Draft Analysis: D’wayne Eskridge
- Height: 5’9″
- Weight: 190lbs
- College: Western Michigan
- Tape watched: Toledo 2020, Ball State 2020, Central Michigan 2020
- NFL Comparison: Brandin Cooks
Pros
- Burst/Quickness
Eskridge is so explosive. His tempo through routes, catch and run, and route breaks are incredible to watch. He continuously splits linebackers and safeties for touchdowns on simple slants. He has speed and quickness that will garner respect from NFL corners.
- Body Control
Eskridge was a proven acrobat in the air. He comes down with multiple back shoulder adjustment throws, often times needing to leap and contort to catch them. This is important to note for a 5’9″ receiver.
- Hands
Eskridge has strong hands at the catch point. He has great concentration to find the ball and secure it before taking off.
- YAC
If defenders can’t get hands or a body on him immediately, they might as well start running up field, because Eskridge will be gone already. Eskridge doesn’t break a lot of tackles, but he has insane burst, quickness, and hesitation jukes that help him disappear.
- Release/Route Running
D’Wayne Eskridge creates a lot of separation from his release and route breaks. He put on a show at the Senior Bowl, dominating every corner that lined up against him. He stays square until his route break and doesn’t tip defenders off with his body language. He uses good hand fighting off the line of scrimmage as well, something that will be essential for an undersized receiver.
Cons
- Size
5’9″ 190lbs isn’t a precedent or even a great gauge of NFL success, but it does limit what Eskridge may be able to do in the NFL. On a creative pre-snap offense, Eskridge could find use in the redzone. He does have some experience as a perimeter wide receiver and could be used outside of the slot.
- Route Tree
Extremely limited in Western Michigan’s offense, Eskridge primarily ran hitches, comebacks, verticals, and slants. He was rarely asked to play in the intermediate, and there were few nuances to his short routes.
Overview
D’Wayne Eskridge is no longer a hidden commodity among draft analysts. His outbreak at the Senior Bowl focused the country on the Western Michigan product. His excellent speed and acceleration allows him to create legitimate separation from defenders. He is shifty enough to create problems after the catch as a result.
The question marks with Eskridge will certainly be his size, level of competition, and very limited route tree. In the recent weeks there have been rumors of round one hype, and based on his skillset, it is warranted.