Week 11 NFL Moneyline Underdogs
Mike Randle
With the NFL Combine starting next week, it’s time to take a peek at a few players who could surprise the masses. For many of the over 300 prospects invited this is one of the most important weeks in the draft process, the one-on-one interviews and interaction are second to none.
When it comes to the fantasy side, we will finally get a uniform set of numbers, allowing us to build a better prospect model.
Let’s take a look at a few players who could become sleepers within this group of skill players.
Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee
5-foot-11, 200 pounds
Jaylen Wright is slightly lean at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, and coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career. We also saw him set career highs with 7.4 yards per carry (second in SEC), 22 receptions and 141 receiving yards. In his three seasons at Tennessee, Wright amassed 2,468 yards and 18 touchdowns from scrimmage. In 2022, his 10 rushing touchdowns were fourth in the SEC.
Wright displays strong contact balance and strong leverage, making it hard to get solid contact on him and helping him force missed tackles. He is a natural playmaker who can break a game open on any touch and will fit perfectly in a zone scheme due to his innate ability to find cutback lanes. He is an extremely explosive player who can demonstrate this during drills like the vertical and broad jump — he has already appeared on Bruce Feldman’s freaks list (No. 24). There are some questions about his long speed, so the 40-yard dash will be important. In a weaker running back class, there is a chance that, with an impressive combine, he could push for Day 2 draft capital.
Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington
6-foot-1, 180 pounds
It was a turbulent 2023 for Jalen McMillan, who had to battle a knee injury he sustained in September but still managed 559 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. This was a significant drop off from his 2022 1,098-yard, 9-touchdown season, his only 1,000-yard season. He amassed over 2,100 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns for the Huskies over four years.
McMillan is a fluid athlete who demonstrates strong speed and quickness making him a formidable deep threat. His route-running prowess is advanced, allowing him to create separation with ease, and pairing this with his spatial awareness it feels like he is always open. He shows strong hands and an ability to win in contested situations, but this is not his forte. All of these traits have been overlooked by many due to his down year in 2023, the Combine is the perfect spot for him to resurface as a top prospect, only adding to the already deep wide receiver class.
Javon Baker, WR, UCF
6-foot-1, 199 pounds
Javon Baker was a four-star recruit according to 247 Sports. He started out at Alabama but failed to find any traction within the Crimson Tide wide receiver room. After transferring to UCF, he broke out with back-to-back seasons of 700-plus yards — his 1,139 yards in 2023 led the Big 12. He scored 12 touchdowns in his two seasons at UCF, including a career-high 7 in 2023.
Baker is a nuanced route runner who can create separation with ease and has an array of release packages to help him lose defensive backs quickly. He weaponizes leverage and can dictate the route (especially in off-coverage) but leaves us wanting a bit more when facing press coverage. If he is forced into a contested situation, he can hold his own, but I wouldn’t call him a jump ball savant. We don’t often see him drop the ball, displaying strong and reliable hands. Some of the biggest concerns surround speed, but with some of the fastest times at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, we may see him impress in the 40-yard dash.
Isaiah Williams, WR, Illinois
5-foot-8, 180 pounds
I’m surprised Isaiah Williams hasn’t garnered more attention. He amassed 2m304 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in his career with the Illini. He did that in only three years as a receiver after originally coming to Illinois as a quarterback. He has steadily improved, peaking with 1,055 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2023.
Williams is undersized but is an extremely fluid athlete who creates with the ball in his hands, showcasing impressive vision. His short area quickness pops off the screen and allows him to create separation with ease, especially when paired with his explosion of the line and physicality to escape press coverage. With decent speed, he demonstrates the ability to test a defense at all levels. He is a hands catcher who demonstrates strong and reliable hands. One of the biggest question marks will be within the measurables portion as there is a wide range of reported heights for him, ranging from 5-foot-8 to 5-10. Either way, he feels like the perfect fit in today’s NFL, making the combine the perfect spot for Williams to build up more buzz.
Jared Wiley, TE, TCU
6-foot-6, 253 pounds
Jared Wiley is a fifth-year tight end who amassed a modest 1,013 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in college. He didn’t become a potent receiving threat until arriving at TCU in 2022, where he produced 765 of his career yards in two seasons. Most of this came in 2023 with 520 yards, and his eight touchdowns were the most from a tight end and fourth from any position in the Big 12. That helped him earn first-team All-Big 12 Honors.
We already saw a glimpse of Wiley’s athleticism at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, earning the Player of the Week award at tight end from the American Roster. As a lean-framed athlete, he stretches the seam with ease and excels in the intermediate to deep areas of the field. He pairs this with fluidity and above-average quickness in and out of his breaks making him a tough matchup in man coverage situations. With strong hands and a natural ability to create after the catch, he is a natural playmaker who is a threat to create a big play on every touch. As a blocker, he needs time to improve and develop a stronger technique but has shown some strong raw traits. With some impressive numbers during the drill portion of the Combine, Wiley may skyrocket his draft stock much as Sam LaPorta and Brenton Strange did in 2023.
