rookie deal.
Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech
Height: 5’10”; Weight: 191 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 11 months
Class: Fifth-Year Senior
Overall Grade: 2.42/4 (Needs Improvement to Contribute)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 58 targets; 38 receptions; 466 yards; 2 touchdowns
Drops: 3 (Drop Rate: 7.3%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (13.7%); Slot (84.5%)
Hands: B
Route Running: D-
Release: D+
Yards After Catch Potential: B+
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: D+
Body Control/Ball Tracking: B+
Future role: C+
RAS: A
Strengths:
Can make tough adjustments to off-target throws
Good tools and experience to be a returner
Great contact balance after the catch
Great athleticism
Versatility
Areas of Improvement:
Really underwhelming route runner
Lacks burst in cuts
Inconsistent separator
Really bothered by physical coverage
Limited release package
Comp: Skyy Moore
Jaylin Lane was a player who caught my eye a couple of times when I was watching other players at Virginia Tech. What stood out to me first was his athleticism after the catch which also got him attention at the combine. He has fantastic straight-line speed and really great acceleration which shows in open space. When making catches, he even has a fluid transition upfield when he has to make tough adjustments to the ball. He also does a good job hugging his blocks and has good contact balance and pad level to rush through tackle attempts by pursuing defenders. With those traits and his experience as a returner, I could see him becoming a very good returner with the current NFL kickoff format. His experience as a returner shows versatility on special teams and his experience all over the formation shows versatility on offense. He has a lot of experience on the line as a standard outside receiver, in the slot, and while going in motion. That versatility could help him carve out a unique role for a team. He might be able to carve out a role as a vertical threat thanks to his speed and acceleration giving him a chance to break past defenders. He also has a respectable catch radius for his size. He can make really good adjustments to throws and can even snatch balls up before they hit the ground. He has good hand technique and typically will catch the ball away from his body. Finally, he showed good effort as a blocker despite not always having good results.
While he caught my eye when I was watching other players on his team, I was pretty underwhelmed when doing my full evaluation of him. I caught a few times when he got open and was hoping for some solid route running with his quickness. However, he unfortunately is a pretty raw route runner who ran a somewhat limited route tree. His cuts are often slow developing and while he will try to use some moves like stutter steps to get defenders to bite on fakes, they are often ineffective and just eat up extra time that leads to the quarterback needing to wait longer for him to run his route. His cuts also lack explosiveness which causes limitations in his ability to separate despite his great athleticism. Also, his poor ability to use tempo in his routes made it easier for defenders to cover him. He also can make things easier for defenders to cover him as he can struggle to establish leverage and has trouble finding openings against zone coverage. Also, he can really struggle against physical coverage and will often let defenders alter his route path. He also showed struggles against physical play with limited success in contested situations with just a 16.7% success rate for 2024 and a 36.7% career success rate. His poor release and limited release package also often invited more contact which made this issue worse. He often just relies on his athleticism to run past defenders in his release and doesn’t use his hands to effectively fight off coverage. He also often just relies on his athleticism in space as he can be uncreative and just try to outrun defenders. Finally, though he gives good efforts in his blocks, it doesn’t translate to good results. He does a lot of lunging and head ducking leading to whiffs on his attempts. When he does get his hands on the defender, he comes at them with poor leverage and punch which lets them easily slide off his block.
Lane’s flashes and versatility are interesting but I think he is more of an interesting player and less of a productive player. I think he can be used in a lot of different ways but I don’t think I would use the “chess piece” label for him since that often implies he can be great in those roles. Lane kind of just can handle those roles but not provide too much over expected. As for a comp, I have Skyy Moore as Lane’s comp. Both have good athleticism and good contact balance for their size. Also, both can handle a lot of different roles including as a returner to make them more interesting. However, neither are great in these specific roles which makes it questionable if it’s worth using them in those situations. Also, neither can garner consistent separation due to a lack of explosiveness in their cuts and being bothered by physical coverage. Moore frustrated Chiefs fans since he was playing a good number of snaps and used in a lot of different roles but failed to do much in his opportunities. I’m not certain Lane will end up getting similar playing time but I think the results will be mostly the same. I think the silver lining for Lane is the new kickoff format as he might be able to earn a roster spot as a special teams player.
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Height: 5’10”; Weight: 194 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 7 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2.83/4 (Good Role Player)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 119 targets; 80 receptions; 1194 yards; 8 touchdowns
Drops: 4 (Drop Rate: 4.8%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (27.3%); Slot (69.6%)
Hands: B+
Route Running: B
Release: C-
Yards After Catch Potential: C+
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B
Body Control/Ball Tracking: B-
Future role: B-
RAS: A
Strengths:
ADOT nearly doubled in 2024 to 12.2
Good hands and concentration
Tough hands to finish catches over the middle
Very nuanced route runner
Can make some impressive cuts in routes
Areas of Improvement:
Has tendency to round cuts
Struggles against physical coverage
Inconsistent success downfield
Questionable ball tracking skills
Limited success in YAC situations
Comp: Jamison Crowder
If you watched any of Jayden Higgins’ film, it’s hard to not catch Jaylin Noel also making some plays and leaving an impression. What will stand out immediately is his quality route running. He’s the full package as a route runner as he runs great routes that have great deception using head fakes, tempo, and stem fakes to get open. He also has very clean footwork in his routes and cuts to make some really clean, crisp cuts at times. He can do this thanks to using good hip sink to break down in his cuts. He also shows some really nice awareness of how to work to get his defender off balance and then attack their blind side on short to intermediate patterns. He also shows a great eye to finding the blind spot of the defense by routinely finding openings against zone coverage. That all culminated in him generating consistent separation on shorter and medium patterns to help be a safety valve and keep the offense on track. While his short and intermediate routes have always been great, I have previously been a critic of his success past the sticks as his ADOT career high was 7.7 prior to this season. However, this season he smashed that career high and nearly doubled it by finishing with an ADOT of 12.2. That increase in working downfield let him show his ball tracking skills with a number of catchers over his shoulders. Also, he showed some good adjustments and attacks he can make on balls even if they were underthrown. What I have also been a critic of was his hands since he would have some lapses leading to some unnecessary drops. While he wasn’t perfect, he did look more confident making catches and was consistently catching the ball away from his body. The toughness of his hands was never a question with him having another year of converting at least 50% of his contested catch opportunities by converting on 52% of his chances in 2024. A lot of smaller receivers can struggle in those situations but Noel does a great job getting his hands on the ball early and then quickly securing the pass. He also showed in the combine that his athleticism shouldn’t be a concern with one of the best combines of the weekend finishing with a RAS of 9.72. So, that great athleticism gives him more of an opportunity to do more in yards after the catch situations. He already showed some good ability to use his blocks and run with quality vision so he might be able to take a big step forward in the NFL. His quickness from his athletic testing also shows in his release with a twitchy release that helps him get his defenders to open their hips while they're in press to get an early advantage.
That being said, while his release has decent potential thanks to his foot speed, I do think he is likely best suited to stay in the slot in the NFL. He has a small frame with a small wingspan that makes things really difficult to win in his release with just his feet. As I mentioned, he would try to win with his feet but often had a lot of trouble when longer-armed defenders got their hands on him and were more physical in their coverage. At that point, defenders were usually able to keep up in their coverage or at the very least force him off his route and mess up his timing with the play. This didn’t pop up too much in film since he benefited from a lot of free releases in college. NFL teams could also hide him from press if they want by using him from the slot. However, that just makes him a bit more limited than people want to suggest after seeing his combine performance. Also, I think he’s more limited after the catch as a playmaker than some people realize despite the great combine testing. His combine testing caught a lot of people by surprise since he didn’t perform like one of the best athletes after the catch on the field. He has very little wiggle or creativity in open space which makes it rare for him to make a defender miss. He also has poor contact balance given his frame and will often go down with first contact. So, he isn’t able to make defenders miss with his quickness or strength which often leads to him just getting the minimum which is really disappointing based on his testing. What also causes some issues is he can sometimes take a bit to gather himself after making the catch to turn upfield which further delays his process. Speaking of unnecessary movements, I also noticed a number of unnecessary hops that he would make that seemed to be due to lapses in ball tracking. He can also be a bit stiff at times making adjustments to balls that were thrown off his frame. I think part of the issue is that though he tested well, he is a bit stiff in his hips which limited his movement skills. Also, though his ADOT improved, he still seemed to run a somewhat limited route tree and struggled to win routes deep down the field on a consistent basis. Part of the issue is that while he can win leverage on shorter routes, he struggled to do so in the deeper parts of the field. He also struggled to stack defenders with his smaller frame which will further limit his ability to make an impact deep down the field. Also, though he can make some really clean cuts, he often defaulted to sloppy, rounded cuts at times which were less effective. Finally, while he is a willing blocker, he has a very weak anchor and will be a liability as a blocker in the NFL.
While Noel has been one of the biggest risers from the combine with some mocks even putting him in the first round, I’d be surprised if he goes that early in the draft. He feels like a classic day 2 player as he is likely limited in his role and potential impact in the NFL. While I think he is a quality player, I worry that his lack of ability to create after the catch and his smaller frame will be too much for him to overcome and be more than a role player. Which again, is still helpful. But isn’t quite aligned with how high other people have now put him. As for a comp, I have another good role player in Jamison Crowder as his comp. Both are slot specialists with quality route running and good deception in their routes. Also, both have tough hands to ensure they are finishing catches over the middle. Both also could contribute a bit down the field to add a bit of versatility. However, neither could uncover themselves consistently to be more regular forces down the field. Also, both have a smaller catch radius and are a bit stiff in their adjustments which could limit their impact. Both also struggled with focus drops and offered little after the catch. Crowder wasn’t the most exciting player but he has enjoyed a long and productive NFL career. I think Noel could do the same if he goes to the right team with the right expectations of him.
Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado
Height: 5’8”; Weight: 174 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 7 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2/4 (Unlikely to Contribute)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 53 targets; 37 receptions; 441 yards; 1 touchdown
Drops: 2 (Drop Rate: 5.1%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (5.6%); Slot (90.9%)
Hands: B
Route Running: C+
Release: D-
Yards After Catch Potential: B-
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: C-
Body Control/Ball Tracking: B+
Future role: D+
RAS: D
Strengths:
Good hand technique
Can extend catch radius
Good eye for openings in defense
Good acceleration and shiftiness
Vision and balance after the catch and on returns
Areas of Improvement:
Will need to be slot exclusive
Very small frame
Poor success in contested catch situations
Really struggles with physical coverage
Lacks great athleticism to overcome frame
Comp: Justin Hardy
Jimmy Horn Jr. got a little bit of attention last year but faded a bit this year due to missing some games due to injury. In the games he did play, he caught the ball with good hand technique and arm extension. Despite his small frame, he does what he can to expand it and make catches at the end of it. He is good at both going down low for passes as well as rising up to snatch the ball. He can make some really well-timed body adjustments and also finish catches over his shoulders to help him on passes down the field. When he makes the catch, he can be harder to bring down than expected thanks to keeping his legs moving through contact. Also, he can be shifty and pair that with his good acceleration to make defenders miss and pick up extra yards. He also has good vision to follow his blocks which he showed after the catch and on returns. He also showed good traits as a route runner to fit into a slot role. He can make sharp cuts at times and has a very good eye for openings in the defense. He even showed a good understanding of how to read the layers of zone defense to work into those areas in the intermediate areas.
It’s good he showed signs of being a capable slot receiver since he is, unfortunately, going to be limited to that role in the NFL just as he was already limited to that in college. His frame is just so limiting and makes it difficult for him to operate on the outside. Corners were typically able to stonewall him and push him way off his route even to the point where he would sometimes end up out of bounds. His feet just aren’t quick enough and his arm counters aren’t strong enough to help him win consistently on the outside. His frame also limited him as a blocker as he had a very poor anchor and would have limited impact in these situations. His frame also limited his impact in contested catch situations as he had trouble finishing these situations with a success rate of just 33.3% for 2024 and 25.9% for his career. Good slot receivers need to be able to convert in those situations so that will be a major barrier to him getting playing time. Also, his hands improved this year but he still can have some focus drops that he needs to clean up. Finally, he is pretty disappointing from a route running versatility standpoint. The majority of his routes were shorter patterns near the line of scrimmage which shows with his 7.8 ADOT for the year. Even in those short routes, he lacked explosiveness in his cuts and was often redirected by physical coverage which limited how often he could get separation. The production he had could also be a bit suspicious as he benefited from a good chunk of his yards coming after doing short drag and out routes when he was left alone and guaranteed to get at least a 5-yard gain.
I just have a hard time seeing Horn work in the NFL. He has such a small frame and really struggles with the physicality of bigger defenders. Also, he has a pretty limited route tree which further complicates what he can offer over other potential options. Maybe he can get a roster spot thanks to his return ability but his small frame may increase the risk of injury and make teams want to go in a different direction. As for a comp, I have Justin Hardy as his comp. Both are small but can expand their catch radius by making adjustments to off-target throws. Also, both have solid ability to pick up extra yards after the catch and can contribute as returners. However, both may be limited to just being returners due to their limited route trees and struggles dealing with physical coverage. Also, neither are great at finishing contested catches and both lack explosion in their cuts which makes it difficult for them to make a big impact as receivers. Hardy was a role player who helped keep his role thanks to being reliable enough as a pass catcher and having some special teams value. That special teams value is the important part and where Horn will need to prove himself to earn a roster spot.