The 2018 NFL Draft Prospect series breaks down draft-eligible players, highlighting their college production as well as their NFL potential. It’s important for daily fantasy players to know about NFL rookies before they’ve played a down of professional football because they are among the most misvalued assets in all of DFS. People who know NFL rookies have a significant DFS edge. The draft will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, from April 26-28.
This piece is on New Mexico State wide receiver Jaleel Scott.
For more on all the other receivers in the class, see our 2018 NFL draft wide receiver rankings.
Updated as of Mar. 15.
Redshirt Senior | 6’5″ and 218 Pounds | Born February 23, 1995 (Age: 23) | Projection: Rounds 5-7
Combine numbers: 40-yard: 4.56 sec | bench reps: 16 | 3-cone: 7.2 sec | 20-yard shuttle: 4.4 sec | vertical: 34.5 in | broad: 124 in
Although he started out at junior college and finished in the Sun Belt, Scott has some Power Five-ish pedigree in that he was recruited by Maryland and Kentucky, but his academic qualifications for admission were lacking. As a result, he went to Ellsworth Community College, where he redshirted for a year and then played sparingly as a freshman. As a sophomore he didn’t have a great season — he was second on the team with 45 receptions and third with 668 yards — but he did lead the offense with nine touchdowns receiving.
Thanks to his raw talent and red-zone ability, Scott was recruited to New Mexico St. out of the JC ranks, and in his first year with the Aggies he led the team with five touchdowns, although (once again) his other receiving numbers (23 receptions and 283 yards) were unimpressive. As a senior, though, he finally had a complete campaign, leading the team with 76 receptions, 1,079 yards, and nine touchdowns. While Scott’s athleticism is by no means elite, he has enough size-adjusted speed to be a functional NFL receiver, and his contested-catch skills are nearly elite thanks to his ability to box out defenders with his large frame: Amazingly, he was second in the nation last year with 17 deep receptions of 20-plus yards (Pro Football Focus). He’s unlikely ever to be a starting receiver in the league, but he could find a role as a red-zone and situational jump-ball specialist.
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Matthew Freedman is the Editor-in-Chief of FantasyLabs. He has a dog and sometimes a British accent. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he’s known only as The Labyrinthian.
Photo Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
