Rookie Spotlight: Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa (Photo via UNI Athletics)
Height: 6’ 4”
Weight: 214 lbs
Hands: 9 ½””
Arm: 32 ½””
40 yard dash: 4.42 (official)
NFL Comparison: Donovan Peoples-Jones

College Production (Final Season)
19% team receptions
33% team receiving yards
29% team receiving TDs

Breakout Age: 22

Pros
Prototypical build
Impressive long speed
Deep ball specialist
Wide catch radius
Wins contested catches easily
Great testing at the combine, extremely athletic
One of the more productive WRs in the class by team market-share

Cons
Average play speed
Lets too many balls into chest
Suspect hands
Plays too upright at times
Will be 24 during NFL rookie season

Scouting Notes:
Weston looks like everything you could want in an X-receiver. He’s big, strong – 20 reps on the bench at the Combine, and he’s fast – Ran a 4.42 forty at the Combine as well. He also jumped out of the gym. The speed is a little deceptive, as it takes a while for him to build up to it in the game, and his play speed actually leaves something to be desired. He lacks explosiveness and suddenness, but when you’re that big and fast and a deep threat receiver, you don’t need to be that explosive, at least not in the FCS. Weston led the FCS in yards per reception in 2021 (23.9), so his game worked well on the college level. Contested catches come pretty easily to Watson, as he’s athletic with a 40” vertical, and his catch radius is plenty wide enough to outreach most corners. While Weston is rangy, he often lets balls into his chest, but that may have been more due to insufficient QB play at Northern Iowa than any real problem with his hands – We shall see. It comes as no surprise too that Watson has trouble lowering his hips in his routes, and he often plays very upright, something very noticeable from a 6’4” player. This hasn’t been a problem for his production, but there are other large receivers in the draft who have more wiggle to them.

Fantasy Outlook:
Weston could be a boon in fantasy as a deep ball/red-zone threat, but he needs to work on his route running and play speed. Like I said, there are other prototypical X-receivers in the draft that are more elusive and shifty, but sometimes you just need a big man to truck downfield and catch the ball over defenders. Weston is that guy. It also helps to know that he rehabbed well from an injury that caused him to miss the entire 2018 season.I don’t know if he’s a special player yet, but he has great long speed and could do a lot of damage in an offense with a QB that isn’t afraid to take shots downfield. Take him as a high upside, low-floor WR 4-type in dynasty. You should be able to get him with a fourth-round rookie pick prior to knowing NFL landing spots.