NFL Draft prospect profile: Zay Flowers

Overview

Zay Flowers started his Boston College career quietly as he played in 13 games (only starting in two) as a freshman. The Florida kid ended his freshman year with 22 receptions for 341 yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles even ran Flowers 27 times for 195 yards and one touchdown. His sophomore season he more than doubled those numbers, finishing with 56 catches for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns. The improvement lead him to becoming the second Boston College receiver in school history to be named to the All-ACC First Team. He earned this honor after playing in two less games than his freshman year and starting in every game.

Flowers took a small step back his junior year as his numbers dropped to 44 receptions for 746 yards and five touchdowns. While some numbers went down, his average yards per reception went up from 15.9 to 17.0. This would end as his career best. After three solid seasons, Flowers decided to turn it up a notch for his senior season with a career best stat-line to finish off his Eagle career, posting 78 catches for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns. It was a standout year for Flowers and put him on the map for many scouts and general managers. Throughout his time at Boston College, he was able to show that he is a pure playmaker.

Positives

• Very slippery with the ball in his hands.
• Great awareness of defenders around him.
• Elite play speed and doesn’t slow when the throw leads him.
• Able to adjust his body around the defender and find the ball.
• Tracks deep ball very well.
• Creates separation on all three levels.
• Punt return experience.

Negatives

• Three out of four seasons with a drop percentage above 10%.
• Will need to improve zone coverage awareness.
• Needs to find ways to exploit defenders on routes.
• Smaller frame could hurt his ability to win contested catches in the NFL.
• Doesn’t have a big catch radius.

Draft Projection

Zay Flowers has become a favorite among scouts, and rightfully so. He’s another smaller receiver in a draft class full of shorter playmakers. But, his height won’t stop him from getting picked in the first-round. His playmaking ability and speed stands out on tape with the ability to score from anywhere and at any time.

Zay Flowers is an electric player that could be picked in the first-round despite having an early second-round grade. He has climbed up draft boards (#1 WR on some) as he has shown great awareness of his surroundings on tape. Flowers makes guys miss consistently with an amazing sense of defenders around him. Whoever gets their hands on Flowers should be very happy as they’re getting a pure baller.