Photo by Sam Navarro-USA Today Sports

Height	Weight	Arm Length	Hand Size
5'9"	171 lbs.	30 3/8"	9 1/4"

40 Yard Dash	Bench Press	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3-Cone Drill	20 Yard Shuttle
4.48 Sec	N/A	38.5"	10'11"	N/A	N/A

Games	Receptions	Receiving Yards	Touchdowns
25	202	2483	22

Pros

• Exceptional speed and agility at the receiver position.

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• Highly productive receiver in his college career.

 

• Exceptionally technically sound route-runner that can beat opposing defenders a litany of ways.

 

• Incredibly clever and crafty at start of his routes setup great separation for him to get open.

 

• Excellent explosiveness in his lower half allows him to get the to speed quickly. 

 

• Elite on contested catches in college despite his size, showing his alpha mentality at the position.

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• Usually makes the first tackler miss and can be deadly after the catch.

• Effective at all levels of the field and can make difference anywhere on the field.

• High football IQ which has made such an issue for defenses to assess.

• Can be devastating against zone coverage with his propensity to find the open areas and become an easy target.

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• Was a great chain mover for the Tar Heels

Cons

• Strictly a slot receiver in the NFL.

• Not much of tackle breaker with ball in his hands.

• Small stature and thin frame.

• Small target with limited catch radius.

• A non-factor as a blocker given his lacking strength and size.

• His willingness to pick up extra yardage at his size is concerning for his overall longevity in the NFL. 

• Press coverage can be the death of him when he gets locked up with bigger and stronger corners.

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• Can drop easy balls on occasion.

Overview

Josh Downs is the best pure slot receiver in the draft with his playmaking ability, high football IQ, and technical prowess as a route-runner and teams missing that underneath threat on offense to keep a drive going should have him very high on their draft board. Most of his college career, he's been an issue for defenses and his last two seasons have seen him go from a very good receiver to a dynamo on the field and NFL teams are always looking for players like Downs. He is however not an option outside the numbers and good slot receivers in the NFL aren't as rare most other positions and Downs unfortunately could suffer draft wise for his lack of versatility. With an accurate and smart quarterback throwing him the football, Downs could be a potent NFL weapon early in his career and give an offense consistency when it comes to sustaining drives.