Ryan Broyles Draft Profile

By Ray Smith
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Updated: April 20, 2012

AP Photo/Sue Ogrock

Strengths: While I alluded to it earlier, it bears mentioning it again: Broyles is a very savvy route runner. As is clear on much of his Oklahoma film, he is very adept at breaking off a route at the right places in order to find the soft spot in the defense. While some may suggest that this means he is a freelancer who can’t be relied upon to run the prescribed route, coaches actually like this aspect of his game, because it demonstrates an intuitive feel for defeating defenses–something that can’t be measured at the combine. Another thing that comes out on game film with Broyles is that he often plays the role of a possession receiver, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s just a guy who catches passes and can’t create after the catch. Just watch this film by @jmpasq on twitter of Broyles against Texas:

On the first play of the game, Broyles makes a huge play against the Texas defense, catching the ball in space and then taking off for another 30 yards. This ability would translate well in to the Redskins’ offense, where yards after the catch are a highly valued commodity. Broyles also was a highly productive, record-setting player in college; his worst year in terms of receiving yards was his freshman year with 687 yards. After that, he compiled receiving yards of 1,120, 1,622 and 1,157, respectively. Broyles has demonstrated the ability to be productive at a big-time college program, and it’s just a matter of time until he blossoms in the NFL as a slot receiver.

Weaknesses: The main concern with Broyles is his size. While some teams may like Broyles as a football player, many will no doubt have concerns about whether he can take the physical beating at the next level. In today’s NFL, 188 pounds is not considered big by any means, and he will likely need to add a little weight onto his frame. Another concern is Broyles’ speed. It’s not great, but as previously stated, he’s always shown the ability to create separation and catch the football. The other big concern with him is he seems to lose concentration at times, leading to the occasional dropped pass. It’s not a huge concern in terms of keeping a team from drafting him, but it certainly bears watching.

And then there is the injury concern. On November 5^th 2011, Broyles suffered a torn ACL, ending his college career a mere 500 yards shy of setting the all-time NCAA record for receiving yards (he already held the record for number of catches). To some players, this would be utterly devastating, especially considering he elected to stay in college instead of declaring for the NFL draft in 2011.

But Broyles is one courageous player. To tear your ACL and then 5 months later run the 40-yard dash in 4.5+ is beyond impressive. He’s a guy who has proven he loves football, and it’s something he wants to do for a long time. If he continues to quickly progress in his recovery from that ACL injury, watch out.

So where might Broyles fit in for Washington? He’s a perfect fit for the slot role in Mike Shanahan’s offense. While he’s not a player with blazing speed such as Devon Wylie or T.Y. Hilton, he has the quickness and the smarts to separate from CB’s and LB’s, and that’s what matters. As long as Broyles checks out medically (which he should), I would have to assume he’s going to be on the Redskins draft radar, especially since it seems like Coach Shanahan and Bruce Allen are looking to improve the offense by adding a young dynamic core of playmakers.

Questions? Hit me up on twitter at @JTPartlow21