Bryce Ford-Wheaton Draft Profile Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 221 Pounds
College: West Virginia
2023 NFL Draft: Bryce Ford-Wheaton Scouting Profile
Bryce Ford-Wheaton has officially declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. He had a productive but somewhat underwhelming college career at West Virginia. Ford-Wheaton spent five years at college, and it took until his redshirt junior year to finally break out even on a small scale. He finally eclipsed 500 yards in 2021, and despite the less-than-ideal situation he averaged over ten yards a reception. Because of this, he was an honorable mention for All-Conference honors and was staged for a huge senior season.
Unfortunately, that huge season never happened. He did lead the Mountaineers in receptions and receiving yards, but those totals were borderline pedestrian. A stat line of 62 catches for 675 yards is nothing to write home about. He probably could have used another year at college or in a better program but is out of eligibility and is now set to join the NFL next week.
It should be noted Ford-Wheaton made himself a lot of money at the 2023 NFL combine. Ford-Wheaton is one of only four or five players in the draft that have the potential to be a true X-receiver. He posted a 4.38 40-yard dash, which is insane given his size. To follow that up, he jumped 41 inches on the vertical, best in the class. Ford-Wheaton is an athlete that stands out among world class athletes, and if he can put together the finer details of playing receiver the sky is the limit.
Strengths
- A handful for defenders after the catch;
- Size speed combination almost unfair on go routes;
- Numerous clips of winning 50 50 balls;
- Aggressive run blocker;
- Huge, quarterback friendly catch radius;
- Solid body control along the sideline;
- Bailed out his quarterback on some very bad throws.
Weaknesses
- Short and intermediate routes are rounded and slow
- Never produced in college despite insane athleticism
- Struggles to release against press coverage
- Below average short area quickness
- Limited route tree in college
- Lazy when the play isn’t designed for him, very evident if he’s not the target
NFL Comparison: D.K. Metcalf if he never figured it out
Projected Draft Capital: Round 3-5
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs
Bottom Line on Bryce Ford-Wheaton
All in all Ford-Wheaton is a project. Accordingly, he could slide in the draft. Wide receiver coaches are going to bang the table and say the age old saying, “I can fix him”. You can’t teach speed, you can’t teach size, and Ford-Wheaton is a 99th percentile athlete in both areas. When D.K. Metcalf declared, he was a polarizing prospect who many labeled as a future bust. It’s different because Metcalf was an early declare coming off of an injury, but Ford-Wheaton has similar measurables and a similar ceiling.
While teams are trying to finalize their 2023 rookie big boards, Ford-Wheaton will be all over the place. He truly measured bigger faster and more explosive than any other receiver in the draft. So why draft Quentin Johnston in the first or second round if a team can get Ford-Wheaton on day two or three? Ford-Wheaton could end up being the best receiver from this class, and he isn’t getting any buzz due to his poor college production with a quarterback who couldn’t get him the ball.
Ford-Wheaton Dynasty Outlook
In short, Ford-Wheaton is a gamble. He is currently going undrafted or in the fourth round of rookie drafts. The time it will take him to polish as a receiver is probably longer than dynasty managers are willing to wait. If he gets high enough draft capital, he can move up boards but anything after round three he’s a dart throw at best. He’s worth a swing but will probably end up on waivers even in deeper leagues by week five.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
