NFL Draft Profile: Jalen Cropper, Wide Receiver, Fresno State Bulldogs
Jalen Cropper
Fresno State Bulldogs
#5
Pos: WR
Ht: 5111
Wt: 172
Hand: 0878
Arm: 3018
Wing: 7278
40: 4.40
DOB: 5/3/2001
Hometown: Parlier, CA
High School: Buchanan
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Cropper is a traits-based prospect who consistently generates yards after the catch, but he will need to play in the slot because of his frame.
Evaluation:
Cropper possesses great speed, although I wouldn’t put him in the same class as some of college football’s elite burners. Despite his size, Cropper shows resilience with the ball in his hands. He generates yards after the catch through a combination of spin and juke moves and broken arm tackles. As a former do-it-all high school player, Cropper has excellent field vision and an understanding of spacing. His acceleration and route savvy allows him to create natural separation against man and zone coverage. Cropper is a dynamic player capable of stringing together multiple moves and showing high-level elusiveness. He’s comfortable working and making catches along the sideline. Cropper displays choppy footwork off the line, which lets him set up defensive backs for feints and double moves. He varies his route tempo to lull corners to sleep before blowing past them. Cropper has college experience as a kick returner. However, I’m concerned about the senior’s frame. Cropper appears to have high hips, which could hinder his ability to sink on various routes, and he doesn’t possess the broad frame to add much more weight. He's already added about 25 pounds since his freshman season at Fresno State, but he’s still a light player for his height. Cropper’s frame opens him to being pushed around by aggressive corners, getting crowded at the catch point, and being moved backward as a blocker. There’s a lot to like about Cropper’s game, but NFL teams need to see him produce more when facing elite competition to buy him as anything higher than an early Day 3 selection.
Grade:
4th Round
Background:
Cropper was a four-star ATH recruit from Buchanan High School in Clovis, Calif. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 409 recruit (three-star wide receiver) according to the 247Sports Composite board and No. 336 (four-star athlete) for On3.com. Cropper was an unranked three-star athlete for Rivals. He was unranked for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100 (four-star). Cropper played high school football at Sanger High School (Sanger, Calif.) before spending his final season with Buchanan High School. As a high school senior, Cropper caught 22 passes for 565 yards and three scores. He also rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries and intercepted two passes on defense. As a high school sophomore, Cropper scored 19 total touchdowns and rushed for over 700 yards. He has four younger siblings. He earned 2020 Honorable Mention All-Mountain West and 2021 Second-Team All-Mountain West honors over the past two seasons.
