By: Michael Higgins

School: USC (Junior)

Position: WR

HT: 6’0

WT: 175 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #5

Jordan Addison has been a force to be reckoned with ever since his freshman year at Pitt, winning All-Freshman Team honors in the ACC. In his sophomore season, Addison won the Biletnikoff award for the most outstanding receiver in the country. After his breakout season as a sophomore at Pitt, Addison transferred to USC to be a part of a Lincoln Reilly led offense. Reilly’s offense did nothing but highlight Addison’s strengths and made him the best version of himself. Jordan Addison’s best attributes are his speed and timing. He is patient with his routes and chooses to let the coverage set in before he attacks. His patience comes close to the line of scrimmage where he is able to stack corners and cut on a dime. Addison’s ability to manipulate different coverages within a defense pairs perfectly with his speed and allows him to create separation. Addison has elite athleticism, consistent hands, and downhill speed. He is the best route runner in the draft class, Addison is extremely technical with his routes. He doesn’t waste energy on routes and every step is calculated. The worst thing a defensive back can do is get handsy and press Addison at the line of scrimmage. He is slippery and able to use a defender’s leverage and backwards momentum to his advantage. Addison is an intermediate zone of the field threat as well as a deep threat, while also being able to catch the ball behind the line of scrimmage and gain all the yards with the ball in his hands. He can truly make the defense pay from anywhere on the field. Addison is also an asset in an offense that uses pre-snap motion heavily as a good amount of his touches involve pre-snap motion.

The downside of Addison’s game comes with his size, at 6’0 175 he will simply have to put on at least 10 pounds of muscle to compete at the next level, which he will. It seems every year we have thin receivers that everyone claims won’t be able to succeed as a pro due to size and yet they get to the next level and flourish, the most recent example being Philadelphia Eagles’ Wide Receiver, Devonta Smith. Addison’s slender frame may cause him to fall if teams view they need to take a chance on a true big-body WR1, but I don’t think that is a fair assessment.

Jordan Addison is an intriguing prospect who offers top level speed combined with elite route running and anticipation. He is a technician with an extensive route tree that can cut on a dime. He will provide a boost to any type of offense he is drafted into. Every team can use a guy of Addison’s skillset, even if they already have a perceived WR1 on the roster.

Scheme Fit: Spread Offense with plenty of pre-snap motion

Ideal Role: Z-receiver

Best Team Fits: TEN, BUF, NE

Player Comparison: Stefon Diggs

Player Grade: 90.8