Rookie Spotlight: LaJohntay Wester, WR Colorado

Height: 5-9 (Shrine Bowl)
Weight: 177 (Shrine Bowl)
Hands: 8 1/8″ (Shrine Bowl)
Arm: 29 7/8″ (Shrine Bowl)
40 yard dash: 4.49 (projected)
2025 Age: 23
Trashman’s NFL Comparison: Brandin Cooks, Amon-Ra St. Brown
Other RW Staff Comps: Tre Tucker, Jacob Cowing, Keke Coutee
Breakout Age: 19 (RS FR)

Pros

– Extremely shifty in space
– Elite footwork
– Smooth in and out of cuts
– Fearless over middle of field
– Soft hands
– Proficient route runner
– Asset in return game
– Early breakout age at Florida Atlantic
– Was productive at Colorado despite playing alongside a Heisman Trophy winning receiver (and CB)

Cons

– Not a contested catch dominator
– Undersized
– Needs more play strength
– Very small hands, can be a body catcher
– Among the shortest wingspans in the 2025 class
– Very unimpressive yards/route run in 2024 (1.8)

Fantasy Outlook:

One of my standout WRs at this year’s Shrine Bowl practices, Wester is one of several Colorado pass-catchers poised to make an impact in this year’s NFL draft. Shifty as they come, Wester is able to start and stop on a dime, leaving defenders grasping for air in his wake. His nimble footwork enables him to evade contact before and after the catch – His first cut is the deepest and diabolically effective. Webster’s masterful headwork is synchronous with his initial steps, shaking his defender out of step. On occasion it takes Wester out of play contention too though, as he gets ahead of himself and can sometimes trip off balance. He’s got a high motor and he knows when to rev it, catching defenders off guard with his timing. Wester has soft hands, and though he lets a lot of passes into his body, it’s probably mostly due to his hands being small.

Not physically suited to dominate contested catch situations, Wester usually aims to avoid the issue by running shorter, intermediate routes. Wester is most effective over the center of the field, where he’s fearless and able to navigate traffic with adroit vision. That same vision through traffic makes him a useful kick-returner, something that should get him on the field quickly at the next level. Wester doesn’t profile to be an X-receiver, but he doesn’t need to be. He can be lethal out of the slot, with the occasional outside shot play. There were questions about his ability to deal with the press going into Shrine Bowl, but after several days of practice, Wester has shown that he can handle a multitude of defenders with relative ease. In a fast-moving west coast style offense, Wester can quickly develop into a PPR machine in fantasy.