Kaelin Clay, WR Utah

Height: 5’10″
Weight: 195  lbs
Hand Size: 9″

40 yard dash: 4.51 (official)
Vertical Jump: 33″
Broad Jump: 9’5″

NFL Comparison: More Raw and Less Athletic Randall Cobb

Scouting Notes:

Clay is infamous in college football circles for his DeSean Jackson-like, voluntary  ball drop prior to entering the end zone on an otherwise spectacular 79 yard pass. Look up his name on YouTube and you’ll find it. That ill-fated play might have been one of the better things to happen to Clay in his college career though, as it brought his performance under scrutiny from that point on. There were several other arguably more deserving receivers who didn’t get an invite to the combine, and that attention on Clay may have been what put him over the top. Clay is an electrifying kick returner with great vision and the ability to make people miss. It was thought, coming into the combine, that his speed would separate him from the pack, but his 4.51 forty didn’t indicate that. Though Clay may not have world class wheels, he reaches top speed faster than most, lending to his breakaway capabilities on field. He can maneuver with agility in tight spaces as well, which makes him a dangerous weapon in the short passing game. Clay was thought to be raw as a route-runner based on tape, but ranked as one of the combine on-field drill standouts per our metrics here at RW.

Fantasy Outlook:

I don’t know that Clay will be a major priority in the draft. His less than spectacular forty got him the wrong kind of attention, and his size isn’t ideal for the NFL. Should he be drafted, Clay will make his most immediate impact in the return game, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for fantasy. Physically and skill-set wise, Clay resembles a raw Randall Cobb with his shiftiness and on-field acceleration. Cobb has done well in the NFL, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Clay too can make a name for himself. He needs to improve his tangibles before that happens though.