KJ Duff

[Twopointtry]

Duff is a huge 6'6'' tall WR for Rutgers. I debated whether to even bother doing a profile on him, because multiple draft experts have him ranked as a 1st round prospect. PFF's big board ranks him as the 19th overall player. By the time I learned this, however, I had already invested quite a bit of time on him, so I figured I might as well finish.

DraftBuzz compares him to Tetairoa McMillan, Denzel Boston and Drake London. Is Duff the perfect candidate to be a big bodied "X" receiver for the Rams, a red zone touchdown scoring monster who will be on everyone's fantasy football team? Earlier in his career, Matthew Stafford essentially played on a basketball team in Detroit, surrounded by very tall WRs and TEs. Like most QBs, Stafford probably would prefer to have a big WR to target in the end zone.

Before we discuss Duff, I want to mention one of his teammates. Studying Duff's games, the RB for Rutgers really jumped off the screen. I don't think that Antwan Raymond will be an early round pick. He's too small and has poor leg drive for the NFL level. Since he doesn't have powerful legs, he can't break tackles if grabbed low and can't push piles forward. Still, I love this RB as a potential Day 3 value pick. He has many qualities that echo Kyren Williams. Great vision, good pass blocker, excellent ball security, good potential as a receiver even though his team doesn't throw him the ball often. I love his direct and decisive downhill style. He doesn't dance around, he sets up defenders, anticipates holes and hits them with authority, not wasting time or body movements in the backfield. He's elusive in a phonebooth, has a "die hard" fight for every inch type of attitude and erases missed blocks by escaping penetration. Draft boards have Raymond anywhere from the 4th to the 7th round territory. Seems like he should at least become a solid backup. And like Kyren, maybe he'll surprise people and even become a starter.

So, if you are interested in KJ Duff and watch him this fall, don't forget about Antwan Raymond. I think that little RB is an underrated prospect.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, Age, School: Korey "KJ" Duff Jr., will be 21 years old at time of the 2027 draft, Rutgers, true junior in 2026, would be early entrant.
Size, estimated speed: Listed at 6'6'' tall, 225 pounds. DraftBuzz lists 4.58 seconds as estimated 40 time, Brian Bosarge for Draftcountdown has it as 4.52 to 4.60 seconds. Draftscout lists him at 6'5 1/8'' tall.

3-star to 4-star recruit from NY. Was his HS team's all-time career leader in catches, receiving yards and TDs. Also played basketball. Played baseball as a youth. Was HS teammates with Ian Strong, who was his WR teammate at Rutgers before Strong transferred to Cal for the 2026 season. His HS team won the state title.

When KJ was 10 years old, he made a one-handed catch playing youth football. The video of the catch became a viral social media sensation and was shown by ESPN. A couple of years later, the video clip was included in a Nike national TV commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick. President Donald Trump was in the middle of his 1st term and was highly critical of Nike's relationship with Kaepernick.

KJ had an ankle injury in middle school. He played varsity FB as a 9th grader. At the time, it was unclear whether he'd stay at WR or switch positions and become a QB. His favorite player at the time was Cam Newton. In 2021, he had a game against Ellis Robinson, the UGA cornerback who is projected to be a potential top 10 selection in next year's draft. Duff had 6-124-1 in that game.

Was backup WR in 2024. Led the nation in contested catches in 2025. Led team in receiving yards in 2025. No career fumbles. I was unable to find any reported major injuries at Rutgers. Perhaps is best known for a highlight one-handed, OBJ-style catch he had against Penn State in 2025.

2024 (13 games, 4 starts): 27-425-1
2025 (12 games, 12 starts): 60-1,084-7

DraftBuzz 4th best WR (ahead of WRs such as Charlie Becker, Ryan Wingo and Wyatt Young), early 2nd round projection, 39th overall prospect. (+) huge frame, won 22 out of 36 contested targets, had huge game vs Purdue, refined intermediate routes, strong hands, boxes out defenders; (-) below average long speed, minimal RAC.
Brian Bosarge: (+) Elite size, can stretch field vertically, makes spectacular catches, proven production; (-) Needs to be more violent at top of breaks, improve release off LOS, maintain burst through breaks.
PFF: 19th overall prospect on big board, 83.4 PFF grade in 2025.
Draftcout: Day 2 prospect, possible TE in pros.
NFLMDD simulator: 9th WR, 57th overall.
PFSN simulator: 28th WR, 207th overall.
Drafttek: 46th overall prospect.
Ethan Woodie, NFLTradeRumors: 23rd overall prospect.
Ian Cummings 3-round mock draft: Not selected in the first 3 rounds.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

One liner. There's a school of thought that the best approach in the NFL draft is to just find players with elite physical and athletic attributes. We've seen college basketball players become great TEs. The franchise LT for the Eagles is a former rugby player. Other LTs were TEs in college. Some great WRs and DBs played QB in college. If you subscribe to this philosophy, the details about Duff don't matter. All that matters is he's a very tall guy with long arms, who can make spectacular one-handed catches. Anything else is for the coaches to worry about and teach him. He has rare size and an enormous wingspan, so if you really want a WR in that mold, it isn't like there's 20 players to choose from, there's a limited selection. How many NBA players look like Victor Wembanyama?

Has a towering basketball player frame. Long limbs, long strider.

"Just throw it up to him." Has street ball quality where it isn't necessary to scheme or create a complicated play, just have him run downfield and throw the ball high or back shoulder for him. When he fully extends his arms to catch back shoulder, there is no way the CB stacked behind him can come remotely close to the catch point, it is so far away.

A master at one-handed grabs. Had several spectacular one-handed grabs in 2025, some while the CB was grabbing and holding him. Made the almost impossible seem routine on those plays.

Body control to dig out low throws. Maybe he would have been a good soccer goalie.

Surprising downfield speed. He's not fast in general, but he has some build up speed and if he can somehow get behind the CB, he can stay ahead of them in the deep portion of the field. He's slower when he's closer to the LOS, but if you underestimate his long speed, he can make you pay in the deep 3rd of the field. Hauled in multiple deep bombs against Purdue to post huge receiving stats in that game.

Doesn't show fear going over middle and absorbing hits.

Huge frame and long arms are useful tools for blocking duties.

Lined up on both the left and right side of the formation.

While he's not a big YAC guy, he does flash some baseline agility to dodge tackles, adequate relative to his large size.

Led his team in receiving in 2025. Established statistical production in both HS and college ball.

Young prospect, would be an early entrant. Only one season of starting experience in college, just barely scratching the surface of his potential. Developmental upside possible if he continues to work and refine his game.

Doesn't have a lengthy injury history.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

It was incredibly frustrating and disappointing to watch Duff's games. Bottom line, I don't think he's a particularly good WR at this point in his career. On the surface, he might seem like a good prospect, because the highlight videos are nice, the stats are good and he physically has the frame of an NFL WR, but when you watch him closely and break down his performances in detail, many concerning flaws quickly become apparent. Is this just a stage he has to push through on his developmental curve, or will he always be an underachiever who never lives up to the hype?

Doesn't play with urgency or high energy on the field. If it weren't for the fans in the stands, if you just watched Duff, you might think it was just a practice and not a game, he doesn't seem to be giving full effort. He never turns it up, regardless of whether it is a tight game in the 4th quarter or if his team is behind and losing. Lazy if he's blocking or if he's not the primary target on the passing play, sometimes he's literally jogging on the field, not even running. Has something of a laid-back and mild personality off the field and his on-field demeanor doesn't seem much different. Not an intense competitor.

Lethargic coming off the line. Poor route tempo. Rolls off the line, doesn't burst.

Might be the worst early round WR prospect I've ever seen at getting off the line against press-man. Really struggles when jammed, delayed in getting downfield. I could understand it if he were playing against future 1st round CBs, but some of the defenses he faced weren't very good. Not physical if the CB is riding him in the route stem.

Slow twitch athlete who lacks innate quickness. No suddenness. Doesn't have quick hands to fend off jams. Poor short area quickness and burst. Poor elusiveness, even when he has extra time to see the defender coming and make a move to dodge the tackle.

Doesn't have a strong or thick build, lacking in upper body strength. Below average play strength and aggression. Soft, not a physical player.

Poor ability to create separation, struggles to get open. Invites CBs to crowd the catch point. It is more than just one factor that hinders his separation, he lacks the technique, play strength and pure athleticism to beat the CB. One reason he has so many contested catches isn't because he's good at contested catches, it is because he's terrible at creating separation.

Raw route runner. Not a technician. Drifts out of breaks. Unable to snap off routes to sit down or break. Loses his balance and slips sometimes trying to make breaks.

Very ugly routes, rounds off breaks. CBs read him like a book and can drive on the ball. It doesn't matter whether the route is very simple, he can't run even a slant, corner route, or just a stick route properly. Even if the CB is widened, since Duff is so slow out of the break cutting inside, the CB has a chance to recover. Not good at double moves.

Never works back towards the QB to attack the ball and defend the catch point. Routinely gives CBs the opportunity to recover and attempt to challenge the pass.

No juice when running after the catch. Despite large size, has average run strength.

Inconsistent hands. Despite the highlight catches, he doesn't have reliable and confident hands. In some situations where he could extend his arms and catch the pass with his hands, instead he allows the ball to get into his body and he body catches, or he "short arms" the catch and catches it very close to his body. Has some double catches.

Horrible and unreliable blocker. Lacks understanding of proper blocking angle. His angle is so poor sometimes, it makes me wonder if he's studied the playbook in detail and knows where the RB is supposed to go. Sloppy footwork, always late to get set when climbing to 2nd level, often doesn't come to balance properly for initial contact. Plays high with a naturally high center of gravity, leaving him vulnerable to "low man wins" principle, can get blasted off his feet. No strength or physicality as blocker. Slides off blocks with undisciplined helmet positioning and footwork, then sometimes grabs at the CB outside the frame after he loses, risking penalties. Regularly loses to much smaller CBs. Ruins potential chunk run plays by not carrying out his assignment properly. Easily shed by CBs. Disinterested, as if he's only giving 50% effort on run blocks.

WR is in tight split, just outside of the in-line TE. He's supposed to pinch down and block the LB on run play. WR is so passive, he allows the LB to crease him and penetrate into the backfield with almost no resistance. Several plays like this on his tape that I'd grade as "unacceptable" where it doesn't look like he's even trying hard. Doesn't hustle to cut off safeties coming down in run support. I watched a ton of run plays and not a single time did I ever see him "finish" a block. Frequently, he let up before the whistle and just let his CB go. The only time he ever got physical was to deliver chippy, "cheap shot" type pushes to the CB when they were near the goalline, unnecessary for the run.

One play, the safety blasted through him like he was a wet paper bag. I don't mean figuratively; I mean that if you put an actual wet paper bag on the field, it would have done just as good a job blocking the S on that play. Actually, maybe the bag could have done a better job, because the S might have gotten tangled up in the broken bag and tripped.

Ends up becoming a spectator after he misses blocks. Since the QB isn't blocking either, the offense is playing 9 vs 11 on those run plays. Poor blocking effort when a pass goes to a TE, RB or a different WR.

When Rutgers had critical 3rd or 4th downs, typically they didn't look for him. A couple times they threw him the ball, but often the QB was going elsewhere. Duff was not a clutch WR. He couldn't reliably get open and separate from his CB on those types of downs.

His effective catch window is smaller than you'd think if you just looked at his huge wingspan. Doesn't have enough short area burst and body control to catch up to passes, they end up off the edge of his fingertips, especially if CB is grabbing him and he has to fight through contact. Plays like a shorter and smaller WR in certain contested catch situations. Not a vertical leaper to leverage his height advantage, sometimes hardly jumps at all. Several contested catch failures that I call "Josh Reynolds" plays, because it visually looks like the WR could have done a better job making a play on the ball. Loses some jump balls to shorter opponents, because WR isn't good at jumping.

Poor lateral agility, lack of quickness and below average play strength makes him a liability for special teams. I question whether he could perform any ST role at a competent level. He can't be a returner. He doesn't block well. He can't be used to cover kicks. I don't think he can do anything to help ST. If he's not one of the starting WRs, what is the point of having him on the roster at all?

I feel that his statistical production is misleading. Had some catches against very soft coverage, almost like prevent defenses, or against CB blunders. Ian Strong was clearly the WR1 when he was healthy. Strong didn't play in the Purdue game where Duff had his huge yardage performance. Duff is a good college WR and worth his NIL money. I'm skeptical, however, about whether what he does translates well to the NFL game. On draft boards, Strong is projected to only be a Day 3 to UDFA prospect. If Strong (a pretty big guy in his own right at 6'3'' tall) is only an average prospect, why isn't Duff slotted in behind Strong on draft boards?

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 4: Draft Grade, Pro Comp

Late round grade. Pro Comparison Johnny Wilson (6th round 2024, Philadelphia Eagles, Florida State)

Some experts had Wilson projected as a potential 2nd round pick. He measured 6'6 3/8'' tall, 231 pounds, with a 7' 1/2'' wingspan. As a rookie, he had 5-38-1 receiving. He missed the 2025 season due to injury.

As part of the Dante Fowler trade to the Rams, the Jacksonville Jaguars got a 5th round pick in the 2020 draft. They used that selection on Collin Johnson, a very tall WR from Texas. Johnson was 6'5 5/8'' tall and 222 pounds. In 2018 at Texas, he had 68-985-7 receiving. His per game yardage was even better the following season, but then he got injured. If you compare their tape side-by-side, IMO Johnson was a better NFL prospect than Duff. I don't think it is particularly close.

As a rookie, Johnson had 18-272-2. He didn't even make the team his 2nd season, waived by the Jags at the end of the preseason. A couple of months ago, Johnson retired from football and announced that he was pursuing an MBA. In 4 NFL seasons, he finished his career with a combined total of less than 400 receiving yards.

I know that I look like a fool giving KJ Duff such a low grade when multiple draft experts and boards have him ranked as a 1st round prospect, but I don't believe in "group think" where everyone has to have the same opinions about each player. Disagreement is part of what makes the draft more interesting.

Duff would need to make a huge jump in his performance level in 2026 to earn an early round grade from me. If he doesn't improve, he still has some draft value. I think a team could add him for a niche role. For example, maybe they want a red zone specialist, because most of their other WRs are small and not as good near the end zone. For other teams, however, Duff might have almost zero appeal. I don't think he's a good candidate to be a backup WR in the pros. There's an "all or nothing" aspect with a WR in this mold, boom or bust.

Duff is a very young player who has only started 1 season in college, so there is still plenty of time for him to work on his craft. He doesn't even need to enter the 2027 draft; he could elect to remain in school an additional year or two. Right now, he's not a WR that interests me for the Rams to target in 2027. I think he's overrated.

 

[Twopointtry]

There's a guy named Sam Teets who studies and writes about NFL draft prospects. He puts in a ton of work, I think he has a good eye for evaluation and really respect his opinions. Sometimes, I disagree greatly with his take on a player, but I know he's done his homework and knows what he's talking about. He's not just throwing a hot take out there for attention or click bait.

He only has a partial board up for next year, because he hasn't yet gotten to a whole bunch of prospects. He's tiered the ones he's studied so far. Some of his grades that I thought you might find interesting:
Arch Manning (3rd round tier)
Brendan Sorsby (3rd rd)
Julian Sayin (4th rd)
Drew Mestemaker (5th rd)

Last year, he had Ty Simpson as a 2nd round prospect, 47th overall.

Coincidentally, I've been working on the next WR and I noticed that Sam Teets has this WR ranked higher than any of the other draft boards or draft experts. I'm not done with my evaluation, so I don't have a strong sense yet about where I'll grade him, but I like some of the things I've seen so far, so maybe Teets is on to something.