Antonio Nunn 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5’-11”
Weight: 204 pounds
School: Buffalo
Antonio Nunn 2021 NFL Draft Profile
After spending the entirety of his collegiate career at Buffalo, wide receiver Antonio Nunn is hoping to take his game to the professional level via the 2021 NFL Draft. The redshirt senior is coming off arguably his best season to date, recording 37 receptions on 56 targets for 584 yards and two touchdowns. These numbers may not look like much, but Buffalo’s run-heavy approach limited Nunn’s overall ceiling from a volume perspective. In terms of market share, Nunn was easily the top option in this passing attack.
Antonio Nunn isn’t projected to be an early-round pick, meaning that he’ll need to overcome the odds to succeed at the NFL level. Fortunately, he’s no stranger to this, as he was only a two-star recruit coming out of high school. After only receiving two offers, the Florida native committed to Buffalo. After spending his early seasons as a depth option, Nunn finally broke out in the 2019 season. Seeing the field for 723 snaps, the wide receiver finished his breakout campaign with 49 receptions on 88 targets for 687 yards and six touchdowns. All of these numbers ended up being career-best marks for Nunn.
Strengths
- Strong, physical receiver that can overpower cornerbacks at the catch point;
- NFL-caliber athlete;
- Great at tracking the ball – paces his routes to give highest odds of completion;
- Changes his route to adjust for off-target passes;
- Runs a nice fade route – could turn into an endzone specialist;
- 88th percentile college dominator and 96th percentile target share;
Weaknesses
- Small hands lead to drops;
- Poor route runner – wears his defender like a cape;
- Didn’t face good competition at Buffalo – need to see him do it against better athletes;
- Nothing special after the catch;
- Didn’t break out until his age-22 season.
NFL Comparison: Quintez Cephus
Teams With Need At Position: Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans
Projection: 6th/7th Round
Bottom Line on Antonio Nunn
Antonio Nunn is a big-bodied receiver that excels at winning in contested situations and not much else. The 5’-11”, 204-pound receiver runs a nasty fade route, and his size combined with his above-average tracking ability makes him one of the better jump ball specialists in this class. While he’s not the second coming of Calvin Johnson by any stretch of the imagination, he does have the athleticism necessary to make it in the NFL in some capacity.
Sadly, this skill set isn’t all that valuable in today’s NFL. Contested catches are extremely fickle on a year-to-year basis, and are easily the least effective type of target. Nunn is a bad route runner that doesn’t separate, so just about every target will be a contested-catch situation. These low probability targets get even lower when factoring in his below-average hands, and his mediocre speed and open-field ability limit any upside after the catch. He could turn into a solid depth receiver and red zone specialist, but that’s about where the upside ends for Antonio Nunn.
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