Rookie Spotlight: Danny Gray, Southern Methodist (Photo via SMU Athletics)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 182
Hands: 9 ½”
Arm: 32”
40 yard dash: 4.33
NFL Comparison: Mecole Hardman, Michael Gallup

College Production (Final Season)
16% team receptions
22% team receiving yards
23% team receiving TDs

Breakout Age: 22

Pros
Track-star speed
Dangerous after the catch
Good contact balance
Changes speeds strategically
Goes up and gets the ball
Tracks the ball in the air well
Sticky hands
Good week of Senior Bowl practices before getting banged up

Cons
Lacks physicality
Mediocre blocker
Production in college wasn’t great
Late breakout age
Didn’t face much press
Sometimes loses ball through contact

Scouting Notes:
Danny Gray almost didn’t have a college football career. Academically ineligible to play in D1 football as a freshman, Gray enrolled at JUCO Blinn College, of Cam Newton renown, and worked his way to SMU after a stellar sophomore year in which he tallied 877 yards and 8 TDs. Once there, he scored 6 TDs and gained 448 yards through the air, only to improve to 803 yards and 9 TDs in his senior year. Gray has a nose for the end-zone, and he often gets there unscathed as he’s almost impossible to catch once he has an open lane. As a route-runner, he’s decent, changing speeds often to throw off his defender. But it’s after the catch that he becomes electric. Gray often catches the ball away from his defender, so he already has a leg up, turning on his jets and angling towards the most open part of the field. His straight line speed is impressive, but so is his quickness in tighter spaces. He can squeeze through traffic like a much smaller player would. Though he isn’t very physical, Gray has excellent contact balance for a player of his stature, often avoiding leg tackles with ease. It almost goes without saying that that lack of physicality translates to his blocking, which is earnest but often ineffective. You’re not putting Gray on the field to block though. He’s a playmaker through and through who can dominate on all levels of the field.

Fantasy Outlook:
Gray didn’t see much press at SMU, so we’ll want to see if he can get some hands on the Senior Bowl corners and show some toughness. It’s a crowded field at WR this year, so he’s going to need to stand out to turn enough heads to warrant more than a mid-round pick in the draft. That being said, there’s not much to dislike about Gray’s potential as an every-week fantasy producer, should he land on a team that likes to air it out. His ascension through the JUCO ranks to a D1 Biletnikoff nominee over the course of his career indicates that he has the will and the talent to overcome adversity, and I wouldn’t bet against his star continuing to rise in the NFL. After a good week at the Senior Bowl, he’s on our radar as a guy to target in deeper dynasty leagues, but his overall value will be largely tied to his eventual landing spot and target competition at the next level.

FROM THE SMU ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

Senior (2021): AWARDS: NFL Combine Invite… Reese’s Senior Bowl Invite… First-Team All-AAC… Biletnikoff Award Watch List… Paul Hornung Watch List… NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board… DCTF All-State College Second Team… PFF All-AAC Second Team… Phil Steele All-AAC Second Team… AAC Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 27)… Reese’s Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 27)… Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Honorable Mention (Sept. 28)… Preseason: Athlon Sports Fourth-Team All-AAC… PFF All-AAC Honorable Mention.