2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Florida WR Chimere Dike

From now until the 2025 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, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Florida WR Chimere Dike.

NO. 17 CHIMERE DIKE WR/FLORIDA – 6003, 192 POUNDS (SENIOR)

Measurements 

THE GOOD

-Consistently available, played in 50 games from 2021-2024
-Smart receiver, understands how to find openings against zone coverage consistently
-Good body control when running routes, turns body, and uses head movement to confuse defenders in man coverage
-Consistently beats corners with double-moves, sets himself up well early in routes
-Excelled in drag-route concepts at Florida, able to find holes in zone when coming across field
-Capable and willing blocker, able to shield off defenders, and even chip edge rushers
-Good long speed, legitimate deep threat, used often by Florida to clear out areas for receivers coming underneath
-Versatile in alignment, played out wide, in the slot, and even in the backfield at Florida
-Shows patience while running short underneath routes, waits for zone to clear, and fills open area
-Has enough speed as a ballcarrier to be used in quick game, including screens and flat-routes
-Brings special teams value as gunner and returner
-Maintains his speed through route breaks
-Great concentration, can track deep ball especially well
-Spent all five collegiate years against top competition, playing in the Big Ten and SEC
-Clever at top of his routes, does well to work back to quarterback when scrambling
-Extensive route tree

THE BAD

-Lean frame makes it harder for him to beat press coverage
-Good overall speed, but doesn’t have enough short-area speed to immediately beat defenders off the line consistently
-Doesn’t have enough agility to make defenders miss in the open field consistently
-Occasionally drifts at the top of his route, most often right before ball is thrown his way
-Lean frame gives him difficulty in contested-catch scenarios, he often lets ball come into his body instead of high-pointing it
-Could control deceleration a little better
-Limited athletically

BIO

-Hometown: Waukesha, Wisconsin
-Attended Waukesha North High School
-Rated three-star recruit out of high school by 247, ESPN, Rivals
-Committed to Wisconsin, spent first four years of college there
-Played in seven games in 2020, had 12 receptions for 189 yards and one touchdown
-Slight improvement in 2021 with 272 receiving yards on 19 receptions with one touchdown
-Major progress in 2022 with 47 receptions for 689 yards and six touchdowns
-Started 11 games in 2023, 19 catches for 328 yards and one touchdown
-Transferred to Florida ahead of 2024 season
-Had career-year with Gators, 42 receptions for 783 yards and two touchdowns
-Played 57 games through five years in college
-Accepted invitations to both Reese’s Senior Bowl and Hula Bowl
–Enjoys listening to ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ By Lil Yachty as pregame hype-song

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Whichever team drafts Chimere Dike will be getting a well-rounded receiver. There isn’t one trait that immediately stands out among the rest regarding Dike, but he does many things well. Stepping away from the physical aspect of his game, for now, he’s an extremely smart receiver.

Dike understands the game well and knows how to read a defense, especially from the receiver position. He’s wise against zone coverage and consistently finds holes to sit down in. In the clip below, Dike is lined up at the top of the screen on the line of scrimmage.

Dike is running a slow-developing drag route across the screen. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like he does too much in his route here, but the way Dike slowly navigates his way through the secondary and settles into an open spot is impressive. Kentucky’s defense is in a Cover 3, so the linebackers are responsible for the intermediate-middle area of the field, as well as the flats. By initially running directly past the linebackers, they assume Dike is heading straight up the field and simply let him go, presuming a safety will pick him up.

Once getting past the linebackers, Dike sharply cuts across the field. Kentucky’s outside linebacker on the bottom of the screen only sees Dike cut straight up the opposite side of the field, so he takes the check-down option in the flat. The corner, who would have that deep third, never sees Dike come toward his zone, and instead, he takes the receiver going deep. This presents a wide-open window for Dike to catch the ball. It’s nothing major, but it’s a great example of how Dike can read the defense and get himself open against zone coverage.

The clip below is another example of this, but it also features Dike’s talent as a route-runner. Here, Dike is at the bottom of the screen, on the line of scrimmage.

When Dike can’t pick apart a zone by simply reading it, he does do well to throw defenders off as a route-runner. The context in this clip matters, too. This was a huge play, with Florida facing a 3rd and 18, down 17-10 with under a minute left in the game. They needed a big play, and Dike came up with one.

Here, Dike is running a post-corner, with the safety directly over top of him responsible for him. His quarterback does a great job keeping the backside safety still with his eyes, which helps Dike get open in the end zone. However, this is a beautiful route as well. Dike sells this perfectly with his body, specifically his head movement. His combination of head movement to throw the defender off, as well as the speed in and out of his breaks, help him get open here.

Dike displays a ton of nuance at the top of his routes. This clip is another one of his impressive double moves. This one is extremely similar, with Dike lined up on the bottom of the screen, on the line of scrimmage again. He runs the same route this time and once again completely fools the defender. Pay extra attention to how he turns his body just before the second break in his route.

Dike’s versatility is another quality he brings to the offense. During his time at Florida, Dike found himself out wide, in the slot, on the wing at the end of the line, and even in the backfield. Most often, the Gators would have him motion from one side of the field to the other. He rarely got the ball on these plays, but his speed coming across the field is still something defenses had to pay attention to. When he did get the ball, it was often on short passes, like this one.

Here, Dike is at the top of the screen, just off the edge of the tackle. He doesn’t come in motion on this play, but he’s so close to the backfield when the ball is snapped that he’s in a similar spot anyway. As the Gators fake a handoff in the backfield, Dike slips behind the line and catches the ball in the flat on the outside. Aside from being a legitimate deep threat, Dike can be used in various ways.

Finally, one last strong suit of his game is his blocking ability. For receivers, blocking comes down to effort and technique. Some receivers don’t put in the effort, and some have effort but no technique. Chimere Dike has both. Take a look at this play below. Here, Dike is lined up on the wing, just off the offensive line. The play is an inside run, so Dike has to take the defender on the edge and wall him off.

Here, Dike has good instincts. He immediately turns his back to the line. The rusher hits Dike pretty hard, but because he put himself in a good position, he’s able to react quickly. Notice how once he loses his balance, he’s immediately able to reposition himself to keep the defender away from the play. This play shows both the technique and instincts Dike brings as a blocker.

While he does a lot of things well, there are some things Chimere Dike can improve upon. Because of his wiry frame, Dike can struggle in contested-catch scenarios. His tendency to let the ball come to him instead of attacking it doesn’t help his case here. In the clip below, Dike is at the top of the screen and runs a deep curl route. The ball gets to him a little late, but I’d like to see Dike come back and attack the ball rather than let it come to him. Because he lets it come to him, the defender is able to make a play on it, and Dike isn’t strong enough to fight through it.

Finally, while Dike is a fast receiver overall, he could be better in the open field once the ball is in his hands. He isn’t especially agile and struggles to make players miss in the open field.

Here, Dike receives a screen pass. There are a couple of things he could do. He could cut to try to get to the outside, which looks open once he catches the pass. He could also try to cut back, where his blockers create a small hole just to his right. He ends up making a decent decision, trying to go outside. Unfortunately, he just isn’t agile enough to take advantage of the space he gets here.

CONCLUSION

Dike will be an attractive prospect to teams needing a receiver in the mid to late rounds of the draft. He’s a savvy route-runner with great instincts and an understanding of the game. He can read defenses and adjust to coverage changes in the middle of his routes. Against man coverage, once he can get off the line, he shows great body control and uses his head wisely to throw defenders off. He has a package of double moves he can go to, which he was able to get open consistently during college.

Dike’s skinny frame does hurt him against physical corners, though. When faced with press-man coverage, Dike sometimes lacks the strength to get a clean release. He doesn’t fare well in contested catches, with his lack of strength and lack of urgency to attack the ball limiting him there. While Dike is slippery in coverage, he lacks the same elusiveness once he gets the ball.

Overall, Dike will be exciting for a team that needs receiver depth later in the draft. His versatility, route-running, blocking, and football IQ will give him a role as a backup somewhere in the NFL. His lack of overall athleticism and strength will limit him, but Dike should still find a way to contribute in the league.

Chimere Dike reminds me of Tyler Boyd, with a lower ceiling. A lot of Dike’s strengths can be found in Boyd’s game. Both are great route-runners who understand how to take advantage of zone coverage. While neither is a tremendous athlete, they both use nuance at the top of their routes to create separation. While Boyd hasn’t been used as a gadget in the NFL, he was used in various ways in college, like Dike. They also have similar weaknesses, including their lack of strength in contested catches and their lack of overall athleticism.

That said, I don’t expect Chimere Dike to have as successful a career as Boyd. Boyd carved out a very solid role for himself. He’s more elusive and stronger against physical cornerbacks. Boyd is also quicker off the line of scrimmage, where Dike struggles to accelerate as quickly. Dike has a lot of similar strengths and a similar game compared to Boyd out of college, but he likely won’t be as successful.

Projection: Mid-Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.8 Fifth Round (Backup/Special Teams)
Games Watched: Kentucky (2024), Ole Miss (2024), Tennessee (2024), Texas (2024)