Zach D’Orazio: 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Zach D’Orazio was a solid receiver for Akron throughout his three year college career, improving fairly steadily each year. Much like Nigel King, analysts and scouts were a bit surprised that he declared for the 2015 NFL Draft when he could have really helped his draft stock by staying in college for another year.
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Find a full scouting report below.
Strengths
D’Orazio is a big receiver, measuring in at 6’2″ and 217 lbs. He showed some versatility during his college career, moving in and out of the slot. Akron moved D’Orazio from quarterback to wide receiver, and Akron occasionally lined him up in the wildcat, utilizing his ability to run and throw.
He uses his intelligence very well, being able to find soft spots in zones and using his awareness to work back to the quarterback when his quarterback was under duress.
This kid very good in short to intermediate routes and while he lacks the greatest speed, D’Orazio is solid running after the catch, always moving upfield and gaining positive yards.
Weaknesses: D’Orazio lacks the speed NFL scouts look for when they’re looking for receivers to play on the outside and will most likely exclusively be a slot receiver in the NFL.
He does have nice size for a slot guy, but with his lack of speed, he doesn’t get the greatest separation from defensive backs. D’Orazio showed little to no explosion in and out of routes, and, even though he has good size, he has a very small catch radius and average hands for an NFL receiver. He doesn’t make great leaping grabs and he struggles to bring in low throws.
He is very limited in his ability, making his chances of seeing the field at the next level very low.
Awards and Comparison: Named Academic All-MAC Honorable Mention (2013), Akron’s Harry “Doc” Smith Outstanding Sophomore Award, recorded a catch in every game during the 2014 season.
Player Comparison: Gerald Ford
Draft Outlook: May get drafted in the 7th round, but better chance of signing on with a team as a UDFA. Will need to develop his route running to gain separation from defensive backs at the next level because he lacks the necessary speed to fly by defensive backs. D’Orazio’s ceiling in the NFL is a large, possession slot receiver.