James Washington Scouting Report

Written by Christian Lysek

Matt Barnard, Tulsa World

Oklahoma State WR James Washington Scouting Report:

Oklahoma State has run one of the best offenses in College Football over the past few seasons, and James Washington is a big reason why. He is perfect for their offense, where he can toast corners with his game speed for long touchdowns. Despite this, James Washington still has a long way to go before he can be a great pro. Here’s why:

Measurables: 5’11’’, 213 lbs, 32-3/8’’ arms, 9-3/4’’ hands

Year (Age): True Senior (22)

Career stats by year: 

						Receiving				Rushing				Scrimmage
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Plays	Yds	Avg	TD
*2014	Oklahoma State	Big 12	FR	WR	12	28	456	16.3	6	1	20	20.0	0	29	476	16.4	6
*2015	Oklahoma State	Big 12	SO	WR	13	53	1087	20.5	10	1	10	10.0	0	54	1097	20.3	10
*2016	Oklahoma State	Big 12	JR	WR	13	71	1380	19.4	10	4	28	7.0	0	75	1408	18.8	10
*2017	Oklahoma State	Big 12	SR	WR	13	74	1549	20.9	13	3	12	4.0	1	77	1561	20.3	14
Career	Oklahoma State					226	4472	19.8	39	9	70	7.8	1	235	4542	19.3	40

Drop Rate: 5.8%

Combine: 

40-yard Dash: 4.54 seconds

Vertical Jump: 34-1/2 inches

Broad Jump: 120 inches

3-Cone Drill: 7.11 seconds

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.32 seconds

60-Yard Shuttle: 11.56 seconds

Bench Press: 14 reps

Tape Evaluation:

Strengths: James Washington is a true deep threat. His 40 time might not show it, but Washington’s game speed is legit. He gets on top of corners with ease and his tracking skills are phenomenal. He made Mason Rudolph look really good at times with his ability to find the ball in the air and make a play on it. Washington isn’t just a one trick pony though. He has good strength and technique at the line of scrimmage to break press coverage and when he is trying he runs crisp routes. He has pretty strong hands outside of the deep game as well, showing good technique when catching while facing the quarterback. Washington is also a pretty good blocker when he gives effort.

Weaknesses: Washington is not built like a wide receiver. He has the height and weight of a running back, but he lacks the ability after the catch one would have. He lacks juke moves and goes down easy on contact, which is surprising for a player of his frame. Washington doesn’t bode well catching balls above the rim or below the waist. He lacks the vertical jump and timing to contest for 50-50 balls and doesn’t react fast enough to catch low balls. Washington also tends to get lazy in his route running and blocking. Too often he gets sloppy and rounds off his routes or whiffs on blocks. He needs to improve his motor in the pros.

Pro Comparison: Chris Chambers

Chris Chambers was a very productive wide receiver for the Dolphins in the early 2000s. Chambers was a legit deep threat for Miami, much like Washington was for Oklahoma State, and they both have similar body types. (Shout out to Football Gameplan’s Emory Hunt for coming up with this comp)

 Teams that Fit: The Cowboys have no real deep threat on their roster, and the signing of Allen Hurns shouldn’t prevent them from taking another receiver in the first two days of the draft. If they do, Washington will be a candidate thanks to his game speed and ball tracking. The Patriots just lost their deep threat Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Rams, so picking up a replacement like Washington should be a priority. The Bills need speed at wide receiver, so drafting Washington to compliment Kelvin Benjamin makes sense.

Where he should go: 3rd Round

Where he (probably) will go: Late 2^nd Round, Early 3^rd Round

Conclusion:

James Washington might be the best deep threat in this class, but he must round out his game and improve his motor to be a star in the NFL.

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Combine Results courtesy of MockDraftable.com, Drop Percentage courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Career Statistics courtesy of sports-reference.com/cfb, Date of Birth courtesy of Scout Hub