2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: TE Jelani Woods, Virginia

Might the New York Giants take a flier on tight end Jelani Woods as a developmental prospect?

Jelani Woods, TE

Height: 6’7
Weight: 259 lbs.
Class: RS-Senior
School: Virginia
Arm length: 34 ⅛”
Hands: 9 ¼”

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A former three-star recruit as a quarterback coming out of Ellenwood, Georgia, where he attended Cedar Grove, Woods was the 31st ranked athlete and the 70th ranked Georgian recruit in the 2017 cycle. 

He committed to Oklahoma State where he was hardly used as a receiver. He transferred to Virginia and saw 30+ more targets in one season than he did in his entire career at Oklahoma State. He’s still new to the tight-end position.

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Notables

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Woods is a one-year wonder, but it’s not his fault. Oklahoma State used his size and frame as a blocker in Mike Gundy’s offense. 

In three seasons with Oklahoma State, he saw 45 targets with 31 catches for 361-yards and four touchdowns in 28 starts. In his one season with Virginia, he caught 44 of 71 targets for 598 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jelani Woods earned first-team All-ACC in 2021 and then attended the East West Shrine Game. Woods was one of the best players in Las Vegas for the East West Shrine Game. 

He is raw and new to the position, but he has a lot of potential with the size, athletic components, and the play he displayed in 2021. Woods attended the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine; here were his test results in the 40-yard dash and bench press

• 40-yard-dash: 4.61s 
• Bench press: 24 reps

Here’s his RAS (Relative Athletic Score):

Strengths

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

• Elite size and frame with great length
• Massive catch radius and target over the middle of the field
• Size allows him to succeed in short-yardage and red-zone
• Long strider who has good separation speed once it’s built up
• Solid overall hands, not the most natural
• Creates separation with long strides when tasked to go vertical - that, combined with his frame, give second-level defenders issues
• Not easy to bring down, does well to absorb contact
• Runs high, but is physical with the football in his hands
• Functional blocker that was better in 2020 than 2021
• Very good play strength, drives feet on contact
• Solid job on double team/climb situations
• Used solid foot quickness (with a high center of gravity) when pass blocking in 2020
• Great competitive toughness, plays through the whistle

Can Improve

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

• Good athlete for his size, but not overly sudden
• Ran faster than he played
• Isn’t very explosive off the line of scrimmage or in and out of breaks
• More of a build up accelerator
• Route tree consisted mostly of seams, hitches, and outs
• Better blocker in 2020 than in 2021
• Goes into his blocks very high (look at his height)
• Short area quickness was adequate when blocking
• 2021 blocking angles were very inconsistent - framing of blocks need work
• Footworks as a Y TE wasn’t crisp
• Exposed chest too often when blocking (Illinois: Q3, 9:45) stacked & shed violently by EDGE
• Raw player who has a lot of potential

Summary

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Overall, Jelani Woods is a massive tight end who is raw and new to the position. He isn’t sudden and is a long strider that has solid build up speed to create separation against second-level defenders when asked to run vertically. His ability to break down and cut is choppy. 

Woods uses his frame and physicality well at the catchpoint. His hands are solid, but he isn’t a player who adjusts to throws outside his gigantic catch radius. The blocking needs technical refinement, but there’s a lot of upside to appreciate about his run blocking, mainly his power. 

He’s a developmental player who can be a tight end three initially with the upside of possibly advancing to a more premier role. He is new to the position, and has the size and enough athletic ability to crack the backend of a roster.

 GRADE: 6.0 D

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