Antwane Wells Jr. Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck/IMAGN Images)

School: Ole Miss

Class: Redshirt Senior

Position: WR

HT: 6’0

WT: 205 lbs

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Background: Antwane Wells Jr. has worked on his resume and game no matter what the outside noise has said about him. He was an unrecruited player out of Richmond, Virginia. He played for Highland Springs High School but did not receive any stars. He was named Second Team All-Metro and first team all-state as a senior. He was a key contributor for a Highland Springs team that won two straight state championships during his time there. As he was not receiving the attention that was deserved, he went to Fork Union Military School for a year to prep. After the year at prep school, Wells went to James Madison.

College: In his freshman season, JMU went to the FCS semifinals and Wells was named an FCS Freshman All-American. Antwane started all 14 games in his sophomore season for James Madison. He once again earned FCS All-American honors. He parlayed all of this FCS production into transferring to the SEC. Antwane Wells transferred to South Carolina and immediately torched the entire conference. In his first season on the team, Wells led the Gamecocks in just about every receiving category. He was named First Team All-SEC by most outlets. Wells did not get much action in 2023 due to injury, but he returned in 2024 and had a solid role for Ole Miss. He snagged 27 receptions for 521 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Strengths: Antwane Wells Jr is a twitchy gadget receiver who has explosive athleticism and the burners to get over the top of a defense. Wells gets in and out of breaks with crisp movements. He is extremely efficient as a route runner as he has no wasted movement throughout his routes. Wells is not only an explosive athlete, but he is a physical player at the catchpoint who will not be phased by contact. He does not allow press corners to bully him and instead fights fire with fire. Wells does a good job of tracking the football over his shoulder on deep throws and bringing the ball in without decelerating. He displays late hands to force the defensive back to get their head around and look at the football. Wells can be put all over the offense. Whether he is the X or lined up in the slot, Wells is a threat to make a play. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands as an elusive ball carrier in the open field.

Weaknesses: Wells lacks the arm length that you are looking for from the prototypical X receiver. He is susceptible to losing reps to those lankier big boundary cornerbacks. Wells has put his route running prowess on full display, but the consistency is not there at the breaks. He can be seen rounding out the top of his routes from time to time. Wells can be seen getting ahead of himself when the ball comes his way. He tends to turn up field before fully catching the football, leading to drops.

Conclusion: Juice Wells is an explosive player and got the name “Juice” for a reason. Scheming him open to get the ball in his hands is the best way to utilize his skillset. He is dangerous in all areas of the field and is not scared of a little contact. He will have to overcome his less-than-ideal measurables, but he has done that for the entirety of his career.

Scheme Fit: Scheme Versatile

Ideal Role: Z Receiver

Best Team Fits: LVR, PIT, CAR

Player Comparison: Kendrick Bourne

Player Grade: Round 5 (57.4)