2024 NFL Scouting Report: Oregon WR Troy Franklin

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, 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 Oregon WR Troy Franklin.

#11 TROY FRANKLIN, WR, OREGON – (JUNIOR) 6020, 176 POUNDS

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Possesses great height and length for the position
— Explosive athlete when it comes to speed and acceleration
— Has that second gear to stack defenders vertically and take the top off the defense
— Gets up to top speed quickly and is a threat with the ball in his hands after the catch
— Does a good job working to get an outside release on the corner
— Displays quick feet to get in and out of his breaks
— Can stem routes well to generate extra separation from coverage
— Has experience playing both outside and in the slot
— Made several tough combative catches in coverage
— Height, length, and leaping ability make him an ideal red zone weapon
— Displays good body control along the sideline
— Shows willingness as a blocker in the run game

THE BAD

— Thin frame that could stand more functional mass/strength
— Tends to round off his routes on occasion
— Doesn’t always properly track the football in the air
— Has various drops in his tape due to lack of concentration
— Can be more physical when it comes to blocking
— May struggle getting off the line against press coverage at the next level

BIO

— Junior prospect from East Palo Alto, Calif.
— Consensus four-star recruit, 2021 All-American Bowl invite, 2021 Polynesian Bowl invite
— Played wide receiver and defensive back in high school; missed senior season due to COVID
— Played in all 14 games as a true freshman and caught 18 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns
— Started all 13 games in 2022 and made 61 receptions for 891 yards and nine touchdowns
— Started all 13 games in 2023 and caught 81 passes for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns
— First-team All-Pac-12 (2023) second team All-Pac-12 (2022)

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Troy Franklin was a sought-after wide receiver recruit coming out of high school, having the opportunity to go nearly anywhere he wanted. While he grew up in Stanford Cardinal country, Franklin opted to go up north to Eugene and represent the Oregon Ducks for the last three years. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection this past season after nearly eclipsing 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, prompting he left early for the 2024 NFL Draft.

When you pop in the tape on Franklin, you see a long, slender pass catcher with jet packs attached to his cleats. Franklin is a track star on the field and can get up to top speed quickly, getting on top of opposing defenses if they’re not careful. Check out this play against Texas Tech where Franklin gets an inside release at the top of your screen. He catches the pass from QB Bo Nix in stride over the shoulder, taking the deep bomb the distance for the score while leaving the defender in the dust.

Franklin’s speed also shows up on short and intermediate routes where he can make defenses pay after the catch. He’s a legit YAC threat as you can see against USC in the clip below. Catching the slant route over the middle, he proceeds to pull away from the rest of the defense as he finds open grass in the secondary, turning on the jets for the long touchdown.

While being a speed demon is his calling card, Franklin is a solid route runner who does a good job eating the cushion of opposing defensive backs as he looks to stem his route and generate separation. Here in the first clip against Utah, Franklin gets right up on the defender’s toes before breaking inside on his route, getting the separation needed to draw the target and make the catch for the first down. In the second clip, Franklin finds the soft spot in the zone and works between the defenders to catch the pass in space and move the chains.

Defenders are forced to respect Franklin’s speed as a vertical threat, usually leaving comeback routes open as defenders commit to not getting beat deep. Watch this play where Franklin is at the bottom of the screen and makes the defender turn and run in coverage down the field, whipping back to the ball to make the catch as the defender attempts to turn around. Franklin then turns upfield and gets a few more yards before being dragged down after a big gain.

Not only does Franklin have the speed to stack defenders vertically, he has the height, length, and leaping ability to climb the ladder in the red zone and along the sideline for tough catches in traffic. Watch this rep against Colorado. Franklin gets an outside release on the corner and then looks over his shoulder to make the catch in the end zone, putting together a pretty rep from start to finish.

While Franklin has plenty of tantalizing attributes that make him a promising prospect, he does have his issues when it comes to drops. Various drops litter his tape — be it a ball he has to adjust to in the air, a double catch, or a flat-out concentration drop where he doesn’t watch the ball through the catch. Here are a couple of examples where Franklin is in position to make the play but just can’t secure the catch.

CONCLUSION

Troy Franklin is an athletically gifted receiver who can take the top off defenses as well as make them pay after the catch at the next level. He is a better route runner than most give him credit for. He also provides an offense with a good weapon in the red zone thanks to his contested-catch ability as well as his body control. He needs to get the drops under control, having had an 18% drop rate as a freshman and 10% drop rate last season.

When coming up with a pro comparison for Franklin, Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers is a very similar player when it comes to height, speed, acceleration, contested-catch ability, and the ability to create after the catch. Also, like Franklin, Watson had a high drop rate coming out of college, something he needed to work on as he transitioned to the pros. Watson has a little more bulk than Franklin, but both are long, slender players who play a similar game.

The Steelers could use more pure speed at receiver, and Franklin would make for a great addition as a guy who can play outside and in the slot. It will likely cost Pittsburgh one of its top two picks to secure Franklin and there are more pressing needs on the roster. But if the Steelers want to improve their passing game and make it more lethal, Troy Franklin would be a great piece to make that happen.

Projection: Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.3 – Future Quality Starter (Second Round)
Games Watched: vs USC (2023), at Texas Tech (2023), at Utah (2023)