by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Oregon Live.
At Draft 412, the NFL draft talk never ends. We will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars—from today and all the way until draft night 2024. We will bring you mock drafts, player profiles, individual team needs, and everything else you may need related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Oregon, Wide Receiver, Troy Franklin
Name- Troy Franklin
Pos- Wide Receiver
Team- Oregon
HT/WT- 6’3” 180 lbs.
Born- 2/6/2003
Home – East Palo Alto, CA
Franklin was a consensus four-star recruit and top 10 wide receiver in the nation by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN. He was named to the PrepStar top 150 Dream Team and was selected to play in the 2021 All-American Bowl. He was heavily recruited by over 40 Division 1 schools and eventually committed to Oregon.
He played in all 14 games as a true freshman and caught 18 passes for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had his best game in the Valero Alamo Bowl catching 4 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. He started all 13 games in a breakout sophomore season for the Ducks, leading Oregon with 61 receptions for 891 yards and 9 touchdowns and had at least one reception in all 13 games.
Troy Franklin is a complete receiver who can beat you many different ways. He has the speed to blow by you, and the change of direction to lose you in coverage. He has outstanding hands and body control to always be in position to make a catch. He can beat you off the line with stop and go moves and acceleration to leave the defender behind.
Franklin is dangerous after the catch and has the vision and competitiveness to be a handful to bring down. He has good balance on sideline throws and does a good job of keeping his feet in bounds.
On the downside, he struggles to block effectively and does not have the physical strength nor has he demonstrated enough of a “mean streak” to improve much in this area. He does much better against one-on-one coverage and needs to improve his instincts and route running against zone coverage. He also hasn’t been the best combat catcher, losing the battles for 50/50 balls frequently with his lack of strength.
Strengths
Cutting ability
Body Control
Good hands
Stop-n-go
Weaknesses
Zone coverage
Blocking
Body build
Physicality
Final Analysis
Franklin has the talent and big play ability to turn heads at the next level but needs to add strength and play with more physicality. He could be a nice find on day two of the draft.
Draft 412 Draft Prediction - 2nd or 3rd round