Jabbar Muhammad broke onto the national scene with his lockdown performance for Washington in 2023. His transfer to Oregon drew the eyes of many scouts as he’d have a chance to elevate into a premier prospect. Here is a 2025 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report and film analysis on him.
Overview, Film Analysis, and Early 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report of Oregon DB Jabbar Muhammad
Measurables:
- 5’10”
- 185 lbs
Player Background:
Coming out of powerhouse DeSoto HS, Jabbar Muhammad began his collegiate career with Oklahoma State. He committed to the Cowboys as a three-star prospect and a Top-65 cornerback prospect nationally. He recorded just one tackle over 30 total defensive snaps in his true freshman season. He found an expanded role the following year and became a rotational corner, tallying 23 tackles and three pass breakups. Muhammad’s junior campaign was the first where he sat atop the depth chart for the Cowboys. He snagged his first interception with 48 tackles and nine PBU, entering the NCAA Transfer Portal that offseason.
He joined Washington soon after and resumed his role as a top CB. His best season to date, Muhammad’s 14 PBUs ranked second in the nation and tacked on three picks and two sacks to his stat line. With heavy roster turnover, he entered the portal for a third time and committed to Oregon for his final season. He remains a heavily targeted corner and is in the midst of another solid year to end his collegiate career.
Accolades:
- Bednarik Award Player of the Week (2023)
- PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Week (2023)
- Second Team All-PAC-12 (2023)
- Washington Single Season PBU Record Holder [16] (2023)
- The Sporting News Second-Team Preseason All-American (2024)
- Preseason Transfer All-American (2024)
- Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
Muhammad is a gritty, playmaking corner who fights through the entire play. Despite his size, he’s extremely willing to be physical and invite contact. He sticks wideouts in press-man coverage and stays on them through catch point. This carries into his run defense, aggressively pursuing the ball carrier and tackles readily. As an athlete, his backpedal sinks low and is sharp enough to maintain vertical routes. He has the leaping ability to make up for some height concerns at catch point and position himself well.
His change-of-direction skills are quick, and he rips onto assignments with an impressive burst. Muhammad’s IQ and knowledge of the game shine through in option defense, diagnosing where the ball is going and flying to the target/runner. As a coverage defender, he follows crossing routes well and has a good stop-and-go trigger on underneath routes. His discipline, a large issue in previous years, has seen improvement in 2024.
Weaknesses/Cons:
Much of what limits Muhammad as a player is his smaller frame and less-than-ideal length. His physicality is often diminished against larger assignments and he gets penalized as a result of attempting to overcompensate. He’s a very wild mover at the catch point and doesn’t show much technicality in trying to break up passes. His lack of high-end long speed and iffy hip fluidity also add to these issues. He has to cheat and flip his hips prematurely to get into a better position later in plays. This bleeds into giving a much larger cushion in man coverage than desired, and crossing routes/slants can cause him trouble.
Back to his frame concerns, Muhammad is unable to shed most blocks when pursuing screens or runs. His quick footwork turns jittery and can mess up his backpedal when the WR release is extended. He also tends to bite on first moves and gets beat on multi-cut routes. He needs to be much stickier on simple outside-breaking routes and force his assignments to the sideline with more intent.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
The smoothest path to Muhammad reaching his potential in the NFL is getting drafted by a team with a veteran, technically sound CB1. His aggression and footwork can propel him into a long-term contributor, but he needs to sort out his discipline and “wildness” ASAP. If his development goes as planned, Muhammad can easily develop into a high-end CB2 with a low/mid-tier CB1 upside.
Prospect Grade:
- Early 3rd Round to Mid 3rd Round
Film Exposures:
- 2024 vs. Boise St
- 2024 vs. Ohio State
- 2023 vs. Oregon
Main Image: Troy Wayrynen – USA Today Sports
