Scouting Report: Troy Franklin (WR) - Oregon
Sales Pitch: “Long, wiry WR who excels on vertical routes and deep crossers. Brings a tantalizing blend of speed and quickness with a knack for finding soft spots in zone.”
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 1 7/8”
Weight: 176 lbs
Arm Length: 31 7/8”
Hand Size: 8 3/4”
40 Yard Dash: 4.41
10 Yard Split: 1.61
Vertical: 39”
Broad Jump: 10’ 4”
Short Shuttle: 4.31
3-Cone: 6.90
Age: 21
Relative Athletic Score: 9.02 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 160 REC - 2,483 YDS - 15.5 YPR - 25 TD
2023: 81 REC - 1,383 YDS - 17.1 YPR - 14 TD
Strengths
Plus height and length for the position
Very good athlete with tremendous foot quickness for a player of his size
High end motor and consistency on a week to week basis
Strong understanding of defenders leverages and where to attack coverages
Long strider with the top end speed to threaten defenses vertically
Weaponizes quickness and speed to get clean releases versus non-press coverages
Able to quickly stack defenders that cannot stay in front of him due to competent hand usage and plus long speed
High end separation skills on the vertical route tree
Innate sense for space versus zone, displays the ability to consistently slide to the correct spot
Body control and concentration to adjust to and corral balls outside his frame
Strong awareness of the sideline and back of the end zone in tight spaces
Quickly works upfield post catch and has the long speed to punish angles
Combines length, foot speed and effort to be a competent blocker
Weaknesses
Thin wiry frame with limited play strength
Struggles to get off press jam due to limited play strength and inconsistent hand usage
Has problems creating separation versus longer DBs who can match his athletic gifts
Tendency to round off horizontal routes and let DBs back into the play
9 drops in 2023. Lapses in concentration allow the ball to get into his chest and end up on the ground
Needs to improve his timing and aggression in jump ball scenarios
Struggles to recover from contact at the top of his routes and the catch point
Reroutes in zone coverage are particularly effective due to his lack of weight
Lacks the play strength to break tackles from Front-7 players
Size and strength combo limit his ability to make an impact as a blocker
Will need to be moved around in terms of alignment in some matchups to avoid bigger press style DBs
Summary
Troy Franklin was a premier deep threat and one of the best overall WRs during the 2023 college football season. At 6’ 3” he has plus height and length for the position; when combined with a good blend of speed and quickness he checks a lot of boxes for an NFL WR. Franklin does his best work on the vertical routes tree where he can uses his burst and speed to quickly stack DBs when they press him and close the space when they play off. He displays a good understanding of defenders leverage and how coverages try to play him, doing a nice job using head fakes and jabs to attack coverage players’ blind spots. Franklin’s football intelligence really shines when he works against zone coverage, he is excellent at find space to settle down in. Franklin has good body control and the concentration needed to make catches outside his frame. He does a great job working in the scramble drill and making tough catches in traffic on 3rd down and in the red zone. Franklin can weaponize his speed after the catch as well, his long strides let him quickly get up to full speed and will punish defenders that take poor angles. Despite his thinner frame he is a competent blocker due to very good length and fantastic effort. Franklin’s weight is a major concern at the next level in terms of injury risk and play style. He spent around 80% of his snaps on the outside in college because he had the athletic ability to beat most DBs but when faced with bigger defenders that can match his athletic ability he struggles to get off press coverage. Franklin’s lack of size and strength also shows up at the catch point where he struggles in contested catch scenarios and staying on track versus reroutes from underneath zone defenders. Franklin, despite his strong hands on difficult catches, does have a bit of a drop problem (9 drops in 2023). It is less of a physical issue and more concentration, he often lets balls get too deep into his frame resulting in them ending up on the ground. Franklin projects as a high end WR2 at the next level. His blend of speed, quickness and route running indicate an impact starter in the NFL. Due to his weight and issues with press he is best suited as a “Z” WR that is moved around to avoid longer press style Dbs.