Maryland’s Tai Felton, right, runs away from Oregon’s Brandon Johnson, left, during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium. Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Tai Felton WR Maryland | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Tai Felton WR Maryland
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/01/2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.37 seconds (90%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | |
| Last Updated: 03/01/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.37 seconds (90%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 84.5 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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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75% |
| Short Receiving: |
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83% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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87% |
| Deep Threat: |
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85% |
| Blocking: |
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57% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
3rd
Overall Rank:
#78
Position rank:
#12
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| College Games: 42 College Snaps: 1918 | ||
ESPN RATING: 78/100
College Combine Results
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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) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Devontez Walker - North Carolina |
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85% |
| Ricky Pearsall - Florida |
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82% |
| Ladd McConkey - Georgia |
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81% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Tai Felton, a 6'2", 181-pound wide receiver from the University of Maryland, hails from Ashburn, Virginia. Born on March 15, 2003, Felton attended Stone Bridge High School, where he recorded 1,050 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2018. A three-star recruit, he committed to Maryland over offers from Virginia, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Wake Forest, Michigan State, and Liberty.Felton's college career at Maryland began with limited playing time in his freshman year, appearing in eight games with five receptions for 51 yards. His sophomore season saw increased involvement, playing all 13 games with six starts, accumulating 23 receptions for 309 yards and two touchdowns. As a junior in 2023, Felton started all 13 games, leading the team with six receiving touchdowns and finishing second in receptions (48) and receiving yards (723). His performance earned him Third-Team All-Big Ten honors.
The 2024 season marked a significant leap in Felton's production. He became the first player in Maryland history to begin the season with four consecutive 100+ receiving yard games. His outstanding performance placed him among the nation's leaders in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Felton's efforts garnered recognition on the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List and the Shrine Bowl 1000 Watchlist.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Elite timed speed shows up on the tape
- Crafty separator who sells his breaks with exceptional head-and-shoulder fakes that leave corners flat-footed in man coverage.
- Displays exceptional spatial awareness working the sideline, routinely getting both feet down where lesser receivers drift out of bounds.
- Changes gears masterfully mid-route, lulling defenders to sleep before exploding into his breaks on intermediate concepts.
- Shows uncanny knack for finding soft spots in zone coverage, presenting quarterbacks with clean throwing windows between defenders.
- Creates additional yardage after catch with surprising contact balance and creative angles to slip through tackle attempts despite modest frame.
- Thrives on timing routes where precision matters more than raw physical tools, particularly on comeback and option routes.
- Consistently wins inside leverage on slant patterns with subtle shoulder dips that generate instant separation at the snap.
- Demonstrates thorough understanding of defensive leverage, adjusting route stems to exploit cornerback positioning rather than running into coverage.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Build lacks ideal thickness throughout frame, allowing physical corners to disrupt timing by redirecting him early in routes.
- Struggles to consistently win through contact on contested catches where size limitations become apparent against longer defenders.
- Blocking effort fluctuates drive-to-drive, lacking the play strength to sustain engagement against larger defensive backs and linebackers.
- Late-career production spike raises questions about sustainability of success against consistently higher-caliber competition at next level.
Scouting Report: Summary
Tai Felton projects as an immediate contributor from the slot with eventual potential to develop into a starting Z-receiver in systems that prize route technicians over pure athletes. He not only can take the top off defenses with 4.3 speed, but can also be the one moving chains on third down with crafty stems and sharp breaks that corners just can't mirror.His NFL ceiling will be determined by his ability to add functional strength without sacrificing the quickness that makes him special. Teams running timing-based passing games like San Francisco, Green Bay, and Cincinnati should have Felton highlighted on their draft boards as a potential Day 2 selection. Give him a quarterback who throws with anticipation rather than waiting for receivers to be wide open, and Felton could become one of those receivers who quietly accumulates 70+ catches annually while rarely making highlight reels.
Felton runs angry despite his slender build, and that competitive toughness suggests he'll outperform several receivers selected before him. His development curve hasn't plateaued yet – this is a player still ascending as he enters the league, with the football IQ and technical foundation to become a quarterback's most trusted target on crucial downs.
Tai Felton percentiles vs other Wide Receivers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Tai Felton (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
128.6
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
18.0
*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.