Athletic Profile
Height: 5083
Weight: 165
Arm Length: 30 1/2”
40 Time: 4.49
Vertical: Pro Day*
Broad Jump: 1001
3-Cone: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
Relative Athletic Score: 5.82
* Indicates Recorded At Pro Day
Statistics
2022: 108 REC - 1,399 YRDS - 17 TD - 13 Y/REC - 4.9 YAC/REC - 2.54 Y/RR - 11.6 ADOT - 7.7 DRP% - 53.8 CTC%
2021: 91 REC - 1,328 YRDS - 12 TD - 14.6 Y/REC - 6.6 YAC/REC - 2.84 Y/RR - 11.2 ADOT - 10.8 DRP% - 33.3 CTC%
Snap Count:
SLT: 48.7%
WIDE: 51.3%
Pros
Acceleration Ability
Body Control
Return Ability
Separation Quickness
Cons
Size
Physicality
Body Catcher
Catch Radius
Summary
Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, the former three star recruit from Florida, originally committed to Florida A&M out of high school before transferring to Houston in 2020. At Houston he was an instant impact starter at both wide receiver and kick returner. Dell will depart the Houston program after his Redshirt Junior year with over 3,000 yards and 30 scores.
Dell is a fleet footed receiver that shows special acceleration ability. Dell’s ability to sink his hips and explode out of breaks makes him an elite man separator. He has the body control to throw his full body into his stems and still change direction with ease. Dell’s best routes come from the horizontal route tree where he is able to leverage his change of direction skills and advantage of his top tier acceleration and deceleration ability. The same short area quickness shows up when Dell has the ball in his hands. The return game star is a slippery jitterbug in space and stresses a defense when he has the ball in his hands. When asked to threaten defenses down the field Dell has the requisite deep speed and ball tracking to do so. He shows a strong ability to maintain control while tracking balls over his shoulder and along the sideline.
The biggest question around Dell will be his size. The recent history of 5’ 9” 165 pound receivers is not a good one. He was a 50/50 inside and outside split in college but his diminutive stature likely reduces him to a slot only and gadget guy at the next level. The lack of size shows up in his game where he struggles to release versus physicality on the outside and reroutes are particularly effective. In addition, for a YAC playmaker he goes down on first contact far more than you would like. Dell’s playmaking upside is handicapped by the fact that he is quicker than fast. A large amount of his speed comes from his initial burst before tapering off late (4.49 40 time). Additional questions about Dell’s ability to feel space in zone and throttle down are also prevalent. As a player you want to prioritize getting the ball out in space he also needs to clean up drops. Dell has a poor habit of body catching when out in space. He shows flashes of the ability to attack the ball in the air with his hands but it is not consistent enough.
Tank Dell is an extremely dynamic playmaker who will add a level of explosiveness to an offense. There are legit questions about his ability to hold up at the next level given his size and the history of players like him at the position. The optimism that he has enough in his game to overcome this and become a star is lessened by his drops and lack of game changing long speed. Dell projects as a WR2/3 who plays a majority of his snaps in the slot. His return and YAC ability will add juice to whatever team he joins. With the proper play calling Dell can be a weapon versus man and with the ball out in space.
Grade: 5.95 - Third Round Grade (Has A Chance To Contribute)
Games Watched: Auburn (2021), Cincinnati (2021), Kansas (2022), Texas Tech (2022), Tulane (2022)
Pro Comp: Isaiah McKenzie