Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 223 pounds
School: Liberty Flames
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.60 seconds
Bench press: 22 reps (second-best among wide receivers)
Vertical jump: 36 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 7 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.33 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.55 seconds
Antonio Gandy-Golden 2020 NFL Draft Profile
There have been a lot of exciting developments for the Liberty football program during Antonio Gandy-Golden‘s four years there. The Flames were at FCS level as part of the Big South Conference during his first two seasons with the Flames with them winning the league title during his freshman campaign. In 2018, though, the school transitioned to FBS and competed as an independent. Over the next two years, they would put together a rather impressive 14-11 record given their newness to a higher level of play. And Gandy-Golden was a big reason why.
Over the course of his time with the Flames, Gandy-Golden put together three seasons of 1,000+ receiving yards. As a sophomore, his 69 receptions and 1,066 receiving yards both led the Big South which earned him first-team all-league recognition. He also added 10 touchdown receptions which were tied for the conference lead. Gandy-Golden kept up the pace a year later, tallying 1,039 yards and another 10 scores on 71 receptions. He was the mark of consistency as a senior as he added a further 10 touchdown catches. But his yardage stat line is what really stands out. He finished out his final year in Lynchburg with 1,396 receiving yards which ranked fourth-best in FBS. It included going for five catches, 63 yards, and a touchdown in Liberty’s first-ever bowl win over Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl.
Strengths
- surefire traits prospect with ideal height-weight features;
- 1,000+ yard receiver for three consecutive seasons;
- has confident hands that effortlessly pluck the ball out of the air;
- a legit deep threat who high-points the ball extremely well;
- wins in contested catch situations more often than not;
- effortless lateral cut to get inside on slants and other underneath routes;
- can showcase upper-body strength with a nasty stiff-arm;
- capable of eluding defenders once the ball’s in his hands;
- has the courage to haul in balls when he knows contact is coming;
- a fierce competitor who should be a galvanizing presence in the locker room;
- able to open up running lanes for his teammates with his blocking effort.
Weaknesses
- struggles to separate from press coverage;
- route tree needs further development;
- film does show issues with focus drops at times;
- route transitions need to be more sharp;
- not enough production down the middle, particularly on intermediate routes;
- timing of breaks in routes could improve;
- double-move must be crisper in order to confuse NFL-caliber defenders.
NFL Comparison: Kenny Golladay
Teams With Need at Position: Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Projection: Fourth to fifth round
Bottom Line
A prospect who boasts quintessential NFL-caliber physical traits, Antonio Gandy-Golden also enjoyed a hugely productive career at Liberty. His hugely impressive senior campaign which was statistically one of the best in FBS this past season certainly put NFL teams with a need at wide receiver on notice. Not only does he look the part of a feature receiver that can make plays vertically, but he also plays it as well. His ball skills are evident play after play with his ability to win 50/50 balls downfield. What also plays in his favor is the fact that he’s quite hard to bring down after the catch.
But Antonio Gandy-Golden is still a work in progress. Among the things that need improvement for him to reach his ceiling are his route-running, sharpness in route transitions, and ability to separate when initially jammed at the line of scrimmage. There are also concerns that he might be susceptible to focus drops when harassed by highly skilled defensive backs. If he can improve on those shortcomings in his game while continually honing his strengths, Gandy-Golden can certainly emerge as a downfield playmaking receiver in the pros capable of embarrassing opposing defensive backs.
