You may not know the name Jalen Royals, but by the time the draft rolls around, you better learn, as he is one of the top wide receivers in this draft class. He played his college ball in the Group of Five with the Utah State Aggies and is a versatile weapon who should have all NFL GMs eyeing him early on day two of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Our Jalen Royals scouting report dives into everything you need to know about the best receivers in the Group of Five.
Jalen Royals Scouting Report
Size: 5’11 3/8″, 210 pounds (verified at Senior Bowl)
Key Stat: Second-lowest average depth of target (9.3) among 55 receivers with > 15 yards per reception in 2024
Projected Role: Gadget Wide Receiver, heavily used in the screen game
Also See: Top 300 Prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft
Strengths:
- Positional versatility — can play out wide or in the slot.
- Great frame; Shorter, but holds a lot of weight and muscle.
- Good release package, can create separation immediately off the LOS.
- Is able to create separation through his speed vs man.
- Great go-ball guy, can burn downfield.
- Strong hands, catches away from his body and makes catches outside of his frame.
- Understands zone coverage well, and knows how to find the gaps in it.
- Has great speed, and forces corners to play off on him, which helps him get open underneath.
- Elite after the catch, can make people miss in the open field and break tackles.
Areas to Improve:
- Not the most refined route runner
- Struggles against press-man
- Needs to be schemed open more than he can get open on his own
- Has adequate body control, and is just okay in contested catches situations
- Injury questions: missed five games in 2024 due to a foot injury.
Ceiling: Starting slot receiver and YAC Machine
Floor: Gadget guy in certain packages
Comp: Deebo Samuel
Jaylen Royals NFL Draft Outlook
Royals’ two years of production are some of the best in this entire receiving class, he averaged nearly eight catches a game in his final season, gaining 834 yards in just seven games.
The ability that Royals brings with his speed as a yards-after-catch guy makes him more valuable than some other receivers in this class. If you can get the ball in his hands, you will see production, point-blank period.
While he isn’t the most polished route runner, nor has an extensive route tree, if developed correctly he can be a 1,000 yards a season guy.
Also See: Ricky White III Scouting Report
I think that Royals not necessarily being a true X will scare some GMs off, but more and more frequently we’ve seen NFL coaches take gadget type of guys and utilize them to the best of their ability in the NFL. If someone from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree is able to pick up Royals, I see him being a very productive pro.
Bottom Line: Royals ability with the ball in his hands should excite most of the NFL when looking at him as a prospect. If developed correctly, he can shine in the slot down the field as well.
Worst case scenario, he is a gadget guy that can win on manufactured touches. But his ceiling is so high I think Royals could be a star at WR. I project him to play the majority of snaps in the slot and expect him to be used heavily in the screen game.
Draft Projection: Early Round 2
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