Malachi Dupre, WR LSU
Height: 6’2 1/2″
Weight: 196
Hand: 9″
Arm: 31 1/2″

40-yard-dash: 4.52
NFL Comparisons: Tyrell Williams, Michael Crabtree

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– long, lanky and slim; easy to spot when watching LSU games even though he lined up at virtually all the wide receiver postions

– much better hands, framing ability and general pass-catcher attributes than teammate Travin Dural

– extends arms to the football; can make hands-catches in contested situations of all kinds

– like Dural, it’s hard to judge much about Dupre’s lack of volume in the passing game (only 593 yards in 2016 on 41 catches for 3 TDs) due to the fact that LSU’s passing game has been in shambles since Zack Mettenberger left Baton Rouge; declared for the 2017 draft after his junior season

Thank You #ForeverLSU pic.twitter.com/RhKyo2QhgX

— Malachi Dupre (@MalachiDupre) January 13, 2017

– his 2016 season will probably be most remembered by his one-handed grab versus Louisville in the Citrus Bowl; while it’s an acrobatic and beastly catch, he doesn’t show off the elite hand size, strength, softness and suction of an Odell Beckham in bringing it in

– was asked to do a lot of downfield stalk-blocking in the run-game for superstar RB Leonard Fournette; is not a particularly good or physical blocker, but is not a diva; engages with leverage and relative tenacity in most instances observed

– was a multi-sport and track star in high school; led high school track team to a Louisiana indoor championship with best high jump of any athlete in the NOLA-region; ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at Nike’s ‘The Opening’ at age 17 to go along with a 42.4″ vertical leap; was one of the peak SPARQ performers overall of the 2013 event; his vertical at the Opening was better than any WR who tested at the 2016 NFL combine with Sterling Shepard and Josh Doctson (41″) being the closest competition

– the thing about his speed and suddenness that is so deceptive is the length of his strides; gets up to speed quickly by being so high-cut with such long legs; more like a Tyrell Williams or Devante Parker than an A.J. Green who is more technical with his feet in change-of-direction and crossover stemming, etc.

– this same length contributes to his efficiency in the red zone; when combining his above-average speed, length or arms, ability to create separation with leaping ability and stickier-than-average hands, he makes an easy target to “throw it up for” on back-corner fades; if he gains his QB’s trust at the NFL level (where he’ll be playing with QBs capable of actually getting him the football with greater frequency), he could be a nightmare inside the 20s for opposing defensive coordinators

– not the strongest physically at this point in development and will, at times, struggle to get off of press coverage; lanky body presents more surface-area and places to jam for the opposing DB

– for a 6’3″ to 6’4″ athlete with a high center of gravity, does not have the lumbering movements out of interior cuts as we’ve seen out of prospects like Alshon Jeffery in the past; is a solid-enough route-runner at this time who does not waste much motion at the transition-point of his routes

– all in all, a fantastic prospect; barring unforeseen disaster, he should be taken no later than Day 2 in the 2017 NFL draft and, depending on landing spot, will likely become a late-first to early-second round target for dynasty league owners in traditional four-round rookie draft setups