PRO 2024 Rookie Spotlight: Troy Franklin, WR Oregon
Rookie Spotlight: Troy Franklin, WR Oregon
Height: 6-3 (unofficial)
Weight: 187 (unofficial)
2024 Age: 21 – (2/6/03)
40-yard dash: 4.46 (projected)
NFL Play-Style Comparison: Jerome Simpson x DeVonta Smith
Draft Grade: Late Round 1
Breakout Age: 19 (Sophomore)
Offensive Market Share Metrics (Final Season)
Receptions: 20%
Receiving Yards: 28%
Receiving TDs: 29%
High School: Menlo Park (Menlo Park, California)
As a high school prospect: Class of 2021; 4-star
College Attended: Oregon
Pros
– Creates quick separation at the line of scrimmage with strong hands and twitchy foot-work
– Abnormal frame with length that is compact with muscle throughout
– Gained around 5lbs of mass from 2022 to 2023 and saw his Yards After Catch increase from 4.4 to 6.6.
– Route savviness with creativity factor out of breaks.
– 4+ receptions in 12 of 13 games in 2023.
– 2023 AP All-American Second Team
Cons
– Led the Power-5 with “9” Drops in 2023.
– shows some lower quarter tightness with the change of direction
– struggles at the catch point in contested situations on the sideline/ in the endzone
– not a consistent framer of the football, leans on his body often
Scouting Notes:
In three seasons at Oregon, Franklin never missed a game, in fact outside of Week 1 of his freshman season against Fresno State, he caught at least one football in all 35 performances. As a true sophomore, Franklin burst onto the scene against Washington State amassing 137 receiving yards and a touchdown, he posted similar stat lines two more times in 2022 and nine times in 2023. His connection with Quarterback Bo Nix is apparent, Nix credits Franklins’ technique to having a high IQ as a route runner and knowledge of defenders’ movements. Despite the rare build at 6’3 and 187 lbs, he uses his filled-out frame and strength to keep defenders at arm’s length early in routes and off of the line of scrimmage, something slender-framed receivers often struggle with. Only Marquess Wilson possessed this build in the last twenty NFL drafts, and he was drafted in the 7th round by the Chicago Bears in 2013. In conclusion, Franklin has shown the ability to win in almost all quadrants of the field, with slight struggles in contested situations, progressing as a hands catcher and framing the football will expedite his ability to become a superstar at the next level.
Fantasy Outlook:
Possibly the most exciting late 1st / early 2nd round selection you can make in Fantasy Rookie Drafts, is Troy Franklin – with a play style that mirrors DeVonta Smith at Alabama and a larger (filled out) frame to boot, who wouldn’t want the polarizing upside on their team. Despite leading the Power-5 in Drops, he showed poise and consistent trust from his Quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon, finishing with 4+ receptions in 20 of 26 games with Nix. Franklin’s ability to join an NFL team on Day 1 and work as the primary receiver is evident, but it’s more likely that he will land in an offense devoid of a dynamic threat giving him ample opportunity to earn upwards of a 20% target share in 2024.
