Is Jordan Addison The Next Great NFL Wide Receiver?

First Round Mock welcomes NFL Draft Analyst Zachary Turpin to the team and right out of the gates, he delivers an eye-opening evaluation on USC receiver Jordan Addison dropping him out of the first-round.

#3 Jordan Addison

6-foot-0, 175 pounds, 20 years old

Position: Wide Receiver (WR)

2022 stats: 59 receptions (89 targets with a 66% catch rate), 875 yards (14.8 avg.), 8 TD, long-75

Note: 2022 transfer from Pitt to USC

Note: Awarded the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner, which is awarded to the the most outstanding receiver every year in college football.

Games evaluated (click to view games watched to form this scouting report):

UCLA ’22

Utah ’22

Stanford ’22

Pros: Great route runner, great hands/terrific catching on off body throws, has enough speed, sudden, and very quick in and out of cuts.

Cons : Small, can struggle against press, but doesn’t have that top gear.

What does the game film say about Addison?

He’s a small-framed receiver with great quickness, hands and route running ability. The first thing I love about Addison is his pass-catching chops. It’s obvious the way he catches the ball that he’s confident in his hands. He’s very smooth and his catch radius is consistent.

It doesn’t matter if the ball is delivered low, high, or even away from his body, Addison is going to go and get it.

Next, we have the most elite trait Addison possesses, which is his quickness. He can easily put his defender in a blender and pull away for chunk gains. He’s smart using his quick and sudden route running ability to first gain leverage on his defender, then finish with one hard cut to leave him in the dust.

If you’re a team looking looking for a slot, Addison is your man.

He does have experience playing on the outside. He additionally has even seen limited action returning kicks and punts during his college career. All of this gives him a high floor at the next level.

Concerns about Addison

Here is what gives me concern with Addison – – he has a very thin frame and he struggles when pressed at the line of scrimmage.

With a defensive back up on him, he often gets jammed and sometimes that results in him getting completely thrown off his route.

Can he add muscle to his thin frame?

I don’t know, you’ll have to ask a medical professional about that. If he does add muscle, will he still have the same quickness we’ve become so accustomed to seeing from him?

Only time will tell.

One more thing keeps him out of the first-round for me, and that’s his lack of top end speed. He has decent wheels, maybe even slightly above average in this department. However, he doesn’t possess that breakaway gear that you expect out of a receiver of his stature.

Final thoughts:

Addison is a really nice talent who pairs top-end quickness with sure-fire hands. At the next level, he will probably spend much more time in the slot than he did in college. He’ll be a menace on 3rd down, breaking away from defenders and giving his quarterback just enough space to thread the needle to move the sticks. I don’t believe he possesses the necessary speed or size to carry a passing attack. On a Super Bowl roster, he is best served as a top end WR2 who can be crucial to a team’s championship run. If he can pack on some strength and muscle, he can improve his draft grade, but for now I can’t put him in the first-round.

Despite the negatives, I still have a good feeling about Addison. Something in my gut says we’ll see 80+ catch/1,000+ yards/6 seasons out of him if he goes to the right system.

PS – For you fantasy footballers out there, Addison has the makings of a Points-Per-Reception (PPR) machine!

2023 NFL Draft Grade: Second-Round

Zachary Turpin is a lifelong football fan with real football experience prioritizing the offensive side of the ball. Specialties include QB/WR/RB. His most recent scouting experience came in the 2021 draft where he labeled both Zach Wilson and Trey Lance busts while they were touted as top-5 prospects. Turpin is an aspiring NFL coach who covers the NFL draft on FirstRoundMock.com.