Rookie Spotlight: Theo Wease, WR Missouri

Height: 6-2 (Shrine Bowl)
Weight: 202 (Shrine Bowl)
Hands: 8 1/2″ (Shrine Bowl)
Arm: 32 1/4″ (Shrine Bowl)
40 yard dash: 4.59 (projected)
2025 Age: 24
NFL Comparison: Jalen Coker, Rashee Rice
Other RW Staff Comps: Marquez Callaway, Dontayvion Wicks, Isaiah Ford, Rashard Higgins
Breakout Age: 22 (RS SR)

Pros

– Excellent route runner
– 8th place among all CFB qualifiers in forced missed tackles in 2024 (24)
– Expansive frame
– Catches ball away from body
– Not afraid to go into traffic
– Consistent chain mover
– Has shown an ability to win contested catches, just not consistently (36.4% rate in 2024)
– Quick to get upfield after the catch
– Long-strider

Cons

– Generally not a big play receiver
– Middling play strength
– Small hands
– Played six years in college
– Missed 2021 season at OU with a significant foot injury

Fantasy Outlook:
It’s hard to stand out when you’re playing opposite Luther Burden, but Theo Wease is a solid, big bodied receiver in his own right. We didn’t get a chance to see him at the Shrine Bowl, as he had a hand injury, but when you look at his tape, it’s easy to see that Wease is a top-notch route runner. With an effortless release and variable timing, Wease is able to get open early and often, picking up first downs with regularity. The thing I first noticed when watching him though, is his ability to turn upfield and accelerate quickly, making him appear faster than he might be. Wease may not put up an impressive forty time, but he’s still able to cover a lot of ground quickly as he has a long stride in addition to short area quickness. He’s slippery for a big guy, but he’s not going to break a lot of tackles, as he lacks considerable play strength – He’s a decent blocker, considering that fact though. Not a contact balance guy, Wease still possesses good body control and awareness on the field, as he is able to make toe-touch catches and is a formidable red-zone target. Wease doesn’t have the traits to be a team’s no.1 receiver, necessarily, but he can become a consistent chain-mover who is an asset in the red-zone. He can definitely thrive in a west-coast scheme.