Zay Flowers Scouting Report and NFL Draft Profile
Zay Flowers Scouting Report: Boston College Eagles, Wide Receiver, #4
2023 NFL Draft Measurements
5’9″ / 182 lbs.
Zay Flowers 40 Time – 4.42
Zay Flowers Draft Profile
Flowers is a former 3-star recruit out of University School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to 247sports, Zay was the 198th-best player in Florida. In high school, Flowers was actually teammates with 2x National Champion Kenny McIntosh who also entered the 2023 NFL Draft. Out of all the receivers in the 2019 recruiting class, Flowers was ranked 189th. While achieving this status, he received 29 Division I offers. Some of the programs that offered him a scholarship include Cincinnati, Maryland, Kentucky, and Boston College. After officially visiting Kansas State and Boston College, he decided that he wanted to play for the Eagles.
According to ESPN, Flowers got significant snaps as a true freshman in 2019. In this season, he played in 13 games where he had 22 receptions for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 27 rushing attempts for 195 yards and a touchdown. In his sophomore season, he was more productive while playing in fewer games. In 11 games, he had 56 receptions for 892 yards and 9 touchdowns. Flowers also recorded 11 rushes for 41 yards and a touchdown. As a junior, Flowers played in 12 games and recorded 44 receptions for 746 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also racked up 7 rushes for 69 yards. Finally, his 2022 season was his best by far. He recorded 78 receptions for 1,077 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Zay Flowers Strengths
Elusiveness
Zay Flowers was one of the most dangerous wide receivers in the nation. He is so dangerous because once he gets the ball in his hands, he is almost impossible to bring down. His elusiveness allows him to not only shake defenders during his route, but it also helps him to rack up extra yards all over the field. When defenders are closing out on him, he has the ability to stop on a dime and make the defender miss. He also has a low center of gravity that allows him to stay on his feet if defenders don’t deliver a clean hit.
Ball Skills
Although Flowers is far below the average size of an NFL receiver, he does have the ball skills needed to make plays anywhere on the field. When the ball is thrown to him in the middle of the field, he does a good job of staying concentrated so he can make contested catches. Zay is also good at tracking the ball over his shoulder. This allows him to consistently make plays deep down the field.
Release
Although Flowers doesn’t have the quickest 10-yard split compared to other receivers of his size, I promise you that he is quicker on film. Flowers has a very quick speed release which allows him to quickly get open against soft coverage. When running speed routes to the outside, he is also able to get open quickly against press bail coverage.
Additionally, Zay does a good job of using his elusiveness to get open at the top of his route stem. At the top of the route stem, he can use a variety of moves to shake defenders. His favorite move is a double move which often forces opposing DBs to flip their hips in the opposite direction. Once they do, Flowers uses his acceleration to take off in the opposite direction and be wide open for an easy reception. Flowers also occasionally head fakes in an attempt to shake the defender. By doing this, the defender will often bite and over-commit. Then, Flowers quickly sinks his hips and changes direction on a dime.
Route Running
If Flowers does not get open immediately after his release, he does a good job of using his broad skillset to find space anywhere on the field. On short-intermediate routes, he relies on his shiftiness to leave defenders in the dust and get open for a short gain. Meanwhile, on deeper routes, Flowers does a good job of using his separation quickness to beat defenders down the field. By doing so, a majority of the time he will have enough space to make a play on the ball. If the QB is under pressure, he does a good job of using his field vision and athleticism to work back to the QB. This often kept Boston College alive in games when the offensive line was getting dominated by blitzing schemes.
Yards After the Catch
As I have mentioned several times throughout this article, Flowers is very elusive and fast. This is really evident when he gets the ball in open field. He is very light on his feet and is able to shake defenders in open space and keep the play alive. When a defender is closing in on him, he knows he doesn’t have the play strength to overpower them. So, he sinks his hips and explodes off his outside foot in another direction and then uses his speed to take advantage of any green grass that is in front of him.
Zay Flowers Weaknesses
Size
The biggest concern that there is surrounding Zay Flowers’ game is his lack of size. As I mentioned above, Flowers officially measured at 5’9″ and weighed in at 182 lbs. at the NFL Combine. This lack of size hinders his ability to make plays all over the field. First off, Flowers primarily lines up in the slot which often means he is running routes in the middle of the field. Although he has the ball skills to make plays in the middle of the field, I am unsure of how many powerful hits he will be able to take. His hand size also impacts his ability to consistently make plays. He has smaller hands which hinder his ability to hold onto the ball through contact. It also makes him inconsistent down the field because of his limited catch radius.
Play Strength
Another concern that I have about Flowers’ game is his lack of play strength. This weakness is very apparent when he is run-blocking. Due to his smaller frame, Flowers is not able to hold his ground and neutralize defenders. He even struggles to hold his ground against smaller slot corners. His below-average play strength also appears when he has the ball in open field. In order for him to rack up extra yards after the catch, Flowers has to rely on his elusiveness to get around defenders. If a defender is able to get a hit off on Flowers, he will likely go down.
Getting Open Against Zone Coverage
Although Flowers is a smart and instinctual player, I did see some inconsistency in getting open against zone coverage. When running his route, Flowers struggles to find a seam between zones which allows him to make an easy catch. Instead, he was often forced to make contested catches in zones and would not be able to rack up many yards after the catch because there was a defender close by to bring him down.
Zay Flowers Draft Stock
As of today, NFL Mock Draft Database has Flowers ranked as the 27th-best prospect in the draft. After watching his film, I would have to agree with this ranking. Out of all the receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft class, I have Flowers ranked as my number three receiver behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Quentin Johnston.
Final Thoughts on Zay Flowers Scouting Report
Zay Flowers is one of the best wide receiver prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. Although he has a smaller frame, that doesn’t stop him from making plays all over the field. He is a gifted route runner who has a variety of moves at his disposal that he can use to shake defenders during his release. Then, once he gets the ball in his hands, there is no guarantee that he won’t take it all the way. He does this by using his speed and elusiveness to shake defenders and rack up extra yards. The only major concerns that I have surrounding his game is his lack of size and play strength. But there are several receivers in the league who have the same weaknesses and have had an amazing career.
Zay Flowers Player Comparison
Zay Flowers Scouting Report and Player Profile Analyst – Matthew Lewis
