Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 197 lbs
School: Pittsburgh Panthers
Tyler Boyd 2016 NFL Draft Profile
Not since Larry Fitzgerald has there been as prolific a wide receiver at Pittsburgh until Tyler Boyd.
@LarryFitzgerald thank you i appreciate it and i always will
— Tyler Boyd (@boutdat_23) December 27, 2013
Fitzgerald’s prophetic praise of Boyd after his breakout freshman season
Boyd holds the Pitt records for career receptions (258) receiving yards (3,361) and this season fell one catch shy of Fitzgerald’s record of receptions in a season (91). Boyd being compared to Fitzgerald began early in his career as a Panther, when he set the freshman mark for receiving yards with 1,174, surpassing Fitzgerald by 175 yards. The three time All-ACC selection leaves Pittsburgh with the second most all-purpose yards with 5,243, behind another Pitt legend, Tony Dorsett.
A local product from nearby Clariton High School, Boyd was a prolific player for the Pennsylvania powerhouse. During his career at Clairton, the talented wideout would score a Pennsylvania state record 117 touchdowns while playing all over the field at running back, receiver, quarterback, defensive back, and punt returner. He was named Class A player of the year twice and was MVP of the Big 33 Classic (Pennsylvania vs Maryland) after a five touchdown performance.
Combine Performance
Boyd’s performance at the 2016 NFL Combine was underwhelming to say the least. This year saw one of the slowest wide receiver classes in combine history with an average 40-time in the 4.56 range and Boyd did nothing to standout in that area since he ran a 4.58 40. In all speed drills, Boyd didn’t do much to separate himself from the pack with an average finish around 24th out of 40 participants.
However, what he lacked in speed measurables he made up for in the drill portion of the combine. In the gauntlet drill, Boyd caught every pass thrown to him and he seemed to be the most comfortable receiver who participated. The high amount of targets Boyd saw while at Pitt benefited him greatly and he seemed to prove that catching a football is almost instinctual at this point.
Strengths
- Strong hands and route running ability
- Highly athletic and durable playing both wide receiver and running back
- High target rate in college
- Ability to catch the ball from out in front of him
- Can get separation from defensive backs
Weaknesses
- Unusually low touchdown to target ratio
- Ran mostly screens and slants in college and hasn’t shown to be much of a downfield threat.
- Lack of breakaway speed and quickness hampers his yards after catch potential.
- Not much of a factor in the run game with below average blocking.
- Ball security issues especially as a punt returner. Needs to learn to protect the ball with his body after the catch.
NFL comparison: Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers
Teams with need at position: Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers
Projections: Depending on how the draft goes, Boyd will either go late first to early second round.
Bottom line
A Swiss Army knife in football pads, Boyd’s athletic versatility makes him an offensive weapon. The intangibles are there but they need to be refined in order for Boyd to really make an impact as a featured receiver. He has the potential to be a number one option, but, at least at first, he will be better utilized as a complimentary piece as a number two possession receiver either on the outside or in the slot.
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