Age: 21 years
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 176 lb.
40-yd dash: 4.41s
10-yd split: 1.61s
Vertical jump: 39"
Broad jump: 10' 4"
3-cone drill: 6.9s
20-yd shuttle: 4.31s
The 2024 wide receiver class projects to be among the most impactful classes to enter the NFL in years, and although the spotlight shines brightest on top three prospects at the position, the depth of the class shouldn’t be understated. Oregon star receiver Troy Franklin is a testament to that depth.
Franklin was a three-year player at Oregon and established himself as a go-to target in his sophomore season. That was followed by a true breakout his junior year in 2023, catching 81 passes for 1,383 yards and even more impressively, 14 touchdowns. At the NFL combine, Franklin may have hurt his draft stock by posting a 4.41 40-yard dash and weighing in lighter than expected at 176lbs. Franklin’s camp post combine attributed both those numbers to a stomach virus prior to the event which caused him to run slow and drop weight. Expectations for Franklin were a 4.3 40-yard dash and previous reports had Franklin’s game day weight closer to 185.
When watching Franklin play, the first thing that pops off the screen is his raw speed. Franklin was known for burning DBs over the top especially on the outside. One of the most important qualities for a WR prospect to have is an ability to create separation and Franklin was an elite separator. Not only did college DBs struggle to run with Franklin, but he has great improvisational skills during a route to find unplanned soft spots in a zone. Franklin combines natural football intelligence and understanding of coverages with extreme athleticism. Although he is more slender than what we once considered to be the preferred body type for a WR, Franklin is lengthy and has a huge catch radius, which at times has helped him win contested catches.
Like most WR prospects, Franklin does have some weaknesses. Something that became apparent watching Franklin play is college defenders were often afraid of his speed and played him extremely soft. He was not often physically challenged at the line of scrimmage and when he was, he often was pretty easily knocked off his route and out of rhythm. I’d expect to see NFL level defenders challenging him significantly more often and he will need to work on his physicality in that respect. Likewise, his physicality and ability as a blocker was approaching levels of liability. His blocking will have to improve to be a receiver a team trusts to have on the field on all downs. Franklin will also need to become a more refined route runner in the NFL. He has all of the physical gifts to be capable of running sharper and more refined routes, but at Oregon he generally had so much separation his routes never needed to be very technical. One additional area Franklin struggled were with ball skills. He has a tendency to catch balls in the chest at times and he struggled with drops in 2023 on catchable balls that bounce off his hands. To win contested balls in the NFL, he will need to become more proficient in that category.
As a fantasy draft prospect, Franklin represents high risk, high reward. If he makes the necessary technical adjustments, he has every bit of athleticism to compete at a higher level. I think he would be most successful in a west coast style offense where he can show case his speed through pre-snap motion and open space receptions. Franklin reminds me of a young Will Fuller who at one point was a promising NFL WR prior to some derailing injuries. I could consider Franklin in dynasty rookie drafts near the end of the 1st round or beginning of the 2nd. I believe he belongs in a tier of WR with Xavier Worthy and Ladd McConkey and I could hear an argument to rank those three in any order before knowing landing spots.
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