Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 178 lbs.
Arms: 30 5/8”
Hands: 9”
Vertical: 34.5”
40-yard dash: 4.34 seconds
The first thing you’ll notice when you watch Westbrook is that he’s tiny. He has long, skinny legs that help him get downfield, but could also cost him playing time. When you get to the NFL level, you don’t find many wide receivers who are six feet tall and weigh less than 180 pounds. Considering Westbrook is a perimeter wide receiver, the odds of teams pressing him in coverage is very likely. Teams will have to move him around the formation to prevent this.
He moves fast, there is no two ways about it. When on a nine-route, if the cornerback guesses wrong on his juke-step, Westbrook is gone. You are not going to catch him from behind. He didn’t run the forty-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but he did on his pro day, clocking in at 4.34 seconds.
Fast in the NFL can only get you so far if you can’t get off the line of scrimmage, though. His lack of size limits him in all aspects, whether it be yards after the catch, dealing with press coverage, or blocking. When he gets passed the first level, Westbrook is definitely a force to be reckoned with. He adjusts well on deep balls and has a decent set of hands. He also doesn’t seem to lose speed when he makes cuts in his deep routes. There were times that his route running was lazy, almost as if he coasted for the first few seconds before turning on the jets. That can’t happen at the NFL level, as the game is played much faster.
Westbrook definitely benefitted playing with quarterback Baker Mayfield, as he’s the type of quarterback who will throw it up to let his speedster get under it. Mayfield also had the arm to get it to him in a hurry, if needed. Westbrook won’t win many jump balls, either, as his arms measured at just 30 5/8”, which ranked 50th of the 58 wide receivers who were measured at the Combine. He also doesn’t possess much upper-body strength, totaling eight reps on the bench press at his pro day, which would have tied for the lowest among wide receivers at the Combine.
There most definitely is a place for Westbrook in the league, though it may be on special teams right out of the gate, as he returned both punts and kicks for Oklahoma. It may not help his fantasy value, but it definitely helps raise his draft stock. If he can land on a team with a quarterback who can chuck it down the field, Westbrook can definitely run under it. One thing that doesn’t help his draft stock is the fact that he’s been accused of domestic violence twice against the mother of his two children. Westbrook is going to turn 24 later this year, so he’s no spring chicken.
NFL comparison
The lack of size combined with the overwhelming speed is similar to a player like Ted Ginn, though Westbrook is even smaller than him. They both keep their hips low and don’t give away their routes. If you see the numbers on the back of their jersey, they’re gone for good, whether it be on offense or special teams. Ginn may be slightly faster, but Westbrook has slightly better hands than him. It took Ginn a long time to get acclimated to the wide receiver position in the NFL, let’s hope that Westbrook catches on a bit quicker.
To read up on some of the other high-profile NFL Draft prospects, check out the links below:
Corey Davis – (WR, Western Michigan)
Mike Williams – (WR, Clemson)
John Ross – (WR, Washington)
Taywan Taylor – (WR, Western Kentucky)
JuJu Smith-Schuster – (WR, USC)
Chris Godwin – (WR, Penn State)
ArDarius Stewart – (WR, Alabama)
Carlos Henderson – (WR, Louisiana Tech)
Chad Hansen – (WR, California)
Zay Jones – (WR, East Carolina)
Isaiah Ford – (WR, Virginia Tech)
Cooper Kupp – (WR Eastern Washington)
Ep. 72: Dynasty Rookie Draft
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
