Nelson Agholor: 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Nelson Agholor is a very natural receiver. With the USC standout, you have to love his skills combined with heart. It’s easy to see see the effort and enthusiasm he has on every play, and it makes watching his tape so much fun. Agholor is feisty receiver who should be hearing his name called on the second day of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Strengths: Agholor is very quick and an extremely dangerous punt returner.

He’s able to find the right holes and with his speed and acceleration, he has the ability to take every punt to the house. Towards the end of the season, teams were pretty afraid of punting the ball to him.

Fast forward to 31 seconds to see Agholor burning Arizona State’s special teams unit for a touchdown

Agholor is also a very versatile receiver. USC used him all over their formations, using him on the outside, in the slot, in the bunch formation, and even in the backfield on occasion. Against Cal this year, Agholor played mostly from the slot and put on quite a show, catching 16 passes for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Agholor has the ability to snag the ball with defenders all over him. He displayed that he possess the ability to use his body to block out opposing defensive backs to protect the ball when he goes up to catch it.

Boasting very good awareness when his quarterback is in trouble, he always works his way back to make himself an option to his scrambling quarterback. The young prospect is a strong route-runner, something NFL teams will love. He destroyed off coverage and he has a good feel for zone, being able to find the gaps in the coverage.

Weaknesses: While quick, he doesn’t possess the best straight-line speed, so he doesn’t create the greatest amount of separation between himself and defensive backs.

Agholor tried to block and gave it his best go every time, but he struggles when it comes to being an effective blocker.

Agholor is in the slot at the top of the screen.

He struggles against press coverage and will need to improve his strength in order for him to start becoming effective against big, press corners. Drops were a bit of an issue for Agholor and will need to make sure he concentrates all the way through the completion of the catch to limit the amount of drops he has at the next level.

Nov 29, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver JuJu Smith (9) celebrates with receiver Nelson Agholor (15) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Awards and Highlights: First-Team All Pac-12

Pro Comparison: Reggie Wayne

Draft Outlook: We have a very intriguing prospect here. He can play all over the field, and can be an effective return man. Agholor should be able to see the field in one capacity or another from day one.

Teams will love his intelligence and heart as well. With improved strength and concentration, Agholor has the potential to become an impact player in the NFL.