2022 NFL Draft Player Profiles: Nevada WR Romeo Doubs

From now until the 2022 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll be profiling a wide receiver coming out of the Mountain West Conference that brings the ability to win down the field as a deep threat that the Pittsburgh Steelers sorely need heading into 2022.

#7 Romeo Doubs, WR, Nevada, (Senior) – 6017, 201lb

Measurements

Senior Bowl/Combine Invite:

The Good

— Displays good speed and burst for the position
— Has an angular, lengthy frame to be a long strider as a runner to eat ground
— Has the arm length and wingspan to aid in making jump ball catches
— Wins vertically often against his competition, showcasing his long speed down the field
— Twitched-up athlete with the quickness to break out of his routes to generate separation
— Able to fight through the jam at the LOS to challenge vertically on his route
— Has the speed and acceleration to pull away from defenders in coverage, being able to separate vertically as well as over the middle of the field
— Does a good job tracking the ball over the middle of the field and hauling it in over the shoulder
— Dangerous after the catch due to his ability to run away from defenders, ranking #1 in returning WR in YPR who had over 1,000 yards in 2020 (17.3)
— Has the body control and the hands to make combative catches in the air when working along the sideline or in the red zone
— Used to operating as the primary target in the offense
— Diversified his route tree and usage inside and outside his senior season, working both out wide and in the slot

The Bad

— Not a fan of contact and will run out of bounds instead of trying to pick up extra yardage
— Can be a more consistent hands catcher as he tends to lose focus at the catch point at times
— Fairly thin frame doesn’t make him the ideal possession-style receiver over the middle or with coverage on top of him
— Can have alligator arms when making catches through contact
— More of a straight-line track style runner than an elusive guy after the catch
— Can be a straight-up runner rather than with good forward lean
— Needs to be more consistent in his effort as a blocker
— Level of competition wasn’t the greatest in The Mountain West Conference

Bio

— Senior Prospect from Los Angeles, CA
— His father, Jarmaine, played football at Southern Utah
— Was a two-sport athlete in football and track & field
— Started nine games and appeared in all 13 as a true freshman, registering 43 catches for 562 yards (13.1 YPR) and two TDs while throwing in 6 punt returns for 107 yards and a score
— Played and started in ten games as a sophomore, recording 44 receptions of 649 yards (14.8 YPR) and four TDs while adding 86 punts return yards on eight attempts
— Played and started in nine games as a junior, recording 58 receptions for 1,002 yards (17.3 YPR) and nine TDs with 100 punt return yards on 11 attempts
— Caught 80 passes for 1,109 yards (13.9 YPR) and 11 TDs while returning 12 punts for 170 yards
— Senior Bowl Invitee, opted out of team’s bowl game
— Biletnikoff Award Watch List in 2021, All-Mountain West First Team in 2021, All-Mountain West First Team in 2020, All-Mountain West Honorable Mention in 2019
— Earned Academic All-MW honors in 2018

Tape Breakdown

When you pop in the tape on Doubs, you notice right away that the guy is a natural deep threat. He does a good job of stretching the seams of defenses or running up the sideline, making opponents pay for failing to contain him in coverage as we can see on this deep bomb touchdown from his QB #12 Carson Strong. Doubs gets on top of the coverage, breaking back inside against the corner getting ample separation downfield for Strong to drop it in for the score.

While only listed at running in the 4.7s in the 40 coming out of high school, Doubs plays far faster than that on tape. He has a real knack of stacking defenders at the top of his route and challenging the defense vertically, having the long strides and efficient linear movement as a runner to eat ground quickly.

Check out this catch where lines up in the slot on the right side of the formation, pushing vertically up the seam as Strong drops back to send a deep shot to the end zone. Strong drops the ball right into the bucket as Doubs looks the ball over his shoulder for the catch while getting on top of two defenders in coverage, coming down with the grab inside the five. Watch the areal view of the play, showing Doubs’ concentration on the ball and the ability to haul it in as he gets wrapped up by the defender trailing from behind.

Here is another great example of Doubs’s stacking ability against San Diego State where he gets an immediate outside release on the corner and proceeds to hand fight up the sideline, managing to get a step on the coverage as he streaks down the field. He gets behind the defender just enough for Strong to drop it over top of the defender, catching it with outstretched arms and bringing it in away from his frame. He does start to lose balance after making the grab though, and the defender gets enough of him to trip him up inside the 10-yard line. Still, an impressive job hauling in the deep ball in-stride while extending to make the catch and stay on his feet.

Here against UNLV, we watch Doubs get an inside release on the cornerback, getting past him within the first ten yards from the LOS to send up the Bat Signal to his QB to launch it down the field where Doubs catches the ball in the breadbasket as the defender trips behind him trailing from behind. The centerfield safety gets there to trip up Doubs by the goal line, but I appreciate him deciding to hold onto the rock instead of stretching out and possibly turning it over as the team gets great field position on first-and-goal.

On this play we see Doubs easily stack the CB to the right side of the formation, getting a step on him downfield but manages to adjust back to the ball once he sees his QB trying to evade pressure. Doubs gets position on the defensive back from Utah State in the back of the end zone as Strong throws it up into the air, allowing Doubs, who has superior length to the defender, to climb the ladder and make the grab for the score.

You can say that Doubs played against inferior competition, which may be true in the Mountain West Conference. However, the dominance he has at pulling away from coverage deep down the field with such ease makes you think he should be able to replicate this ability to separate to some level in the pros.

While Doubs is known for his ability to be a field stretcher, he has shown to be dangerous close to the LOS when he gets the ball in his hands as a RAC receiver. His suddenness and burst from when he catches the ball to when he turns it up field is evident on tape as we see on this example vs Wyoming where Doubs catches the simple screen by the boundary then turns upfield, sidestepping one defender and accelerates forward, almost pulling away from the defense if it wasn’t for a diving tackle attempt.

Doubs does a great job attacking the toes of the defender, eating the cushion in coverage whether it be as a deep threat or when working the short and intermediate areas of the field. On this play against the Aztecs we see Doubs show good burst off of the snap, getting right on top of the corner in coverage and hits a hard plant step at the first down marker, cutting back inside for the quick inside breaking route. He catches the ball away from his body, snagging it out of the air as he turns upfield and picks up extra yardage after the catch. Notice how Doubs’s move leave the defender in coverage stumbling due to the suddenness and immediacy of his break.

Here’s an example of Doubs eating the cushion while working vertically, getting right on the defender’s hip and breaks back to the middle of the field on the deep post, almost jumping through the contact while maintaining his momentum and gets five yards of separation for Strong to drop the ball in from deep as we watch Doubs angle his way into the end zone for the score.

Doubs’ ability as an open field runner has been utilized on special teams as well as a punt returner. He only has a handful of returns under his belt in his first three seasons due to his contributions on offense, but his speed and acceleration in the open field make him a viable threat to rip off a long return like we see here on this attempt.

While Doubs was mainly featured on the right side of the formation in college, he would occasionally move around to exploit an advantageous matchup in coverage. Here is a great play with Doubs coming up in the clutch in OT against the Cowboys as Doubs motions from the boundary to the slot against the nickel defender. He gets right on top of the defender and breaks in on the skinny post to the middle of the field, having Strong fire it in there for the walk off TD. Doubs manages to hold onto the ball while the defender getting his arm inside to try to pry the ball loose but completes the process of the catch to the ground.

Now Doubs does have several areas of his game he needs to work on as he transitions to the league. He doesn’t appear to be a fan of contact both as a runner, choosing to run out of bounds rather than attempt to pick up extra yards through contact. The same occurs with Doubs as a receiver as he tends to hear footsteps occasionally when working over the middle and will alligator arm some catches for fear of getting hit. Here is an example of a catchable ball that Doubs lets go through his fingers. While the ball is slightly thrown behind him, this is a play the Doubs has the ability to make.

Conclusion

According to a story done by the University of Nevada prior to last season, Doubs is “dubbed” an anti-diva WR by his WR Coach Eric Scott, stating “he has all the ability of any superstar WR without any of the diva-ness.” The level of competition and skillset Doubs possesses had me look to Raiders WR Zay Jones as a current pro comparison as Jones came out of Eastern Carolina in 2017.

While I would argue that Doubs is more explosive and dynamic as a route runner and after the catch than Jones has shown on tape, they share nearly identical measurables when it comes to size. Jones also isn’t a slouch of an athlete having run a 4.45 40 when he came out and currently is utilized more downfield for Las Vegas, and I can see Doubs having similar testing results Jones had as a prospect.

Doubs does need to refine the greater aspects of his game including catching the ball in traffic over the middle, cleaning up occasional focus drops, and showing more shimmy as a runner after the catch rather than choosing to run out of bounds to avoid contact to become a better pro-style WR. However, Doubs is great at what he does, providing a viable deep threat receiver to an offense that will make defenses game plan for his ability as a deep threat. He already is a great separator and is dangerous if gets in open space whether it be deep downfield or if he catches a short pass near the LOS.

Doubs should come in right away as a field stretcher/Z-type receiver to start, picking up the offensive system and earning more playing time as he develops in the team’s offensive system. He already showed this season improved utilization all over the formation and by running different route concepts, suggesting that he can be more than a one-trick pony at the next level.

Given the potential losses of James Washington and JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason to free agency along with the possibility of Ben Roethlisberger hanging it up, there is a legit chance Pittsburgh decides to double-dip on a couple of Nevada products with Carson Strong as a potential successor at QB and Romeo Doubs being a great compliment to Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson in three receiver sets to round out a potent and potentially deadly WR core for years to come.

Projection: Mid-to-Late Day Two

Depot Draft Grade: 7.9 – Potential Starter /Good Backup

Games Watched: vs San Diego State (2020), vs Utah State (2020), vs Wyoming (2020), at Kansas State (2021), at California (2021)