Jalen Moreno-Cropper NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5′-11″
Weight: 172 pounds
School: Fresno State
2023 NFL Draft: Jalen Moreno-Cropper Scouting Report
After spending the past four seasons with the Fresno State Bulldogs, Jalen Moreno-Cropper is finally ready to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. The wide receiver is coming off yet another impressive season, recording 84 receptions for a career-high 1,093 yards and five touchdowns.
Jalen Moreno-Cropper originally began his college football journey back in the 2019 season. The wideout played a modest role during his rookie campaign, finishing the year with 15 receptions for 196 yards while adding another 343 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for good measure. He developed into more of a true wide receiver during the 2020 season, ending the year with 37 receptions for 520 yards and five touchdowns. He once again improved in 2021, recording 85 receptions for 899 yards and a career-best 11 touchdowns.
Strengths
- Very fast – can be dangerous in the open field;
- Ideal gadget player – has experience taking carries and can throw when needed;
- Varies speed in routes to confuse cornerbacks and gain separation;
- Impressive after the catch – can make guys miss in tight spaces;
- Starts and stops on a dime – highly impressive footwork.
Weaknesses
- Very small, and he plays like it;
- Not a physical receiver – if someone makes contact in press, he’s out of the play;
- Bad in contested situations – if he’s not open by two steps, don’t throw it to him;
- Exclusively a slot receiver – lacks the strength to line up wide;
- Small catch radius and doesn’t adjust well to the football;
- Lets the ball come to him, rather than aggressively attack the football.
NFL Comparison: Greg Ward
Teams With Need at Position: Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
Projection: Rounds 4-5
Bottom Line on Jalen Moreno-Cropper
If you only watched his highlights, you’d think that Jalen Moreno-Cropper is one of the better receivers in the NFL Draft class. It’s easy to see why one could come to that conclusion, as the Fresno State product can be an electric playmaker in the right situation. Moreno-Cropper possesses great speed and can start and stop on a dime, and this ability with the ball in his hands gives him the potential to make big plays every single time he touches the ball. It also lets him create open windows on comeback routes and in-breaking routes, as defenders have a tough time matching his lateral agility.
However, the bigger picture shows a player that will likely be a situational player at the next level. Jalen Moreno-Cropper is remarkably small for an NFL receiver, and unlike someone like DeVonta Smith, his lack of size is present all over his tape. He lacks the muscle to line up wide, win contested catches, and break tackles. He also doesn’t adjust well to poor passes and is something of a one-trick pony. However, that one trick is a really good one, and his speed and abilities in the open field are more than enough to justify a mid- to late-round selection.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
