Richie James, WR, Middle Tennessee: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Richie James, a 2014 three-star recruit who played quarterback as a high school senior, started 30 of 31 career games for Middle Tennessee State. He primarily lines up as a slot receiver in the Blue Raiders offense. In 2017, he missed three games with an ankle injury and the final five with a broken collarbone. He’s played for one head coach and two offensive coordinators during his time at Middle Tennessee.
James is the school’s all-time leader in receptions (244), receiving yards (3,261) and receiving touchdowns (23). He was named first-team all-Conference USA as both a freshman and sophomore, his only two full seasons of collegiate football. He possesses marginal size and adequate length on a wiry frame with very good athletic ability. A redshirt junior, James has declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Measureables
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 176 lbs.
Strengths
Richie James explodes off the line of scrimmage when given a free release and shows very good acceleration through the route stem. At the top of the route, he displays good change of directions skills as he creates plenty of separation from the defender against man coverage.
One way Middle Tennessee created space for James was by throwing screens. On this play from his freshman season, James catches a screen with two blockers and four Alabama defenders in front of him. Among those defenders were current NFL players Reuben Foster (first-round pick), Cyrus Jones (second round) and Eddie Jackson (fourth round). The fourth, Minkah Fitzpatrick, is a projected first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The speed and elusiveness of James leads to the defense leaning outside to protect the edge. The receiver sees this and bolts back towards the middle of the field, picking up 10 yards and a first down on a play that looked doomed from the start.
Just like the top slot receivers in the NFL, James is not afraid to attack the middle of the field and demonstrates solid awareness to find the hole in a zone. This awareness is a result of good mental processing skills and is demonstrated in other ways as well. James possesses solid instincts to alter his route when the quarterback scrambles or is being blitzed.
James tracks the ball well in the air and demonstrates very good body control by adjusting to passes around his frame. As seen in the play below, he possesses good leaping ability to extend his catch radius beyond that of a typical receiver his size.
Once he has the ball in his hands, James is one of the best players in college football at generating yards after the catch. He turns upfield quickly and displays very good vision to find a running lane with the elusiveness to score from anywhere on the field. His entire skill set was on full display against Missouri in the following play. James sees his quarterback scramble and breaks off his route. He finds the open space in the Missouri zone and sits in it to give his QB an open window. Before his feet even touch the ground, James is already facing upfield. He accelerates and explodes through three defenders. Despite being tripped up, he’s able to keep his balance and outrun the remaining defenders to the end zone.
When he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, James displays solid competitive toughness through a willingness to block. He does a solid job of opening running lanes and preventing his defender from making a play.
James isn’t a receiver who only put up big numbers in Conference USA; he thrived when the lights were brightest. In five career games versus SEC competition, he caught 47 passes for 614 yards and three touchdowns. He gained at least 95 yards receiving in each contest against an SEC opponent.
Weaknesses
Richie James struggles to beat press coverage when lined up on the line of scrimmage. This leads to a marginal release as he attempts to fight through contact and throws off the timing of his routes. Marginal play strength leads to him being pushed off his line on deep routes, shrinking the window for his quarterback to place the football.
He does a good job of catching passes with his hands that are outside his frame, however he allows too many passes into his chest when thrown on frame. Adequate concentration skills are another factor that have led to him dropping passes. A couple examples can be seen here.
James exhibits an adequate ability to take a big hit after the catch and hold onto the ball. When he does hold on and turn upfield, he possesses a marginal ability to break tackles once contacted by a defender.
Overall
Overall, Richie James is a slot receiver at the next level who wins with athletic ability and instincts. He’s not someone who should be asked to line up on the line of scrimmage and beat press coverage consistently. From a size and athleticism standpoint, James is similar to former Georgia receiver Isaiah McKenzie. McKenzie was a fifth-round pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2017 NFL Draft and has caught just two passes through week 15.
The good news for James is that he is a much more polished route runner than McKenzie and is more talented after the catch. Like McKenzie, James is a projected day-three pick. He’ll make an NFL roster, and if utilized correctly, can become a solid slot option at the next level. He’s a homerun threat whenever he touches the football so look for him to battle for a starting job as a return specialist as well.