Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 202 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.73 seconds
Vertical Jump: 38.5 inches
Broad Jump: 124 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.2 seconds
(Games Scouted: Central Michigan (2019) | Michigan State (2019) | Iowa (2019))
When scouting, there will be the occasional player who excites you from a film perspective, but doesn’t live up to the expectations from an athletic testing standpoint at the NFL Combine.
Quintez Cephus, a WR out of Wisconsin, has very exciting film that shows his potential at the NFL level. However, Cephus came out and ran a very poor time at the Combine in the 40-yard dash, which will significantly diminish his draft stock.
While I’m still a believer in Cephus’ talent, the draft stock has to be weighed when projecting these prospects forward from a fantasy football perspective. In a deep WR class, there’s a possibility that Cephus may be selected in the later rounds and could be competing for a roster spot right out of the gates. I believe he can succeed in the NFL, but the percentage chance of him making an impact for fantasy football got much more slim.
What does Quintez Cephus bring to the table from a talent perspective? Where should he go in Dynasty rookie drafts?
Those questions are answered here in my detailed scouting report on Quintez Cephus (ratings out of five stars):
Size/Versatility
Cephus is a big, strong, physical wide receiver. He has long arms and long strides that allow him to create leverage and consistency in small spaces consistently. He has great size for the position and knows how to use it downfield to box out defenders and go up and secure the catch.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Quintez Cephus… OH MY! 😱🙌
Crazy touchdown catch from @QoDeep_87 boosts our early lead!#OnWisconsin || #Badgers pic.twitter.com/w5rGhDQMSL
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 12, 2019
Route Running/Ability to Separate
If you watched Cephus at all in college, you’ll remember some of his highlight reel catches, but you probably won’t remember how nuanced of a route-runner he actually is on the field. He was utilized all over the field at Wisconsin and ran a diverse route tree. I came away particularly impressed with his ability on comeback routes due to his ability to control his momentum, throttle down quickly, and always attack the ball. He has great athleticism and agility, which aids in his release off the line of scrimmage too. He won’t be the type of player that will blow past you and create separation that way, but he’ll separate with dynamic route-running ability.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
#Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus (6-foot-1, 202)
• 4.56 40 at Pro Day
• Wins with body control/positioning
• Creates leverage to the ball
• Makes plays on contested throws
• Slot ability to work inside the #’s @NFLMatchup pic.twitter.com/4T9cla7vCl— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) March 12, 2020
Speed
As evidenced by Cephus’ 40-yard dash time, this isn’t his speciality. With that being said, I believe he plays faster than his 40-time would indicate. He consistently showed burst after the catch to be able to pull away from defenders downfield, but the 40-time has to be factored in and is a concern moving forward.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
Quintez. Cephus. 🔥
What a catch by the @BadgerFootball WR to extend the lead. pic.twitter.com/W2Bvqfdy6L
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2019
Hands
When it comes to contested catches, Cephus might be up there with the best of this class. I didn’t see a single drop on tape and I came away impressed with his ability to go up and attack the ball consistently when it’s in the air. He has that mentality that any 50/50 ball is his and he’s not going to be denied, which you love to see in a WR prospect.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quintez Cephus went SOARING for this ball 😱 @QoDeep_87
(via @CFBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/op9fgkcgZT
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) December 8, 2019
Ball-Tracking/Awareness
Wisconsin’s known for being a running team, but they moved to Jack Coan this past year who brought a bit more to the passing game than previous QBs. Coan was capable, but he wasn’t exactly the most accurate passer deep downfield, but Cephus showed an incredible proficiency of tracking the ball while it’s in the air and adjusting to come down with the catch. He combines this ability with great hand-eye coordination and is able to make some circus catches.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Don't sleep on Quintez Cephus in this 2020 WR class…
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) January 15, 2020
After the Catch
While Cephus was able to pull away occasionally downfield from Big-10 corners, it’s unlikely that he’ll do this consistently at the next level. He has great twitch and burst to excel off the line of scrimmage, but he won’t be the type of player to break away 50-yard runs consistently.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
Jack Coan throwing 47-yard touchdown passes to Quintez Cephus inside of a snow globe
You love to see it…#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/39jLJ3oE9J
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 30, 2019
Projected Draft Spot
Right now, it’s a mystery where Cephus’ draft stock is at. He has the talent to be a day two pick in this class, but with the Combine numbers, it’s unlikely that we see him drafted in that range. Cephus is most likely looking at a 4th round draft selection, at the highest, which muddies the waters a bit for projecting his fantasy outlook. Cephus has a chance to compete for a starting WR spot if he’s drafted in the 4th round, but if he’s drafted after that point it becomes much more difficult to stick onto a roster. He has the talent, but teams may be scared off by the Combine numbers. However, we know that he has the talent and ability to play in the NFL based on his tape and he could be a screaming value in Dynasty rookie drafts. He’s worth a flyer with your late-round pick in the hopes that he is able to compete for a starting WR spot on a NFL team.
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Kyle Yates is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Kyle, check out his archive and follow him @KyleYNFL.
