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 Nebraska wide receiver Isaiah Neyor.
No. 18 ISAIAH NEYOR/WR NEBRASKA – 6042, 218 POUNDS (6TH-YEAR SENIOR)
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Isaiah Neyor | 6042/218 | 9 1/2 | 34 3/8 | 82 5/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.40 | 1.51 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 11’1″ | 38 | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Decent athletic ability
– High effort blocker
– Pushes upfield quickly with vertical speed
– Secure hands
– High points in the red zone and snags ball out of the air
– Not a true jump ball winner but is seen making contested catches
– Tested extremely well
THE BAD
– Weak play strength
– Low physicality down the field
– Does not play to his size
– Lazy releases that will be killed by press man
– No sense of urgency for timing of the play
– When he has a free release, he has out of control feet and hurts timing of the play
– Does not possess the shiftiness on the line of scrimmage to be a true deep threat vs press man
– Keeps body unprotected when releasing
– Sloppy route runner at all three levels
– Takes rounded cuts rather than planting feet in the ground and exploding
– When he tries to take sharp cuts, he looks stiff and has no explosiveness
– Lacks detail coming back to the ball
– Loses speed when securing the ball, limiting YAC opportunities
– Old age, will be 24
BIO
– Started nine games across one year at Nebraska. Transferred from Texas, where he only appeared in one game over two years. Before Texas, he transferred from Wyoming, where he started 13 games across three seasons.
– Planned to transfer to Louisville, but decided to enter the draft
– 2024: 34 receptions for 455 yards and 5 touchdowns
– Led Nebraska in all receiving categories
– Named to Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll
– Only had one catch in 2023 for 14 yards
– Did not play in 2022 due to hamstring injury
– 2021: 44 catches for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns
– Named to Second-Team All-Mountain West Conference
– Two-star prospect out of Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas
– Earned Second Team Class 6A All-District Honors as a senior
– Caught 39 passes for 858 yards and 8 touchdowns and led his team to the state playoffs
– Talked about highly from coaches, with some of them saying he would get around 200 catches after a lift or conditioning
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Isaiah Neyor has been in college for a while but still has a lot of problems in his game. The first thing that stands out to me is his play strength, which is worrisome. He lacks the ability to get upfield vs. physical press coverage. When cornerbacks get hands on, he falls off track and can even go to the ground. This will not serve him well in the NFL, as teams will be able to easily gameplan around his deficiencies.
He does not have the shiftiness at the release point to shake cornerbacks, and he plays around with his feet instead of having a sense of urgency to get upfield and start his route. He does not have confidence. Defenses will understand this and game plan for it. There are times when he does not have a pre-snap plan and just runs into the defender, like on this rep at the bottom of the screen.
This is an example of how a lot of his reps go vs. press coverage, and it’s obvious on tape as coaches began to have their corners press him for most of the game. His contact balance is bad, and if a corner puts any hands on him, his route is affected. On this must inside release slant at the bottom of the screen, he tries to stack the defender, but the slightest shove kills his route.
Neyor tested well at the Combine, and a 6’4 receiver with a 4.40 forty should be winning deep. However, his lack of physicality shows up again. He’ll be run with the entire route if the defender gets hands on him. At the top of the screen, he has a go route. Travis Hunter gets hands on early and easily stays with him the entire route. About 20 yards down the field, Neyor falls to the ground because of his lack of strength, and Hunter is not even looking at him.
This problem of low physicality does not only show up vs. press, but down the field as well. Neyor will start his route fine with good vertical speed, but the lack of detail is evident. He will run straight into a defensive back instead of breaking his route off earl. They will easily catch him with their body, and he has no chance. He will try and break off a route, but the slightest collision will take him out of the play.
Defenders will shove him to the ground or just push him off track. When coming back to the ball, he has no explosiveness and takes rounded cuts. On this play, he is the point player in the bunch. He runs right into the defender’s body, and he has no chance.
As a route runner, Neyor lacks details at all three levels. Most of the time, he takes rounded cuts and gives the corner an easy chance to stay with him. Much like his releases, he has a low sense of urgency and will go on his time. When he tries to break routes with a sharp cut, he does not get low enough and has no explosiveness. He looks stiff and unathletic coming out of breaks and does not stress the defense out at all. He needs to become more flexible to be a viable route runner at the next level, because right now, it is not NFL ready.
While Neyor has a lot of flaws in his game, there are some bright spots as well. To start, he is a high-effort blocker who plays for team success in the run game. Teams can put him in motion to block a linebacker, and he will do it with enthusiasm. He will have to get stronger to be a positive blocker, but right now, he is serviceable with his body positioning and effort. He has good hands, which show up in the red zone as he can high point the ball and take it out of the air. His height and long arms help with this because short corners will struggle to get hands on the ball first.
Throughout the games, he did not win a lot of contested catches. But even seeing it once made me feel encouraged that he could harness this and translate it. He has the size to keep the defender close to his body, but he will need to consistently contort his body in mid-air to make contested catches. On this play, he has a free release and pushes upfield, making an explosive contested catch.
CONCLUSION
Based on film, I would only sign Isaiah Neyor as an undrafted free agent. But because of his testing, I would be willing to take him late on Day 3. A 6’4 receiver with a 4.40 forty is rare to find. If he reaches his ceiling, he could be a backup Z. He needs to work on his play strength, physicality, and route running to make a 53-man roster. He can continue to build on his blocking skills and contested catch ability. My comp for him is Miles Boykin.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.2 – 6th-7th Round (End of Roster/Practice Squad)
Games Watched: vs Colorado (2024), vs Illinois (2024), vs UCLA (2024)
