Rookie Spotlight: Jaylin Noel, WR Iowa State

Height: 5-9 ½”
Weight: 196
Hands: 8 ½”
Arm: 30 ⅛”
40 yard dash: 4.39
2025 Age: 23
NFL Comparison: Jayden Reed, Christian Kirk
Other RW Staff Comps: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Khalil Shakir
Breakout Age: 21(JR)

Pros

– Dense and durable
– Best WR performance at 2025 Senior Bowl
– Top-tier RosterWatch on-field performance score in drills
– Quick accelerator
– Big play receiver
– Creates separation with ease
– Decisive breaks and cuts
– Savvy route runner
– Catches ball away from body
– YAC ability
– Kick return specialist

Cons

– Occasional concentration drops
– Limited play strength
– Smaller catch radius
– Relatively small hands

Fantasy Outlook:
For someone with “questionable” long speed, Noel sure knows how to get open downfield for big gains and runs fast at the combine. The key is that he gets open early in the play, using quick feet and a burst of acceleration to leave his defender in the lurch. A savvy route runner, Noel has the vision and the body control to create separation and keep it, breaking suddenly and decisively before bolting downfield. Noel catches the ball in stride and generally away from his body, so he doesn’t lose much momentum turning into a running back after the catch. His dense frame makes him hard to tackle with the ball in his hands, though he’s not a very shifty player after his initial cut. And though he’s a skilled route runner, Noel can get taken out of his routes by handsy corners, as he lacks elite play strength. He’s not quite big or fast enough to thrive on the outside with consistency, but Noel is a versatile player who I could see being utilized as a runner out of the backfield in addition to his role as slot receiver. Noel generally has soft hands, he had 32 straight games with a catch leading up to his senior year, but he does suffer from the errant concentration drop – This tends to happen to smaller pass-catchers who work in the middle of the field for the most part. He’s pretty ineffective as a pass-blocker thus far, and he can lose momentum on broken plays, but with a knack for finding holes in zone coverage and an uncanny ability to get open early, Noel has juice as a chain moving slot man who can take the top off of the defense on a moment’s notice. He’ll be most effective as a team’s 2nd or 3rd option in the passing game, but Noel has PPR asset written all over him. His acumen as a kick returner will get him on the field sooner than later in the pros, and I see him thriving in most offensive schemes.