Cleveland Browns NFL Draft Profile: Khalil Shakir, WR Boise State
Boise State's Khalil Shakir is projected to be taken right around where the Cleveland Browns will likely address wide receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft, and could be a fit for the team.
Standing 5-11 196 pounds, Shakir is on the shorter side but he is skinny. His 29-inch arms place him in the first percentile among receivers, which is very unfortunate given his game. He has good long speed as evidenced by his 4.43-second 40-yard-dash, but lacks the explosiveness and agility needed to really be a dynamic threat.
Khalil Shakir Relative Athletic Score
Shakir was productive for three years in college, and caught 77 passes for 1,117 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2021. He earned Pro Football Focus receiving grades of at least 88.2 each season from 2019 to 2021, and had a career average depth of target of 9.7 yards. Most likely, Shakir is a slot at the next level, but he did have a decent number of snaps on the outside with some success. Playing him inside seems like the best way to minimize his physical shortcomings while allowing him to do what he does best.
Where Shakir wins is with body control and strong hands. He did drop 8.8% of his career targets (11.5% in 2021), but a good number of those can be chalked up as concentration drops. Shakir's hands are excellent and he is a human highlight reel of spectacular grabs, which makes his short arms that much more of a shame.
That catching ability is combined with excellent body control, contortion, and awareness. Shakir knows how to position himself to overcome his athletic limitations and put himself in the best spot to make the catch.
He has also generated some nice yards after the catch, and was an effective punt returner in college, so while he isn't a great athlete, he isn't a terrible one either. The question is whether he has enough athletic ability to be successful in the NFL.
NFL Mock Draft Database currently has Shakir as the consensus 94th-ranked player, so it's entirely possible that he is on the board when Cleveland picks at 99. That may be a bit rich for a guy with physical constraints, but it would obviously depend on what the team has already done at the position (if anything), and what other pass-catchers are available.
It's hard not to like Shakir's game when watching him, though. He just makes some fantastic grabs and has moments where he looks quite fluid and quick. It wouldn't be a surprise if he's able to carve out a solid career because of his ball skills, and perhaps the Browns will value that trait enough to select him.
