From now until the 2024 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, a scouting report on UTSA WR Joshua Cephus.
#2 Joshua Cephus/WR UTSA – 6022, 189 pounds (Senior)
East/West Shrine Bowl (No Combine Invite)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Joshua Cephus | 6022/189 | 9″ | 31″ | 76″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Tall with frame to grow into
– Excellent hands, natural catcher who consistently plucks away from his frame
– Adjusts well to passes thrown outside his frame, contorts body to make the catch
– Strong hands and shows ability to win in contested situations
– Size gives him some power and shows a bit of wiggle to break arm tackles post-catch
– Effective on slant routes
– Willing blocker in the run game
– Good leaper who times his jumps
– Flashes good release package and effective changing tempo on double-moves/sluggos
– Shows some long speed far downfield
– Versatile and aligned all over the offensive formation
– Strong production and passing game ran through him, especially in 2023
– Can be used on gadget plays/WR passes
– Elite starting experience and playing time
– Football and athletic bloodlines
The Bad
– Lanky frame and could add some muscle; small hands and wingspan relative to height
– Played in RPO/spread system that made life easy for him, high amount of bubbles and smoke screens, lots of production came underneath
– Didn’t often face press and benefitted from free releases
– Not a dynamic athlete, needs a runway to get to speed and doesn’t show great burst
– Struggles to create separation at the breakpoint and slow at the top of his route
– Has trouble stacking vertically
– Needs to run his routes with more consistent urgency
– Not always an effective blocker who falls off too quickly
– Will have to answer for off-the-field incident
Bio
– Career: 313 receptions, 3,655 yards (11.7 YPC), 28 TDs, 4-of-6 for 45 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT as a passer
– 2023: 89 receptions, 1,151 yards (12.9 YPC), 10 TDs
– Started 56 career games, tying school record, holds record for most receptions and yards in team history
– Turns 23 in March of 2024
– Two-star recruit from Spring, Texas, chose UTSA over Air Force, Rice, and Southern Miss
– First-team All-AAC in 2023
– Father played football at Texas Southern, and uncle played WR for the Saints and Eagles
– Played QB and WR, caught four touchdowns, and threw four touchdowns as high school senior
– Hit .443 for baseball team junior year of HS, won regional high jump as a junior, finished third at state, personal best jump is 6-10
– Arrested in July of 2023 for DWI after rollover car crash in December of 2022, had BAC of .183, agreed to 15 months of probation and to pay $870 fine, was suspended by UTSA for one month after the crash but brought back in January of 2023 (was accused of violating bond conditions)
– Sang in his church choir growing up
Tape Breakdown
Texas’ Joshua Cephus split time between quarterback and wide receiver in high school, making him an unheralded recruit and winding up at UTSA. But he had an excellent college career with a ridiculous amount of starting experience and great production, the school’s record-holder in career receptions and yards (though they’ve only been playing football since 2012).
Cephus’ hands and body control are easily the best part of his game. He’s a natural plucker away from his body with good tracking and the ability to adjust. His size can also allow him to box out defenders on jump balls. Cut-ups of his plus-hands.
He’s most effective on slant routes, able to burst past corners underneath, and routinely found the end zone over the middle.
But I was generally underwhelmed by his tape. He played in a spread and RPO-heavy system that didn’t ask him to run many nuanced routes and created lots of free access. Wheels, smokes, bubbles, stacks that allowed an easy release. He was a high-volume receiver but still went quiet for stretches. He’s a strider with long speed but lacks great burst or tempo in his routes. He struggles to separate against man coverage downfield.
And in the last two clips, you see Cephus not digging into his route. Against North Texas, he’s in the slot to the bottom. Just a slow pivot/jerk route with no burst to create space.
Cephus was in the news for the wrong reasons in December of 2022 for DWI, rolling over his car in a crash, being suspended from the team, and being officially arrested and charged the following July. He pled no contest with himself and his coaches saying he’s learned from the incident, calling it a one-time mistake. Teammates also seemed to support him, voting for him to keep his single-digit jersey number in 2023 (like Temple, single-digit numbers are handed out to team leaders), but this will be a story NFL teams will be investigating in the pre-draft process. His Combine snub won’t help give him the chance to explain the situation, either.
Conclusion
Overall, Cephus is an awkward body type with height but not much weight. He’s got great hands and body control but looks like a possession receiver at the next level with his good-not-great athleticism and lack of technical nuance. He has to try to develop along the way without plus physical tools to warrant teams giving him patience. Cephus must develop on special teams to stick around and buy time to refine his game. My NFL comp is Devin Street.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 5.9OFF – Undrafted Free Agent (PFA)
Games Watched: vs North Texas (2022), at Tennessee (2023), vs Texas State (2023), at Houston (2023)
