2022 NFL Draft: Idaho State WR Tanner Conner A Sleeper To Watch

In a deep receiver class that is the 2022 NFL Draft, there will be sleepers. Idaho State WR Tanner Conner is one of them.

It feels like we’ll continue to say this going forward, but the receiver group for the 2022 NFL Draft is one of great depth. There will be plenty of players available in the middle rounds and late rounds who can be contributors for NFL teams. As we near April, with every stone unturned, it’s hard to locate true sleepers. However, one of them might just be Idaho State’s Tanner Conner.

Conner is a big receiver, listed at 6’2 6/8″ and 230 pounds, as measured from the Shrine Bowl (similar measurables to Treylon Burks). The Bengals standout had three very good seasons, capped by a 2021 that saw him catch 42 passes for 735 yards and four touchdowns. In his four active seasons, Conner averaged nearly 18 yards per reception. The deep threat profile isn’t too surprising when you realize that he was a Big Sky 2021 Track and Field Championships participant.

Conner made some noise down at the Shrine Bowl, where he flashed the play strength, ability to get off press coverage, and the speed to get back on his line and separate vertically down the field.

He recently attended the Washington pro day, where he stood out in a major way. Conner ran an unofficial 4.37 40 and jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical and 10 feet and seven inches in the broad jump. All three are above the 90th percentile. Conner also got some work doing tight end drills.

Tanner Conner certainly has intrigue with the size and speed he possesses, and will have teams chomping at the bit late on day three of the 2022 NFL Draft. The potential for him to play in a move-TE role (F) where he’s maximized as a receiver, a “power slot” type, while also getting chances to threaten vertically and open things up. It’ll be fascinating to see where he ends up when late April rolls around.