From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will 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 North Carolina WR Antoine Green.
#3 ANTOINE GREEN/WR North Carolina – 6016, 199 lbs. (Senior)
Shrine Bowl/Combine
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Antoine Green | 6016, 199 | 9 | 32 1/8 | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.47 | 6.99 | 4.27 | 6.99 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’3″ | 33.5 | DNP |
THE GOOD
— Capable of dominating vertically and winning on go-balls and back-shoulder throws
— Shows build-up long speed to stack corners vertically, big play and downfield threat, long-stride runner
— Long frame to box out defenders
— Works hard to catch ball away from his body and not let passes get into his chest
— Stays in QB’s vision in scramble drills and works to make plays outside of structure
— Has size to be an effective blocker and has shown willingness to get head around and find target when QB scrambles
— Shows ability to burst away from corners on slant routes
The Bad
— Inconsistent tape and doesn’t always play to his frame
— Struggles to finish plays and make catches outside his frame, loses in more contested situations than he should
— Passes will hit off his hands when thrown outside his body, hand size is small for his frame
— Doesn’t create much separation on curls and more advanced underneath routes, struggles to break down and change directions and make space between him and the DB
— Could be more explosive off the line, build-up runner who needs runway to hit his second gear
— Not a great YAC threat, doesn’t break a ton of tackles and won’t make many miss
— Will stop on routes he shouldn’t and not run through slants, creating miscommunication between him and the QB
— Needs to sustain his blocks more
— Part of rotation and wasn’t counted on in all situations and roles, not the #1 receiver on his team
— Didn’t catch many passes for a five-year career and had a hard time getting on the field
— Battled injuries throughout his career and will have medical/durability concerns
Bio
— 23 years old, fifth-year senior (23 career starts)
— Career: 90 receptions, 1,710 yards (19 YPC), 15 TDs
— 2022: 43 receptions for 798 yards (18.6 YPC) 7 TDs in nine games
— Had just 16 catches his first three years
— Three-star recruit from Rockledge, Florida, chose UNC over Boston College, Central Michigan, Florida, Georgia, and many others
— Missed first three games of 2022 season with shoulder/collarbone injury suffered in August, also missed one game midseason with an upper body injury
— Missed time in 2019 with lower-body injury and suffered a “gruesome” season-ending ankle injury midway through 2018
— Multi-sport star in high school, played football and basketball and track and field (relay and long/high jumps)
Tape Breakdown
North Carolina has had several notable receivers enter the draft in recent years: Dyami Brown in past years while this year’s class is headlined by Josh Downs, a potential first-round pick. Antoine Green was part of the team’s productive rotation and while Downs did a lot of his damage short to long, Green was the pure vertical threat. The numbers bear that out, with Green averaging almost 19 yards per reception for his career, while 16.7% of his career receptions found the end zone.
At his best, Green is a long-strider vertical wideout who can use his frame and ability to pluck the ball away from his body to make plays. He shows a second gear to get on top and stack cornerbacks and also made plays as a back-shoulder threat. A couple of examples:
I like how he worked in scramble drills. He does a good job to stay in the QB’s vision and not give up on the play. Great job here to run with QB Drake Maye, streaking across and turning this scramble drill into a monster gain.
While Green had highs like those, he had plenty of lows too. Perhaps it was some rust missing the first couple weeks due to injury, but his early 2022 tape was rough. Dropped balls, missed chances, plays he was capable of making but didn’t. He was very much a feast/famine guy.
While he can burst off his outside foot on slants, Green struggles to gain consistent separation on curls and more nuanced underneath routes, struggling to drop his hips and change direction while creating space at the top of his route. He relies on size and trying to box out corners like a power forward. While Green has size, he isn’t consistent in combative situations and doesn’t have the 6’4, 230-pound size that would help him get away with playing that way. Top and right of the screen in these two clips:
His college production was overall light and he struggled to see the field for his first three seasons. He was part of some talented wideout groups and injuries are also a concern here. Green rarely stayed healthy throughout his career and consistently battled upper- and lower-body injuries, including an ugly ankle injury after his feet basically twisted the wrong way (you can click here but it’s not an easy one to watch), which caused him to miss the rest of the season. Lack of great production and injuries despite having some quality QB play in Sam Howell and Maye is cause for concern.
Conclusion
Antoine Green is a vertical threat and basically a one-trick pony. He’s best as a Z-type receiver who can run nine routes and quarterbacks can throw back shoulder if he can’t stack. He’s a limited player in that respect, not an every-down type, and the lack of great college production coupled with the injury history makes him harder to buy. But if he’s healthy and used properly, he can flash as a big-play threat in an NFL offense as a #4-type of receiver. My NFL comparison is Deon Cain.
Projection: Late Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 6.3MED – End Of Roster/Practice Squad (6th/7th Round)
Games Watched: vs Wake Forest (2021), vs Notre Dame (2022), vs Clemson (2022), vs Pitt (2022)
