Troy Franklin Scouting Report and Fantasy Football Outlook

Troy Franklin Scouting Report

• Underdog ADP: 124 overall (WR57), rookie WR8
• WR Super Model: 56th percentile

A former four-star recruit and the No. 3 overall WR in the 2021 class, Troy Franklin entered Oregon with high expectations and more than achieved them by setting single-season school records for receptions (81), receiving yards (1,383), and receiving TDs (14) during his final year in Eugene.

While getting paired with Bo Nix in this ever-high-flying offensive attack helped matters, Franklin’s game-breaking speed (4.41-second 40-yard dash) proved to be the linchpin of a Ducks offense that scored more TDs (146) than anyone else over the last two seasons.

Overall, there wasn’t a more efficient QB-WR duo than Nix and Franklin when it came to passer rating when targeted. You truly don’t need more than one hand to count the number of more productive WRs in college football since 2022:

Franklin among 125 qualified Power 5 WRs in 2022-23:

• PFF receiving grade: 87.1 (No. 8)
• Passer rating when targeted: 144.9 (No. 1)
• Receiving yards: 2,274 (No. 4)
• Receiving TDs: 23 (No. 2)
• Yards per route run: 2.85 (No. 6)
• Yards per reception: 16 (No. 21)
• Targets per route run: 24.7% (No. 38)

Of course, the size (6’2", 176 pounds) isn’t ideal, and there’s at least some concern about Franklin’s production being boosted by an offensive scheme that regularly produced some wide-open targets.

So which one is it? Was Franklin the straw that stirred the Ducks’ high-scoring drink? Or is the undersized speedster someone who might struggle to replicate his accomplishments at the next level?

Let’s find out!

Pros and Cons of Troy Franklin

Pros

Speed, baby

Franklin is both a threat to take the top off a secondary and to run away from everyone on the field. That was backed up at the 2024 NFL Combine, as he managed to post sterling marks in the 40 (4.41 seconds) and 3-cone (6.9).

The vertical speed in particular is what’s most impressive here. Franklin’s 10-yard split (1.61 seconds) was surprisingly meh for a player with his big-play ability, but once he gets going, look out: Only Xavier Worthy (22.7) posted a higher on-field MPH speed than Franklin (22.3) last season (per Reel Analytics).

The same company dubbed Franklin as this year’s fourth most-athletic WR based on in-game athleticism. Having this sort of field-stretching threat on the outside demands constant safety attention and thus pays dividends for the entire offense—at worst, Franklin profiles as the sort of lid-lifting complementary option that any team would love to have.

The man is smooth with it

Chris Olave has been a common comp floated around for Franklin, and it’s easy to see why. From the releases, to the ability to change tempo throughout routes: Few defensive backs made a habit of staying in front of Franklin during his time at Oregon.

A quick look at Franklin’s strengths from PFF’s always-great draft guide reflects this reality:

• Long, smooth strides that allow him to consistently threaten vertically
• Loaded pre-snap stance with no false steps, which allows him to quickly get to top speed
• Consistent hands catcher who extends his long arms for catches rather than let the ball into his body
• Really nice footwork that shows up in releases and ability to make players miss after the catch

The No. 1 WR in Dwain McFarland’s Rookie WR Super Model in career passer rating when targeted (137.6), good things happened when Nix threw the football in Franklin’s direction—and that’s a testament to the young talent’s ability to win at all three levels of the defense.

Cons

Not a very big man

Two fun anecdotes I found that reflect this reality rather than just pointing out that Franklin is only 6’2", 176 pounds:

• Lance Zierlein: “He’s a tall, linear receiver with good speed. He’s sudden enough to beat press but lacks the play strength to win combat catches and fight for operating space underneath.”
• Nate Tice: “‘Wiry’ is a nice way to describe Franklin. ‘Alarmingly skinny’ would be another.“

While guys like DeVonta Smith and Tank Dell have helped prove that smaller receivers have far more upside in the 2020s relative to past years, it’s still tough to call Franklin’s size anything other than a negative considering its potential impact on his ability to defeat press coverage—but then again, the 21-year-old talent did prove to be better than most at doing just that in 2023.

Offensive environment boosted production

There were a LOT of big plays that simply featured Franklin all alone in the secondary. Sure, sometimes that was because he had already run by everyone attempting to cover him, but other times it was apparent that the defense had been had by one awesome play-design or another.

Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin runs for a touchdown after a catch as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks take on the No. 16 Oregon State Beavers Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. Credit: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

There’s also the reality that Nix faced the lowest pressure rate in college football, and Franklin accordingly was seldom forced to win in too much of a hurry. Wild but true: Having clean pockets to throw from gives receivers additional time to win downfield.

Finally, the list of WRs that Oregon has sent to the NFL since 2000 is a bit concerning: De’Anthony Thomas, Dillon Mitchell, Josh Huff, Jordan Kent, Demetrius Williams, Marcus Maxwell, Samie Parker, and Keenan Howry. Maybe Franklin is the one to finally hit; just realize this has hardly been an NFL factory when it comes to pass-catchers.

Fantasy Football Outlook for Troy Franklin

Unlike the consensus top-three WRs in this class, Franklin doesn’t directly profile as someone overly “landing spot proof” when it comes to evaluating his 2024 fantasy upside. Maybe this won’t matter and he gets to land on the Chiefs, Bills, Chargers, or Cardinals, but there’s a lower potential floor here should he go to an offense that’s not overly enamored with the vertical passing game.

While some have thrown Chris Olave and DeVonta Smith around as comps, I see more of a rich man’s Jalin Hyatt or upper-middle-class man’s Marquise Brown. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had another solid comp in his FANTASTIC “The Beast” rookie guide:

“Overall, Franklin’s polish and catch consistency must improve, but he can be a big-play weapon (before and after the catch), because of his linear twitch and gliding acceleration. He projects as a field-stretching Z receiver, similar to DJ Chark.”

Guess what: Chark went for 73-1,008-8 while catching passes from Gardner Minshew in his second career season; not every prospect needs to be compared to one of the game’s best receivers at all times!

Still, all of these archetypes paint Franklin as the sort of field-stretching talent who could certainly provide some boom-or-bust outcomes in the right offense (Will Fuller is another name that makes sense), but his lack of size and short-area quickness could potentially pigeon-hole him as more of a one-trick-pony field-stretching option.

Ultimately, Franklin doesn't quite crack my top-five incoming options at the position, but I'd be hard-pressed to name more than seven or eight WR talents that I’d rather have in this year’s draft. His present WR57 ADP over at Underdog Fantasy is hardly egregious; that said, guys like Ricky Pearsall (WR71), Roman Wilson (WR72), and Jermaine Burton (WR81) are available far later despite arguably being in a similar tier when it comes to 2024 upside.