Boston College Eagles wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) runs against the Clemson Tigers during the second half at Alumni Stadium. Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Zay Flowers WR Boston College | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Zay Flowers WR Boston College
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Multi-Role Receiver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 04/21/2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.42 seconds (79%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 24.2 DOB: 09/11/2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Shrine Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ROLE: Multi-Role Receiver | |
| Last Updated: 04/21/2023 | |
| Draft Year: 2023 | |
| 40 time: 4.42 seconds (79%*) | |
| Age: 24.2 DOB: 09/11/2000 | |
| Bowl Invite: Shrine Bowl | |
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| Overall Rating: | 87.1 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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75% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 100.8 | |
| Hands: |
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66% |
| Short Receiving: |
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84% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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89% |
| Deep Threat: |
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91% |
| Blocking: |
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69% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
2nd - Early
Overall Rank:
#35
Position rank:
#5
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| College Games: 47 College Snaps: 2527 | ||
ESPN RATING: 75/100
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247 RATING: 83/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.6 (92%)
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Drafted: ROUND: 1 - Pick Number: 22 (BAL)
Draft Profile: Bio
Zay Flowers from University High School was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 3-star grade by 247 Sports. After high school, Flowers opted to join Boston College.In 2019 as a freshman Flowers saw action in 13 games for the Eagles as he made 22 receptions for 341 yards for an average of 15.5 yards per reception, with 3 TDs, and a QB rating when targeted of 114.0.
As a sophomore in 2020 he played 10 games and had a 48 catches for 835 yards for an average of 17.4 yards per catch, with 9 TDs, and an impressive QB rating when targeted of 103.5.
As a junior in 2021 he played 12 games and hauled in 44 catches for an impressive 746 yards for an average of 17.0 yards per catch, with 5 TDs, and a solid QB rating when targeted of 84.7.
As a senior in 2022 he played 12 games and had 78 catches for a leading 1077 yards for an average of 13.8 yards per catch, 12 TDs, and an impressive QB rating when targeted of 106.1.
Honors & awards
2022- All-ACC First Team wide receiver set the BC single-season mark in receiving touchdowns (12), tied the record for receptions in a season (78) and produced the third most receiving yards (1,077) in a season in BC history
- Named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award
- Earned the Bulger Lowe Award from the Gridiron Cub of Greater Boston and Season Golden Helmet Award from the New England Football Writers as the top player in the region...
- Broke the single-season and career receiving touchdown records with his second of the night in an eight-catch, 110-yard effort against Syracuse (11/26)
- Finished his career as BC's all-time leader in career receptions (200), career receiving yards (3,056) and career receiving touchdowns (29)
- All-ACC Third Team selection … awarded All-New England honors from the New England Football Writers … preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list
- Third career eight-catch game against Missouri (9/25) for 62 yards with a touchdown … hauled in five receptions for 70 yards at Clemson (10/2)
- Caught two touchdown passes of 48 and 39 yards at Georgia Tech (11/13) ... posted three receptions for 92 yards and a score vs. Florida State (11/20).
- All-ACC First Team selection, becoming just the second BC wide receiver to be named First Team All-ACC in school history (Alex Amidon, 2012)
- Collected All-ACC honors after one of the most productive seasons by a wide receiver in Boston College history
- 18th nationally and second in the ACC with 892 yards receiving
- Career-high eight receptions for a career-best 180 yards and two touchdowns at Virginia (12/5)
Scouting Report: Strengths
- He’s extremely dangerous in the open field, showing the vision and creativity to run through entire defenses.
- Has elite balance tight-roping the sideline and in-and-out of his breaks, showing excellent start-stop ability and burst.
- Flowers was frequently put in catch-and-run situations, and Flowers shows good vision with the ability to make tacklers miss in space. He’ll also break a tackle or two; he’s extremely competitive and will give effort as a downfield blocker.
- He’s also a violent runner with the ball in his hands. He’s very good at working outside the numbers, showing excellent ball-tracking skills, and he does the little things well downfield, including leaving enough room on the sideline for his quarterback to drop in a throw.
- Has rare suddenness with lightning footwork to create in tight areas with elusive shiftiness and change-of-direction skills.
- Very good hands for the most part - accepts the ball fluidly on most throws, and is ready to make a play afterward. Makes catches in traffic, even going up over taller defenders with vertical and toughness.
- Despite his size (182 lbs) Flowers played the majority of his snaps outside - an accomplishment usually reserved for bigger players
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Is an undersized player at just 5-9 and 182 lbs - has played outside at college. It's a serious question whether he'll be able to do this in the NFL. Because of that small frame, Flowers won’t be for everyone; many teams still want their No. 1 receiver to be 6'2" or taller.
- Has had way too many drops - nine in total during 2022. Will need to develop more consistency
- Has just 29 1/2 inch arms resulting in a small catch radius - along with overall size issues may limit him to a slot-only role in the NFL
- Flowers doesn’t display any real ability as a run blocker
- Doesn't instinctively find holes in zone coverage - needs to play with more patience
Scouting Report: Summary
Flowers is a super exciting deep-threat jitter-bug kind of player. He has an elite combination of speed, acceleration, and overall quickness and despite being undersized has (at least at the college level) been able to hold up as an outside threat and handle press coverage. He's been super productive, especially considering he's played on a poor offense and has put up elite numbers in 2022.We think Flower's stock is on the rise especially after proving to be the most explosive player at the Shrine Bowl and some even regard him as the top slot player in the draft class. We however due to his limited size and somewhat consistent hands view him as a mid to late second-round prospect heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.
Zay Flowers percentiles vs other Wide Receivers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
Update - 04/21/2023
He's impressed at the Shrine Bowl - looked the most sudden and twitch along with super sticky hands of the WR group in practice.Zay Flowers Video Review
How other scouting services rate Zay Flowers (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
30.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
7.0
*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.