KJ Duff is one of the most productive wide receivers returning to college football in 2026, and his scouting report looks at how productive he might be during the 2026 season, and how well his skill set might translate to the next level.
Early 2027 NFL Draft KJ Duff Scouting Report
Measurables:
Height- 6’6″
Weight- 225 lbs
Background:
Duff attended St. Anthony’s High School in New York, where he was a three-star recruit. He committed to Rutgers and played in all 13 games in his freshman season. Duff made his first career start against Nebraska, and he started four games in total during the season, recording 425 receiving yards and one touchdown. He started all 12 games during his sophomore season in 2025. As a full-time starter, Duff led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns during the season. He finished third in the Big Ten in receiving yards with 1,084 yards and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors. Duff also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and was named a Phil Steele Honorable Mention All-American.
Strengths:
Duff is a big-framed wide receiver with elite size for the position at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds and great arm length as well. He has a big catch radius and made many of the most impressive catches of any wide receiver during the 2025 season, including multiple incredible one-handed catches.
Duff is one of the best contested-catch wide receivers in college football and led the country with 22 contested catches in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. He has great play strength, is able to effectively box out defenders, has tremendous body control, and does a good job of playing through contact at the catch point.
Duff also has very reliable hands. He rarely drops the football and has the ability to consistently catch the football away from his body. Duff was also a highly productive player last season and finished in the top 10 in all of college football for total receiving yards with 1,084, along with seven touchdowns. He also had one of the most impressive single-game performances of the season against Purdue with 241 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Weaknesses:
Duff lacks elite quickness and speed. He can struggle to create separation downfield against man coverage and doesn’t have the ability to consistently run past defenders. He is also not a strong run-after-the-catch wide receiver. Duff doesn’t have great short-area quickness and elusiveness and is not able to make defenders miss in open space. He had a low number of broken tackles during the 2025 season. Duff also needs to improve his ability to consistently create separation quickly against physical press coverage.
KJ Duff Scouting Report Overview:
Duff does not have great short-area quickness or straight-line speed, and he is not a strong runner after the catch who lacks the ability to make defenders miss in open space. However, he is also a big-framed wide receiver with a big catch radius and arguably the best contested catch ability in college football.
Duff has extremely strong and reliable hands and has the ability to make catches despite good coverage or an inaccurate throw. He is a wide receiver prospect who has the potential to be one of the top receivers selected in the draft and has the upside to potentially develop into a great wide receiver in the NFL, but he will have to improve his ability to create separation against physical press coverage. If Duff has another productive season in 2026 and becomes more consistent against press coverage, he could be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
