Elijhah Badger WR Florida | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Elijhah Badger WR Florida
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 10/26/2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.55 seconds (33%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | |
| Last Updated: 10/26/2024 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.55 seconds (33%*) | |
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| Overall Rating: | 80.3 / 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: | 93.4 | |
| Hands: |
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91% |
| Short Receiving: |
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86% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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90% |
| Deep Threat: |
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90% |
| Blocking: |
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49% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#260
Position rank:
#30
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| College Games: 42 College Snaps: 1730 | ||
ESPN RATING: 82/100
College Combine Results
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247 RATING: 93/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Joshua Cephus - UTSA |
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82% |
| Jaquarii Roberson - Wake Forest |
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80% |
| Ryan Flournoy - Southeast Missouri State |
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76% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Elijhah Badger emerged as a productive receiver at Arizona State before transferring to Florida for his final collegiate season. The Sacramento native was a decorated prep prospect at Folsom High School, where he accumulated 3,398 receiving yards and 52 touchdowns over three varsity seasons, while adding six special teams touchdowns as a returner.After being ruled academically ineligible in 2020, Badger steadily increased his production each season at Arizona State. He broke out in 2022 with 70 receptions for 864 yards and seven touchdowns, earning All-PAC-12 Honorable Mention honors. His strong play continued in 2023 as he led ASU with 65 catches for 713 yards while adding value as a kick returner, averaging 28.9 yards per return.
At Florida in 2024, Badger immediately became the Gators' top receiving threat, leading the team with 19 catches for 376 yards (19.8 YPC) and two touchdowns through six games. His career trajectory shows consistent improvement, with five 100+ yard receiving games across his collegiate career.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Natural hands catcher who extends outside his frame with impressive catch radius, consistently plucks the ball away from his body and adjusts well to off-target throws
- Demonstrates advanced ability to track deep balls over either shoulder, maintains focus through contact and excels at high-pointing contested catches
- Creates separation on intermediate routes through subtle tempo changes and head fakes, particularly effective on dig and post patterns
- Exceptional contact balance after the catch allows him to consistently break arm tackles and generate additional yardage through traffic
- Quick-twitch athlete who can stop-start effectively, using deceptive footwork and body control to make defenders miss in space
- Versatile alignment experience both outside and in the slot, providing scheme flexibility at the next level
- Special teams background as a returner adds immediate value while developing as a receiver
- Shows toughness working over the middle, maintains concentration through contact and willingly takes hits to secure catches
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Lacks elite top-end speed to consistently threaten defenses vertically, requiring perfect timing and technique to win deep
- Route stems can become rounded at times, particularly on out-breaking routes where he drifts upfield before making his break
- Struggles to disengage from physical press coverage, needs to develop more varied release packages to counter aggressive corners
- Below-average blocking technique and effort, tends to lunge and lose leverage, limiting his effectiveness in the run game
- Limited production against top competition, majority of big games came against lower-tier opponents
Scouting Report: Summary
Badger fits the mold of a complementary receiver who can contribute from multiple alignments in an NFL offense. His natural ball skills, route-running potential, and ability to create after the catch project him as an effective possession target who can work all three levels of the field.His frame and skill set suggest highest value as a big slot or Z receiver in a timing-based passing attack that can maximize his intermediate route-running and YAC ability. While he may not threaten defenses vertically consistently, his contested catch skills and spatial awareness make him effective working between the numbers.
Special teams experience and return ability increase his day-one roster value while he develops into a more complete receiver. Continued refinement of his release package and route definition could unlock additional upside beyond his initial projection as a reliable secondary target.
How other scouting services rate Elijhah Badger (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
221.5
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
32.0
*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.