There are a lot of layers to player comparisons. Whether it’s size, athleticism, play style or a combination of all three, they are a great exercise to paint a short- and long-term picture of a prospect.
Below are some of my favorites I have arrived at from this year’s class.
QB Comparisons
Alabama’s Bryce Young - Undersized Joe Burrow
Young’s pre-snap IQ and calm nature when pressured allows him to carve up the opposition, like Joe Cool.
Florida’s Anthony Richardson - Josh Allen at Wyoming
Richardson, much like Allen, will struggle with accuracy early on. Yet, his rushing and deep throwing makes him an explosive-play machine who is worth the early frustrations.
Kentucky’s Will Levis - Jordan Love
Much like Love, Levis needs seasoning to improve his timing and decision making. Also like Love, he has a big arm, enough mobility and the ideal frame to start at the next level.
Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker - Geno Smith
Hooker comes out of a high-flying offense with tremendous production on his resume. He looks extremely comfortable working off play action, where he threw 18 touchdowns to just 1 interception and averaged 10.4 yards per attempt in 2022 (per PFF). Hooker’s build-up speed when he takes off is also very similar to Geno.
UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson - Tyler Huntley
Undersized and overlooked, Thompson-Robinson is a gamer with five years of starting experience. He understands how to buy time as a thrower but his running is a big-time weapon in the red zone. He had 28 rushing touchdowns during his college career.
RB Comparisons
Texas’ Bijan Robinson - Todd Gurley
Todd Gurley in Sean McVay‘s offense with the Rams was a special sight to see. Robinson has the frame, running talent and most importantly pass catching ability to handle the same usage. He’s a machine at creating his own yards.
Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs - Dalvin Cook
Gibbs might lack Cook’s size, but his outside running gear is on the same tier in terms of instant acceleration.
UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet - Matt Forte
I know this is lofty praise here for Charbonnet, but his downhill power running, reliable pass catching and protection put him in this company. He’s built for 20-plus touches per game.
Texas A&M’s Devon Achane - Jahvid Best
You have to wonder what Best’s career would’ve looked like if he didn’t deal with significant injuries. Achane, like Best, has Olympic track speed on the football field with a similar muscled-up frame.
Pitt’s Israel Abanikanda - Willie Parker
When Willie Parker saw daylight, he could rip off huge chunks with speed. Abanikanda has the same home run ability with a similar frame of 210-plus pounds.
WR Comparisons
Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Cooper Kupp
Who cares if a receiver only eats from the slot? Kupp takes over games with great releases, route running and tough catches in the middle of the field. Thanks to even better agility, Jaxon Smith-Njigba will do the same.
USC’s Jordan Addison - TY Hilton
Addison might not be as fast, but he’s just as crafty as Hilton at all three levels of the field. It takes a special receiver to thrive, despite being under 185 pounds, but I won’t bet against the former Biletnikoff Award winner.
TCU’s Quentin Johnston - Martavis Bryant
Johnston is a big leaper with build-up speed who can run hot and cold at the catch point. The Horned Frog is a Bryant clone.
Tennessee’s Cedric Tillman - Courtland Sutton
Tillman and Sutton ran the same exact 40 times at 4.54 and that kind of speed is just different when it’s coming at you on a frame of 6-3, 210-plus pounds. Plus, their frame shielding at the catch point and possession ability is very similar.
Boston College’s Zay Flowers - Elijah Moore
Small but hard to get hands on, Flowers moves differently in the open field. He and Moore possess a ton of wiggle with the ball in their hands.
Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt - Will Fuller
Hyatt and Fuller are two slender, upright runners with legit vertical burning speed, who love the big plays.
North Carolina’s Josh Downs - Sterling Shepard
You won’t fear them beating you over the top often, but Downs can paper cut a defense over and over again like Shepard. They are masters of finding space in the middle of the field and as reliable as they come catching it.
Cincinnati’s Tyler Scott - Mecole Hardman
Scott possesses similar terrifying speed that Hardman does, but he’s still learning how to become a well-rounded. Besides shots down the field, an offense should look to scheme him manufactured touches.
Houston’s Tank Dell - Isaiah McKenzie
It’s not easy coming into the NFL as one of the lightest players at 165 pounds, but Dell should still be effective as both a receiver and potentially a returner. Much like McKenzie, he’s explosive and shifty.
Ole Miss’s Jonathan Mingo - Smaller Allen Lazard
Mingo can play a grinder’s game as he doesn’t mind blocking to help out the run game. However, his big frame and second-level gear also aid in his receiving ability.
TE Comparisons
Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer - Pat Freiermuth
While they may lack great speed, Mayer and Freiermuth make up for it by making catches in traffic with their big frames. Plus, both are red zone monsters who can be trusted to handle blocking duties on the line of scrimmage, while having the pass-catching prowess to kick out to the slot.
Georgia’s Darnell Washington - Faster Marcedes Lewis
Good luck finding another skill player who is nearly 6'7, over 260 pounds, with a 4.64 forty time and a 4.08 shuttle (97th percentile for tight ends). Lewis didn’t have that kind of agility, but his size and blocking mentality was very similar. Washington is one of the most exciting players in this draft because of his unique skill set.
San Diego’s Dalton Kincaid - Jordan Reed
Kincaid is a little bigger than Reed was coming out, but they both are unique receiving talents at their position with the ability to challenge the seam and win the ball in the air. Too big for corners and too much burst for linebackers, offenses can funnel their air attacks through these mismatch nightmares.
South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft - Tyler Eifert
South Dakota State vs. Notre Dame, which school is the real tight end university? No matter your answer, these two have almost identical size, speed and agility profiles.
Iowa’s Sam LaPorta - Daniel Bellinger
Much like Bellinger coming out, LaPorta is a jack of all trades tight end and a fundamentally sound football player. Plus, they both have a relative athletic score above 9, an underappreciated part of their evaluation.
Other notable comparisons
Alabama EDGE Will Anderson - Brian Orakpo
Whether it’s with his hand in the dirt or standing up, Anderson generates speed to power and plays with his hair on fire. That play style stands out on the field, much like Orakpo’s did when he was healthy. They also have similar size, length and pass rush plans.
Georgia DL Jalen Carter - Ndamukong Suh
A scheme-proof force in the middle of the field, not many can impact both the pass and run game when he’s firing on all cylinders like Carter can. Players this size with that kind of movement and power don’t come around often.
Northwestern OL Peter Skoronski - Alijah Vera-Tucker
Much like AVT, Skoronski has teams scrambling over whether he’s a long-term tackle due to arm length. Much like AVT, he’s going to be one hell of an addition to an NFL offensive line wherever he lines up.
Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon - Jaire Alexander
In an era full of gigantic corners with length, Witherspoon and Alexander bring a different attitude, despite being under six feet tall. I haven’t seen a defensive back with the click and close ability of Witherspoon since Alexander.
Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez - Jaycee Horn
Long, explosive and possessing tremendous deep recovery speed, Gonzalez can stay in the hip pocket of any receiver on the outside.
Pitt DL Calijah Kancey - Michael Bennett
At 281 pounds on the interior defensive line, Kancey is one of the hardest players in this draft to find a comparison for. It’s amazing how he wrecks guards and centers despite playing in a different weight class the same way Michael Bennett did.
Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy - Jadeveon Clowney
A bigger edge player with elite straight line speed, Murphy’s run defense is ahead of his pass rush package. That’s been Clowney for much of his NFL career.
Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith - Haason Reddick
Not every defense will deploy undersized edge players like Smith and Reddick, but their explosive nature and elite chase speed is a nightmare for tackles on an island.
Tulane RB Tyjae Spears - Kenneth Gainwell
He might not look like a typical workhorse running back, but Spears’ college workload and production proves otherwise. Gainwell put out a similar resume with a massive 2019 season for Memphis. When guys like this get into training camp, they can handle any role needed in the running back room, especially as pass catchers.
Texas RB Roschon Johnson - Jamaal Williams
With the size and power of a goal line back combined with the hands and pass protection skills of a third down contributor, the former Longhorn is on the Jamaal Williams trajectory.
Oklahoma RB Eric Gray - Kareem Hunt
A three-down threat with sharp cuts that set up defenders going low, Gray is one of my favorite value runners in this class.