Draft Profile: Leviska Shenault

December 16, 2019 /
  • Height: 6’2″
  • Weight: 220 lb
  • College: Colorado
  • Tape watched: Oregon, UCLA (2018), Nebraska (2018 + 2019), Colorado State, USC
  • NFL Comparison: A.J. Brown

Pros

  • Hands
    Leviska has very strong hands and excels at securing the football after the catch. He concentrates well on contested passes and is fearless in the middle of the field.
  • Body Position
    As his bulky frame alludes to, Shenault does well at boxing out defenders. Shenault was the victim of shoddy quarterback play much of his time at Colorado and was under-thrown often.
  • Yards After Contact
    Leviska Shenault could probably be drafted as a late round running back if he chose to declare as such. This man is built for contact. Rarely is he tackled above the waist and when he is, he usually drags defenders for extra yards. Colorado used him often on speed-sweeps and in the wildcat.
  • Release
    Shenault has solid footwork and decent burst for his size. He rarely saw true press coverage as a result. Although it doesn’t pop on tape, Shenault has very good speed and noticeably runs by people.
  • Agility
    Back to the whole “running back” comparison. Shenault can make you miss laterally, but he doesn’t often waste time trying. He will make his move and cut upfield decisively with fluid hips and nice footwork. Fabricating touches for him is a must at the next level.

Cons

  • Route Running
    Rounds a lot of his routes instead of using sharper cuts and head fakes. Tends to rely on physical attributes to make up lack of route separation. There are times he is hesitant to get to where his route should end, whether from lack of effort or the lack of attention to details of the play. Can occasionally give his route away by turning his head to the quarterback too soon in the route.
While a great catch, his route is rounded and allows the secondary to close down and almost break up the pass.
  • Blocking
    As physically gifted as he is, he disappears at times in this aspect. Most of his shortcomings are lack of effort and taking plays off. When he has the desire, and uses technique, he is a force, though.
Shenault missed his blocking assignment here and gets his running back erased as a result.

Overview

Leviska Shenault did everything for the Colorado Buffaloes. His monstrous build and athletic profile produced 149 receptions, 1,943 yards and ten touchdowns through the air in three years. He added 42 rushes for 280 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

The drop-off in production from his sophomore season is a little concerning, but the potential is there for Shenault to be a dominant target in the NFL. Whether it was a stronger strength of schedule, or battling through a core muscle injury, Shenault had 30 less catches, nearly less 300 yards, and two less touchdown in 2019 where he played an extra two games.

If Leviska Shenault decides to declare for the draft in 2020, it will be interesting to see if his game speed and agility shows up in Indianapolis. Otherwise NFL teams will have to bet on the 2018 version of the Colorado standout.