Nathaniel Dell Scouting Report and NFL Draft Player Profile

Nathaniel Dell Scouting Report Measurements

WR-Nathaniel Dell 40-Yard Dash Time – 4.43

5’10” / 165 lbs.

Nathaniel Dell Draft Profile

Nathaniel “Tank” Dell is a former 2-star recruit out of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. According to his 247sports profile, he was the 400th-best receiver in the nation and the 385th-best player in Florida. While achieving this status, he only received one scholarship and that was from Florida International University. Instead of accepting the scholarship, he decided to play for Independence Community College. As a redshirt freshman, he racked up 52 receptions for 766 yards and 8 touchdowns. At the end of the season, Dell decided to enter his name in the transfer portal. After doing so, he received scholarships from three Division I programs. These schools were South Florida, Akron, and Houston. Shortly after receiving the scholarship from Houston, he committed to play for the Cougars.

Over the past two seasons at Houston, Dell has been one of the most productive receivers in the nation. According to ESPN, in 2021 Dell racked up 90 receptions for 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns. These stats are so impressive many people didn’t think he could top that. But he proved those people wrong by doing so. During the 2022 season, he had 109 receptions for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Strengths

Athleticism

Nathaniel Dell is one of the most athletic wide receivers in the nation. He is very light on his feet allowing him to elude defenders with ease. When running routes, Dell displays the ability to change direction on a dime. This is due to him being able to sink his hips and quickly accelerate in another direction. After making a catch, he shows that he is very elusive in open field. Dell often uses his elite lateral agility and quickness to shake defenders and make them miss. Dell’s speed often kept opposing defenses on their heels because of his route running and ability to get upfield quickly on jet sweeps.

Release

For a receiver of Dell’s size, he has a very good release. When lined up in the slot, Dell uses his amazing athleticism to quickly stem his route to the outside. This is due to his quickness and acceleration to speed release towards the outside. Once he stems his route, he does a good job of squaring up his hips and bursting up the field. When facing soft coverage, Dell does a good job of manipulating the DB’s hips at the top of his route stem. He does this by faking to one side forcing the DB to flip his hips, then he takes off in the other direction.

Yards After Catch

Dell is very natural at racking up yards after he gets the ball in his hands. As I briefly mentioned earlier, he is good at getting open on short routes to the outside. Then, when he makes the catch, he squares up his hips to use his elusiveness to its full potential. After squaring his hips, he does a good job of getting upfield quickly due to his ability to quickly burst to his top speed. When a defender does get in front of him though, he has incredible lateral agility that allows him to elude the defender. Dell is also good at changing direction on a dime due to his ability to sink his hips and take off in another direction. If you want to see what I am talking about for yourself, take a look at this highlight video.

Hands

When watching Dell’s tape, I was impressed with his ability to make catches with his hands outside of his body. Although Dell has smaller hands in comparison to other receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft, he has incredible grip strength. This allows him to make catches with his hands and not rely on his body to help make the grab. Dell is also good at making catches outside of his frame. When the ball is slightly out of reach for Dell, he shows good athleticism, grip strength, and concentration to make the catch.

Weaknesses

Size

Although Dell is a tremendous athlete, his frame is far below the average for an NFL wide receiver. Dell stands at 5’10” making him a solid size for a slot receiver, but he only weighs 165 lbs. Although his thin frame allows him to be light on his feet, this can lead to him getting injured a lot in the NFL. His below-average size also makes him a liability on the outside because he struggles to get open against bigger corners. He is also a liability as a run blocker because his adequate arm length often leads to him losing at the point of attack.

Play Strength

As I have mentioned several times throughout this article, Dell is very undersized. I believe that he weighs the least out of every receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. This directly translates to his strength on the field as well. The biggest concern that I have surrounding his play strength is his ability to fight through pressure at the line. When he is lined up against jam coverage, he is often stalled at the line of scrimmage. This often eliminates him from plays because, by the time the ball is thrown, he is still stemming his route.

Nathaniel Dell 2023 NFL Draft Stock

Although Dell has proven to be a productive receiver in college, I question whether he will be able to do so in the NFL. With that being said, Dell will likely be taken toward the middle of the draft. Personally, the highest that I would draft him would be in the 4th round.

Final Thoughts on Nathaniel Dell

Nathaniel “Tank” Dell is one of the most athletic receivers in the nation. His quickness allows him to get open quickly prior to the snap and generate yards after the catch. He also has fluid hips that allow him to manipulate defenders and get upfield quickly. When stemming his route, he does a good job of attacking the DB’s hips forcing them to flip. Then he uses his hip mobility and low center of gravity to take off in another direction. Dell is also a natural at catching the ball with his hands. I often see slot receivers use their body to help them make a catch. But in Dell’s case, that is not true. Although Dell is a special talent, I do have concerns about how his lack of size and strength will translate to the NFL.