Carlos Hernandez WR Wake Forest |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #8 ROLE: Multi-Role Receiver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 11/02/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.49 seconds (55%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #8 | |
| ROLE: Multi-Role Receiver | |
| Last Updated: 11/02/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.49 seconds (55%*) | |
| Overall Rating: |
81.2 / 100
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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76% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 121.7 | |
| Hands: |
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77% |
| Short Receiving: |
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81% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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87% |
| Deep Threat: |
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85% |
| Blocking: |
|
45% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
6th
Overall Rank:
#192
Position rank:
#29 (WR)
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| College Games: 41 College Snaps: 1504 | ||
ESPN RATING: 75/100
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247 RATING: 85/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.5 (90%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Harrison Wallace III - Ole Miss |
|
94% |
| Eli Heidenreich - Navy |
|
88% |
| Tylan Wallace - Oklahoma State |
|
88% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Twice the Rio Hondo League MVP at Monrovia High School in California, Carlos Hernandez caught 71 passes for 1,594 yards and 23 touchdowns in his junior season. Rated a three-star recruit, he began his college career at Washington State, catching 31 passes for 397 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, including eight catches for 80 yards and a score in the Holiday Bowl against Syracuse.Hernandez transferred to Wake Forest for 2025 and lost his starting job at one point before bouncing back. He finished with 40 catches for 611 yards, scored on a punt return, and caught five passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns against Delaware, including a 97-yard score.
He entered 2026 as a Phil Steele preseason All-American and has been the focal point of the Deacons' passing game. In eight games he has 57 catches for 856 yards and five touchdowns. In the 30-27 upset of No. 16 Louisville on 26 September he caught nine passes for 194 yards and a 77-yard touchdown. An undisclosed injury limited him at Cal and kept him out of one game.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Turns short catches into big gains, with more than half his yards coming after the catch
- Nine catches for 194 yards against Louisville showed he can carry an offense
- Sharp breaks on short and intermediate routes from both the slot and outside
- Hands have been steady in 2026, with one drop on 69 targets
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Average speed limits how often he wins vertically against press-man corners
- Smaller frame struggles to beat physical coverage at the line of scrimmage
- Perimeter blocking is below par, losing leverage when asked to seal the edge
- Dropped five passes in 2025, so this year's cleaner hands need to last
- An undisclosed injury cost him most of the Cal game and the following week
Scouting Report: Summary
Hernandez has gone from benched to the center of the Wake Forest offense, and his 2026 tape shows why. He snaps off his breaks, works both the slot and the boundary, and creates yards after the catch, as the 77-yard touchdown against Louisville showed. His hands have also been far more reliable this year than last.However, he does not have the speed or size to win outside against NFL press coverage on a regular basis, and a lot of his production comes from catch-and-run designs. His blocking is below average, and the 2025 drop issues and this year's injury absence keep his record from being clean.
Overall, Hernandez offers quick-twitch slot skills and punt return experience. He projects as a seventh-round slot option whose path to a roster spot runs through the inside receiver role and the return game.
How other scouting services rate Carlos Hernandez (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
194.5
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
30.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.