Zay Flowers NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5’-9”
Weight: 182 Pounds
School: Boston College
2023 NFL Draft: Zay Flowers Scouting Report
With players like Antonio Brown, Deebo Samuel, and Tyreek Hill taking the league by storm it’s clear that there is a change in philosophy happening. Receivers don’t always have to fit the ideal mold of being 6’-3” and 225 pounds to dominate in the NFL. It’s becoming more evident that speed and skill can be more deadly than sheer frame. A prospect in this year’s draft who fits that mold to a “T” is Boston College’s Xavien “Zay” Flowers.
With playmakers at tight end, running back, and receiver position in this year’s draft, Zay Flowers perhaps is the most electric of them all. The best receiving prospect in this year’s draft was a three-star recruit out of Florida. Attending Boston College was perhaps one of the best decisions he made. Despite not having an elite quarterback to get him the ball, the Eagles would utilize his skill set to the full extent. What makes him unique is his position versatility, but what makes him dominant is his ability as a receiver.
In 2020 Zay Flowers had a game for the ages against Virginia finishing with eight receptions, 180 yards, and two touchdowns. Garnering over 100 targets in two seasons in his career with Boston College he set the record for receiving touchdowns in a season with twelve his final season. He also tied the record for receptions in a season with seventy-eight and finished third in receiving yards with 1,077. He also received All ACC nominations each of the last three years. Flowers accomplished all of this not only without elite quarterback play but also dealing with injuries at that position.
Strengths
- The most electric playmaker among this year’s skill position prospects;
- Versatile player who can do serious damage in the backfield or on jet sweeps;
- Still raw as a prospect and could be so much more with better quarterback play;
- Elite speed running a 4.42 40 which shows when he is torching the defense or when the ball is in his hands;
- Can be a contortionist at times with the way he can adjust to the throw in the air, reminiscent of Antonio Brown with his toe tap.
Weaknesses
- Undersized and will likely be the smallest player on the field on any given play;
- Can get pushed around by bigger, physical corners which is bad for him in press coverage and bad for the team in the run game;
- Smaller size means smaller catch radius, will lose contested catches;
- Suffers from concentration drops on routine catches at times;
- Needs to fine-tune his route running at the next level, relies on speed too many times to win.
NFL Comparison: Percy Harvin
Teams With A Need: Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs
Projection: First Round
Bottom Line on Zay Flowers
Zay Flowers is looking at the NFL Draft from a fair perspective. While many teams early need a quarterback, tackle, or help on defense, Flowers will likely fall to a contender. He will likely land on a team with a good quarterback and a sharp offensive mind on the staff. Flowers could easily contribute on special teams if needed but teams will most likely want to plug him right into the offense as a second or third option. A team that drafts Flowers is getting an energizing playmaker who can fit on any offense. He is best suited to be a compliment to a team’s alpha receiver early on while he adjusts to the next level. In a few seasons, he could be one of the better receivers in the NFL.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
