Rookie Spotlight: Tyquan Thornton, Baylor (Photo Via Baylor Athletics)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 181
Hands: 8 ¼”
Arm: 33 ⅛”
40 yard dash: 4.28
NFL Comparison: John Hightower

College Production (Final Season)
26% team receptions
33% team receiving yards
42% team receiving TDs

Breakout Age: 22

Pros
Elite long speed
Tracks ball well in air
Savvy ball skills
Quick feet
Separates easily
Good field awareness
Tough for his size
Maximizes leaping ability
Good jumps and leaps at combine
Produced at a high level in final season, terrific market share numbers

Cons
Too slight
Plays too tall, trouble sinking hips
Small hands
Limited route tree
Late breakout age

Scouting Notes:
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are well aware of the name Tyquan Thornton by now. The fastest WR at this year’s Combine, Thornton has gone from being a relative obscurity to a household name in under 10.28 seconds. It’s not like he came from nowhere though. Thornton had to be good enough to get invited to the Combine, and his consistent production in 2021(62/948/10), as Baylor’s leading receiver, is impressive. The first thing that pops out at you on tape is not Thornton’s speed. It’s his frame. At 6’2”, 181 lbs, Thornton makes AJ Green look like AJ Brown. His upright playing style makes Thornton seem all the more gaunt, but the kid is actually pretty tough on the field. He’s not afraid to take a slant over the middle and turn it upfield for a big gain. In fact, that play was part and parcel to his success at Baylor. The second thing, after his build, that you notice is Thornton’s speed though. He starts fast off the line and ends the play fast. And once Thornton breezes past coverage, he’s gone. No one is going to catch him. Thornton creates separation through his quick footwork and speed, but he needs to learn how to vary his tempo and implement head fakes and hand checks to succeed in the NFL – He’s a bit primitive in his route running. At the catch point, Thornton is aggressive, maximizing his vertical prowess, and he displays excellent body awareness with an uncanny ability to track the ball in the air. He’s got smallish hands, but that hasn’t shown to be a problem for Thornton in bringing in hard-to-reach balls. Overall, Thornton is a blazing fast deep threat whose speed has mitigated the deficiencies he has as a route runner. Whether that translates to the NFL is anyone’s guess.

Fantasy Outlook:
I had trouble coming up with a player comparison for Thornton, and that doesn’t bode well for his chances in the NFL – I couldn’t find any WR of his height and weight that currently starts. John Hightower is probably a good comp stylistically and from a height/weight perspective, and is certainly fast enough at 4.43, but Thornton does bring much extra speed to the table. That being said, Thornton hasn’t had trouble finding separation in college, though the NFL will throw new challenges that he hasn’t yet faced. NFL corners will be bigger and faster than the ones he faced at Baylor, for the most part, and Thornton may not even be able to get off the line to use his wheels – We’ve seen how John Ross has struggled in the pros. In any case, some team will take a shot on Thornton based on his speed and 2021 production, and why shouldn’t they? There aren’t many examples of players of his ilk thriving as anything more than situational deep threats, but if there’s someone who could break the mold it’s Thornton. His intriguing skills make him an exciting, if not risky, Round 3-ish pick in traditional 1 QB rookie drafts.