Nathaniel Dell

Pos: WR

School: Houston

Ht. 5’8″ 

Wt. 165

Games Watched: SMU, UTSA, Tulane

One Liner: Undesized receiver who wins with route running, YAC ability, and athleticism

Strengths: 

  • Elite route running. Dell is a shifty receiver who has great separation ability with his route running technique. He is able to work and weave through defenders on all 3 levels, and has a good feel for zone coverages and soft spots on the defensive side of the ball. He has good salesmanship and twitch to separate from sharp cuts at the stem, as well as deep routes where he maintains high speed throughout the route.
  • Very good YAC ability. Because of Dell’s stature and shiftiness, he is a real task to take down with the ball in his hands. He can easily avoid opposing defenders, and has relatively good contact balance considering his size. He is able to work extremely well in space and has desired short area quickness to translate this ability to the next level.
  • Very good athleticism. Obviously, his athleticism contributes to the YAC ability, but Dell is a fluid athlete, who can flip his hips and cut inwards on a dime. He has zero stiffness in changing direction, and has great body control within his route progression and as a YAC threat

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate hands. Dell will not be a contested catch receiver at all at the next level. He lacks the size to be able to compete in elevated catch point situations, and will face some extreme difficulty in congested passing windows. 
  • Poor frame. Obviously, Dell’s frame will hold him back. At 5’8 he won’t be able to compete for passes and his 165 pound body will struggle to absorb many tough hits in the pros.
  • Poor strength. With this frame, Dell will struggle to beat press coverage off the release, and may struggle against bigger defensive backs who can easily derail him from his route progression.

Overall Assessment: Tank Dell does a lot of things right as a receiver, and has arguably some of the best route running in the entire class. He works extremely well with his feet and is a big time YAC threat with shiftiness and twitch to make defenders miss. However, the size is an obvious concern, and one that probably cannot be overlooked. He will struggle at the next level unless he adds a significant amount of weight, which will reduce his ability to make people miss. For now, Dell can be a viable special teams threat as a return man and could see some snaps out of the slot where he has a free release to create separation with his route running.

Scheme Fit: Slot receiver, gadget player that can be a dangerous return man

Pick Projection: Top 150

Grade: 6.18