NFL.com ranks former Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong as a top-50 draft prospect
Jan 19, 2015, 5:45 PM | Updated: 6:08 pm
In December, wide receiver Jaelen Strong announced he would forgo his senior season at Arizona State and declare for the 2015 NFL Draft.
If an NFL.com scouting report released Monday is any indication, he made the correct call.
Strong is rated the NCAA’s No. 29 overall draft prospect and the No. 7 wide receiver in NFL.com’s list of top-50 NFL prospects for 2015.
Strong is the sixth-highest rated Pac-12 prospect on the list. USC defensive end Leonard Williams is ranked No. 1 overall.
Strong is a tall, long wideout with an excellent catch radius. He isn’t very sudden or explosive, but he’s a smooth route runner with outstanding ball skills … After the catch he is very strong to pull through tackles but he lacks wiggle and home-run burst. Overall, Strong has a big frame and he should be an immediate red-zone threat.
In October, an NFL scout compared Strong to WR Marques Colston, the New Orleans Saints’ all-time leader in receiving yards and touchdowns.
“He’s big, physical and competitive with great hands,” the scout told Sports Illustrated’s Inside Read feature. “He’s not a burner. He’s probably 4.53 in the 40, but Marques Colston and all these guys get in the league and do really well. He’s one of those. He’ll be a really good player.”
In his two years at ASU, Strong had back-to-back 1,100-yard yard seasons and 17 total touchdowns. He had 12 100-yard games in 26 appearances with the Sun Devils.
