Draft Analysis: Troy Franklin

February 8, 2024 /
  • Height: 6’1″
  • Weight: 176 lb.
  • College: Oregon
  • Tape watched: Washington, Arizona State, Colorado, Stanford, Utah, Oregon State
  • NFL Comparison: Jameson Williams

Pros

  • Athleticism

Twitchy and explosive as all get out, Troy Franklin can flat out fly. He has elite speed with acceleration that marries up perfectly. The college level respected his speed and he still found his way behind defenses.

  • Playmaking

14 touchdowns and 17.1 yards per reception made for many Troy Franklin splash plays. He is electric stretching the field and is someone you have to identify pre-snap. He gives himself good opportunities in contested catch situations, leveraging his body length well.

  • Route Running

Franklin had elite route running metrics at Oregon (12.8y average depth of target, 3.32 yards per route run), but fell a little short in the eye test with his route running.

Oregon didn’t try to be cute with Franklin’s usage. They pushed him downfield early and often, and this is where he shines. There were few choices Franklin had to actually make. Credit where credit is due, he made some good decisions finding zone pockets and breaking off deep routes when allowed. However, Franklin’s body language running across the middle of the field is less than ideal. He is bumped off routes easily and disrupts his route to avoid resistance, taking himself out of reads. Franklin is also a very upright runner that can appear to have stiff hips at times.

Franklin wastes his speed and ability to find Bo Nix’s vision by tip toeing at the top of this route approaching the safety.
Fantastic job to not only identify zone and sit right away, but to stay alive in the scramble drill.
  • Release

Press coverage was few and far between against Franklin. This is for good reason, as a missed punch or false step could mean six points on the board. Franklin has the deep speed to respect off-coverage, or help overtop. His first step and foot-fire post-snap is instantaneous. The tools are all there for Franklin to succeed in press coverage and different release scenarios in the NFL.

Goodluck getting hands on Troy Franklin at the line. You’ll need even more luck to catch him afterwards.

Midline

  • YAC

Franklin’s potential with post-catch playmaking depends on the space he has. He can disappear to the endzone in no time, but it wont be by slipping tackles and juking many defenders. He is much better laterally than he is running through defenders, but there isn’t a whole lot of wiggle to him.

Cons

  • Blocking

Franklin will not be a positive asset in the run game unless he is the ball carrier.

  • Hands

Top four in the NCAA in statistics is usually a great sign, unless that stat is for interceptions thrown, fumbles lost, or drops. Guess which applies to Mr. Franklin? Franklin struggled with securing contested catches and also had focus drops.

  • Frame

Concerningly thin for the NFL, Franklin stands somewhere between 170 and 190 pounds. He looks closer to the prior on film. He is an easy tackle when dealing with first contact. As already mentioned, his routes suffer immensely when dealing with contact after his release.

Overview

A truly electric playmaker, Troy Franklin won’t wait long to hear his name in the draft. He can offer NFL teams the offensive fire power that can change an offense. Jameson Williams took an injury and bonehead suspension before paying off, but just scored a go-ahead touchdown in the NFC Championship game. Teams should view Franklin as the same type of weapon. While he is not without flaws, he can put on valuable weight, and clean up his drops at the next level. Don’t let this man fall to the Chiefs.