NFL Draft Combine Prospect JW1
His burst is effortless, which tends to catch coverage off guard when he really hits the vertical gas. His competitive nature and play strength simply act as multipliers for his outstanding ball skills. Still has work to do, but he should be an early starter and a future Pro Bowler.
Woods Mixes tight, crisp route-running with impressive top-end speed to keep secondaries on eggshells throughout the game. Woods is high-cut and a little leggy in his press release and short-area movements, but fluid hips and above-average agility prevent any stagnation.
He's a linear route specialist with a great feel for leveraging and then stemming defenders away from his food on intermediate and deep passes. The hands need work and contested catches will be much more challenging against bigger, faster matchups across from him.
Woods can play inside or outside but offers a unique ability to both widen or lengthen the field from the slot. His transition from deep threat to volume target in 2019 should help sell teams on his ability to become a pro-Bowl caliber WR1 who can help his offense on all three levels. We could sit here and talk about the marginal route-running issues or challenges getting off press. However, Woods is supremely talented as a ball winner and playmaker. After all, routes and release can be coached.
His burst is effortless, which tends to catch coverage off guard when he really hits the vertical gas. His competitive nature and play strength simply act as multipliers for his outstanding ball skills. Still has work to do, but he should be an early starter and a future Pro Bowler.
Strengths
* Well-built lower body and good weight-room worker.
* Smooth, subtle and explosive.
* Eight touchdown catches of 50-plus yards in 2021.
* Blistering vertical acceleration to separate from stunned cornerbacks.
* Hand fighting distances him from coverage.
* Ball-tracking and downfield adjustments are rare.
* Graceful sky-walker with high-point agility.
* Posters full of defenders who tested him on 50-50 balls.
* Already dragging two feet inbounds on sideline catches.
* Turns scramble situations into big plays for his offense.
* Could require scheme help for opposing corners in the future.
* Ball magnet with sticky hands.
* Able to make hands catch-ready in an instant.
* Instinctive body positioning on contested catches.
* Spears throws outside his frame with natural adjustments.
* Big-play speed to the house on slants and over routes.
Weaknesses
* Average short-area foot quickness in release and route breaks.
* Upright target who can be too easy to disrupt by press.
* Needs to play to his true speed more consistently.
* Relies upon athletic gifts and can be nonchalant with routes.
* Doesn't create enough cornerback tilt out of stems and turns.
* Route trees have been fairly basic.
* Slow gathering and opening on comebacks and zone beaters.
* Blocking could stand to improve.
Sources Tell Us
"The way he accelerates is on a totally different level. He knows he can win one-on-one but once a coach puts more polish on him, he could be special." -- Executive for NFC team