Bryant Wesco Jr

[Twopointtry]

I'm switching thigs up with the order this time. Let's jump to the end with the conclusion, then we'll work our way back to the beginning and I'll eventually explain how I arrived at his draft grade.

Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

Third round grade. Pro comparison Terry McLaurin (middle of 3rd round 2019, Washington Commodes, Ohio State)

McLaurin had very limited receiving production in college. His final season at OSU, he had 35 catches for 701 yards. It was the only season of his career where he posted at least 500 receiving yards. McLaurin isn't very tall; he's just a hair over 6 feet tall. I really liked McLaurin, but to be fair, I also liked JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who was a big draft bust. For the draft experts that had McLaurin graded high, it was primarily based on his traits and how he performed at the Senior Bowl, it wasn't based off of proven statistical production in college.

Most experts graded McLaurin as a Day 2 prospect. Some of the things they said about him prior to the draft: (+) Detailed route runner, clean releases and hard to jam, fluid and active hips, quick and light feet, legitimate deep threat, crisp angles out of breaks, physical at top of route, good focus on ball, DaeSean Hamilton comp (-) Average tape, faster than quick, build-up speed, body catcher lacking in ball skills, rarely wins contested catches, doesn't high-point the football, lacks suddenness to separate, below average blocker, takes false steps in releases, plays smaller than listed size, not a threat to run through traffic or make contested catches, struggles catching passes outside his frame, limited catch radius.

McLaurin was in a very weak WR draft class. There were zero WRs taken that year prior to slot 25. Even so, this vacuum failed to push McLaurin up the board. He was taken in the area of the draft you'd expect to see a complementary WR3 or a good backup get drafted. Everyone ended up being wrong about McLaurin. He was an instant impact rookie and became a 1,000-yard receiving machine in the NFL, making multiple Pro Bowls.

The reason I don't have Wesco graded even higher is that over the years there have been other WRs that I felt were even better prospects. Some of them flopped, others have been average, a few have done very well. If you put Wesco in the very deep 2024 WR draft class, I wouldn't have taken him until the late 3rd round, maybe early 4th round. Just too many other quality WRs still available.

Nevertheless, I went with McLaurin as Wesco's comp for a reason. I wanted to drive home the point that 4 years from now, we might be saying that Wesco was the best WR to emerge from the 2027 draft class. Notwithstanding the studs at the top of the board like Jeremiah Smith. I wouldn't bet money on that outcome, but it wouldn't shock me. There are many aspects to Wesco's game that I feel translate very well to pro ball. I think he could be more productive in the NFL than he's been so far in college. Wesco is a problem. There were times during his games where it felt to me that the only reason the opposing defense could stop him is because the rest of Clemson's team wasn't good enough. Take him out of that "bad" situation and put him in a better situation with let's say a future NFL HOF QB and you could see fireworks.

Bryant Wesco Jr. might be flying under the radar at the moment, but he is a name that Rams fans need to know entering the 2026 college season.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, school, age: Bryant Wesco, Jr., Clemson, true junior in 2026, will be 22 years old in September of 2027, would be early entrant for 2027 draft. Marketing major. Enrolled early at Clemson in January of 2024.

Size, estimated speed: Listed by Clemson at 6'2'' tall, 195 pounds. Was listed at 190 pounds in 2025 and 180 pounds in 2024. DraftBuzz 4.40 seconds in the 40, Draftscout has him as 6'1 5/8'' tall, 190 pounds and an estimated 4.42 seconds in the 40.

4-star to 5-star recruit from Dallas, TX area, projected to become a future 1st round NFL draft pick. Both his mom and dad were college triple jumpers. Sister played college soccer.

Played in a talent rich and competitive HS league. In HS, his team initially used a triple option flexbone scheme on offense. His SO season, they rushed for 3,721 yards and only had 726 passing yards. He was 2nd on the team with 17-212-4. The leading WR that year only had 280 receiving yards. The following year, his team went 12-1. They ran for a whopping 3,920 yards. Wesco was essentially their entire passing attack, accounting for 1,092 of their 1,405 receiving yards. The coach said that frequently all they would do is have Wesco run up the field, then they'd throw jump balls for him. The team wasn't as strong his SR year. Once again, he led the team in receiving, but they only had 1,033 passing yards, with Wesco gaining 619 of those yards. Also had return experience in HS.

Was listed at 170 pounds in HS. Did triple jump and long jump in track and had an injury doing track, but no major FB injuries in HS.

2024 (12 games, 11 starts): 41-708-5
2025 (7 games, 7 starts): 31-537-6. 10-78 on punt returns. 1-4 rushing. One fumble.

Missed 2 games in 2024 with ankle injury. In 2025, he suffered a season ending neck injury. He was returning a punt and got flipped over in the air, landing on his head and bending his neck awkwardly. He was hospitalized with a spine contusion and missed the rest of the season.

Recently, Drew Cagle for SI wrote an article saying that the LA Rams were the best team fit for Wesco in the NFL.
DraftBuzz: (+) Effortless deep speed, sudden off LOS, flexible body control; (-) 5 drops on 44 targets, medical review needed, think build, only 3 out of 9 contested catches.
NFLMDD simulator 67th overall prospect
PFSM simulator 101st overall prospect. (+) Height and length of boundary threat but twitch and fluidity of a route and RAC dynamo, track speed, hip fluidity, deep threat; (-) While he has an impressive "catch rate over expected" stat, he also has an alarming 13.6% drop rate, caused by faulty hand technique, suboptimal play strength or lapses in focus. Inefficient motion and limited strength in stem.
Ian Cummings mock draft 73rd overall (early 3rd round)
Drafttek 78th overall prospect
PFF big board not ranked in top 75 overall. 7 drops.
Sam Teets's preliminary big board: 2nd round grade, 20th overall out of 200 prospects. Ranked ahead of WRs such as Charlie Becker and Ryan Wingo.
Charlie Campbell (Walterfootball) 8th WR, just behind Ryan Wingo.

 

[OldSchool]

As a Clemson fan he doesn't have good hands and he absolutely cannot block. Add to that he's 180 lbs soaking wet and is trying to come back from a spinal contusion.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

3 level threat, with deep speed to attack vertically, but also quickness and route running to challenge coverage in short and intermediate areas of the field.

Easy gas. Doesn't have to dig deep to go fast. His running is effortless, like he's not even trying, born to run. Extra gear to change speeds with ease inside of the route, ramping up pressure on the CB to stay in phase.

A 3rd down weapon with advanced understanding of how to craft routes and set up the CB to gain leverage and separation. Wins on comeback routes. Runs advanced routes that normally you don't see in college, only at NFL level, with multiple stages seamlessly stacked on top of each other to keep the CB off balance and guessing. Knows how to manipulate and widen CBs before beating them inside. Threatens the deep S before making intermediate breaks. Great route tempo, executing fakes within the allotted time for his route. Adjusts and runs slower when appropriate for the development of his route to maintain proper spacing in relationship with the other WRs on the field.

Very fluid hips. Turns quickly to catch passes, then again to get upfield in a hurry. Can discombobulate CBs in the stem by layering angle changes without losing tempo or tipping off the break direction. Human swivel chair who would fit perfectly in a timing based NFL passing scheme. Navigates traffic with ease.

Electric feet. Very sharp breaks on short routes. Sudden athlete, jumps around like a ninja or gymnast. Particularly sudden and very slippery at the top of the route. Can twist CBs into a pretzel at the break point with head and shoulder fakes and explosive breaks. Short area burst is so effortless, it feels like he magically teleports a couple extra yards as he shakes free from coverage.

Instant acceleration off the line. Solid release creativity. His release moves were better in 2025 vs 2024.

Good ball tracking for over-the-shoulder catches. Adjusts well for backshoulder throws. Gets contested catch wins when he adjusts to the ball better than the CB.

Anticipation and natural instincts to dodge and shake defenders immediately after the catch. Stacks moves to attempt to dodge multiple defenders in quick succession. Doesn't have much punt return production, but I think his traits after the catch do translate to being a candidate to be a returner in the pros.

Typically was aligned outside but also has experience playing from the slot.

While he's a mediocre blocker, he has good awareness while blocking and appropriately adjusts based on play development.

Is filling out his frame and developing physically. When he was in HS, he had a very slender and youthful appearance, looking like a middle school kid. In an interview, he said that when he arrived at Clemson, he was 175 pounds. Very noticeable addition of muscle mass and muscle definition in 2025. As you can see by the progressive increase in his listed weight, he has slowly added more body mass and it seems like his frame should be able to accommodate more muscle as he physically matures. Probably could hit 200 pounds in the near future without losing speed and agility.

Plays with supreme confidence on the field. Doesn't back down from physical challenges from opponents.

Productive. If he had remained healthy last season, likely would have topped 1,000 receiving yards. Chewed up and spit out man coverage as outside WR.

It was frustrating to watch him play for Clemson, because I don't think they fully utilized his skill set and talent. Clemson has kind of a gimmicky offense, and it constrains him.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

Has an odd combination of size and athleticism that doesn't fit neatly into any particular WR position. He's too undersized to be an outside WR in the NFL, but he's taller and not as quick as many of the small slot WRs in the pros. On paper, this makes him a good candidate to be a backup WR, but it doesn't create a good model to project him as a future starter.

Sometimes has too many steps or too much movement in his release move, but he cleaned this up in 2025 and I don't think this is anything to worry about moving forward. With coaching and more experience, he has the potential at being excellent at beating CBs off the line.

Doesn't have ideal length to consistently disengage from CBs hand fighting him downfield. Struggles to create late separation with his body. Unlikely to win contested catches in the pros against taller or more physical CBs.

Poor blocker. Had limited blocking duties in Clemson's system, though he did play in a run-oriented offense in HS. Lacks the requisite size, length and play strength to block at NFL level. His blocking effort is acceptable, but not exceptional. Has a narrow frame, doesn't have broad shoulders, too underpowered. I don't think he'll be much better as a blocker even if he adds a little more muscle.

Had a bunch of what appeared to be focus drops in 2025, dropping very easy catches. Appears to have small hands. Had shaky hands ever since his HS days. Fights the ball, body catches, some awkward catches even when he does come down with the ball.

Relatively easy to tackle. Lacks body mass and run power to break tackles. Poor lower body drive. Doesn't have a thick lower half. Not good on jet sweeps.

Had a serious season-ending injury in 2025, could receive a medical flag that could greatly impact his draft stock. If it is bad, might not get drafted at all.

Didn't look dangerous as a punt returner. A long strider who glides on the field more than he explodes on returns, doesn't show electric cuts.

Something of an incomplete evaluation, since he's only played about 1.5 seasons, is a young prospect and wasn't in a true pro style system. More of a guess based off his traits, not a sure thing.

Not a vocal, natural leader, has a mellow and easy-going personality.