New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: WR Jordan Addison

Don't rule out a receiver at No. 25 for the Giants, especially if USC's Jordan Addison is there.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Mar 23, 2023 12:22 PM EDT

In this story:

Jordan Addison, WR

Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 173 lbs.
Class: Junior
School: USC (formerly with Pitt)
Age: 21 (01/27/2002)

Combine Measurements

Arm length: 30⅞”
Hand size: 8¾”
40-yard-dash: 4.49
10-yard-split: 1.56
Vertical jump: 34”
Broad jump: 10’2”

A former four-star recruit out of Tuscarora High School in Fredrick, Maryland, where he was the 10th-ranked athlete and the 12th recruit from Maryland during the 2020 cycle. Addison was a jack-of-all-trades in high school; he played quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back. In 2019, he had 25 catches for 544 yards and 8 TDs as a receiver.

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Notables

Jordan Addison won the Fred Bilenikoff Award (best college WR) in 2021 while being honored as a consensus All-American in his last season with the Pitt Panthers. In 14 games, Addison recorded 1,593 yards on 100 catches (144 Kenny Pickett targets) with 17 touchdowns; he went north of 100 yards in 8 games with one 200+ yard game against Virginia (he had four touchdowns that day as well).

Addison’s freshman year was also impressive at Pitt. He caught 60 of 87 passes as a true freshman for 662 yards and four touchdowns. He was named a Freshman All-American and was the ACC Rookie of the Year runner-up (current Los Angeles Rams’ RB Kyren Williams of Notre Dame won the award in 2020).

After his second season with Pitt, Addison entered the transfer portal and took his talents to USC, where former Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley started building his program. Addison caught 59 of 79 Caleb Williams’ passes for 875 yards and eight touchdowns. Defenses focused heavily on Addison, but he was still honored with a First-Team All-Pac-12 bid. Addison opted to forgo his eligibility and enter the NFL draft.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine did not treat Addison favorably; he was undersized with sub-optimal testing. Despite the lackluster testing and measurables, Addison’s silky smooth route running impressed at the event and through his Pro Day.

Strengths

Solid overall athlete (not a difference-maker in this area)
Despite sup-par testing, he’s a quick mover with solid explosiveness
Quick feet with excellent change of direction and solid agility
Fluid operator - VERY smooth in space
Good hip mobility that allows him to open and turn back to QB quickly
Good feet and release package on the LOS - did well to avoid press & stack
Very good hard sells in & out of breaks
Route stems are full of subtleties; head fakes, hard plants, and shoulder movements to set up a subsequent cut
Very technically sound and proficient route runner - can run the route tree
Great routes at all three levels of the field
Not an easy task to handle in true man-coverage
Knows how to find open space against zone coverage
A very spatially aware player
Solid overall hands and concentration into the catch point (would like to see more of this)
Good job picking up extra yardage after the catch
Has experience returning kicks

Weaknesses

Undersized with a limited catch radius and small hands
Thin frame - only 173 pounds
Play strength is an issue - blocking is marginal
Can he handle physical corners on the outside at the next level?
Modest athlete for a WR garnering first-round buzz
Will body catch if he can - doesn’t have the strongest hands at the catch point
Dropped 21 passes in 2020 & 2021 (only two in 2022)
Did take a statistical step back in 2022 after transferring to USC
Aligned mostly in the slot at Pitt and mostly outside at USC - questions about his outside ability in the NFL are fair.

Summary

Jordan Addison is an elite route runner who understands how to manipulate defenders to maximize his opportunities to get open on any given play. He creates separation with his combination of nuance and short-area quickness at all three levels of the field, and he does a solid job earning extra yards after the catch. Addison has solid overall handsome, but his issues with drops in 2021 & 2020 were frustrating.

His frame, limited catch radius, and small hands are a concern when discussing Addison as a top-20 player. I was encouraged by his release package at USC. However, he still had several designed touches, which does beg the question about the consistent ability to separate against press on the outside. Teams must ask themselves -- how much will his size/play strength affect him in the NFL?

I love his ability to get in & out of his breaks with hast. The double-move against Utah’s Clark Phillips III (Q4, 8:21, 4th & 3 for 48 yards) is a good microcosm to see how he leverages timing and manipulation in high-leverage spots to win. He sells his routes like a seasoned veteran and should be an excellent number-two wide receiver at the next level.

GRADE: 6.34