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 UCF wide receiver Kobe Hudson.
#2 Kobe Hudson/WR Central Florida – 6006, 193 pounds (Fifth-Year Senior)
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Kobe Hudson | 6006/193 | 9 | 30 5/8 | 75 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.57 | 1.54 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’2″ | 35 | N/A |
The Good
– Serviceable route runner
– Quick break out of all routes
– Confident hands
– Decent shiftiness to shake press corner
– Avoids contact down the field with shiftiness
– Solid change of direction
The Bad
– Can have low sense of urgency off the line
– Average explosiveness off the line
– Plays with feet too long to try and shake press corner
– Does not fight with hands to get open, always runs with hands at side
– Stance is too high, and he must get low when ball is snapped to release, which is a consistent false step
– Average athletic ability
– Average vertical speed
– Bad play strength
– Gets controlled by physical cornerback play
– Struggles to win contested catches vs big cornerbacks
– Bad blocker due to weak play strength and some effort concerns
– Limited YAC potential
– Not big or fast enough to play outside, but is not physical enough or a good enough blocker to play slot
– Character concerns
Bio
– Started 34 games at UCF across 3 years after transferring from Auburn, where he started 12 games and appeared in 24 games across 2 years
– 2024: led UCF with 47 catches for 770 yards and 4 touchdowns
– Named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
– 2023: 44 catches for 900 yards and 8 touchdowns
– Named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
– Seventh in NCAA with 20.45 yards per catch
– 2022: 39 catches for 641 yards and 7 touchdowns
– At Auburn, he was the leading receiver in 2021 with 44 catches for 580 yards and 4 touchdowns
– Four-star prospect out of Trope County High School in Georgia, where he played quarterback. He also played basketball.
– Won Georgia Class 4A state player of the year as a junior after recording 3,386 passing yards and 38 touchdown passes, along with 1,410 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns
– Competed in the All-American Bowl
– Hudson claimed he was kicked off Auburn’s football team and did not want to leave
Tape Breakdown
Kobe Hudson has had a solid career at the college level due to his shiftiness off the line and down the field to avoid contact. At the top of his route, he is a positive route runner with quick breaks out of every type of route and solid hands to finish at the catch point. He is most effective running deep out-breakers vs off coverage, as he cannot be contacted and can showcase his solid route running and shiftiness.
Hudson has adequate skills to be a positive starter in college, but his many flaws will prevent him from doing anything special in the NFL.
To start, he is just an average athlete. Before the snap, his stance is straight up, and he must bend as the ball is snapped, which puts himself behind the eight ball quickly. This creates false steps on most of his reps, and he loses half a second before getting out of the stance. Along with this, there are reps where he plays with his feet and shows a low sense of urgency to get off the ball. Some reps take 2 seconds to get off the line of scrimmage and mess up the timing of the play. He has a glance route on this RPO, which looks like a quick skinny post. It takes 2.15 seconds for him to get inside leverage, giving the QB no option to look his way.
His explosiveness off the line is weak, which results in the corner easily being able to run with him. His vertical speed is lacking, and at his small height of 6 feet, that vertical speed could separate him from other prospects. But he consistently struggles to beat cornerbacks deep.
When the corner plays press, his play strength is exposed as he is easily jammed and controlled to the sideline or shoved off his route. In this play, at the bottom of the screen, he struggles to run a 5-yard hitch because of his lack of strength compared to physical press coverage.
Hudson hurts himself by running with his hands at his side and not using them to get open. He solely relies on his shiftiness, but that will be tough to translate as NFL teams will take notice and give him consistent jams. Defensive backs can easily move him off track, as it looks like no one else is on the field when he is running routes. When he is open, he has good hands that appear confident, but his ability to get yards after a catch is weak due to his lack of speed and play strength, as he does not break tackles.
When he needs to make a contested catch, he struggles to track the ball and is not physical enough to consistently win jump balls. As a blocker, Hudson gives inconsistent effort and has weak play strength, which makes it hard for him to move people. There are times when he can block a corner with aggressiveness, but he does not have the grit to play in the box.
Conclusion
Kobe Hudson is in a weird spot due to his low physicality and weak blocking, which will prevent him from being a positive player inside, but he does not have the size or vertical speed to be a threat on the outside. He does not provide much value on special teams due to his weaker athletic ability. If he was kicked off the team at Auburn, there are also character concerns to note. I see Hudson as a practice squad player who could move into a receiver rotation because of injuries. My comp for him is Ryan Broyles.
Projection: Mid-Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.1 – 6th/7th Round (End of Roster/Practice Squad)
Games Watched: at Florida (2024), at Iowa State (2024), at Arizona State (2024)
