2023 NFL Draft: Nathaniel "Tank" Dell - Houston Wide Receiver

Nathaniel "Tank" Dell - Houston

Strengths:

1. Short Area Separation - Dell has a diverse release package that makes him difficult to mirror off the line. His incredible burst in any direction prevents corners from turning their hips early, which consistently allows a small amount of separation off the line when direct contact is not made to slow him down.

2. Route Tree - His extensive route tree and ability to run routes effectively underneath as well as downfield makes him a threat on every play. He is great after the catch, and knows how to work open space. Dell is just an intelligent all-around football player, and will have no trouble executing complex routes from anywhere on the field at the next level.

3. Deceleration - Dell can stop instantly from any speed. Footwork is no concern when his ability to change direction is practically an outlier. Deceleration helps tremendously with overall route running and considerably lowers the risk of non-contact open field injuries.

Weaknesses:

1. Size - Coming in at 5'10" 165lbs, size is his most obvious weakness. While separation can be earned at any size, weighing 165lbs increases his risk of injury, makes it more difficult to gain leverage when positioning for contested catches, makes him more easy to redirect in jams when solid contact is initiated, makes quick slants and other similar routes into traffic a greater risk, and his height is a detriment to his effective catch radius. He is athletic and elusive, but there are many valid concerns that go along with size.

2. Hands - This stems more from his wingspan than anything. Dell often has to fully extend in order to make receptions that bigger receivers would not have any trouble making. He has nine drops on the season, and many targets that are barely past his outstretched hands. His drop percentage is not egregious, but his hands need to be excellent to compensate for his wingspan.

3. Timing - He stutters too much or throws in an extra false move on occasion. While this occasionally earns him slight separation, the timing of quicker plays can be thrown off.

Grade: Early-Mid Third

Pro Comparison: DeSean Jackson

Jackson has some speed on Dell, but their abilities to separate downfield, track any ball, and make unbelievable sideline receptions is what differentiates them from other undersized receivers.

Film Notes:

Louisiana (12/23/2022): 6-44-2

Clean release with sudden lateral agility. Clever release package. Created opportunity on extended play. Good pacing over middle. Immediate acceleration out of hop step. Drop step. Effortlessly changes direction. Unbelievable short area quickness. Small hops are uniquely to his advantage since he is a threat to burst in any direction. Foot speed is next level. Pulls away downfield through the use of subtle route movements. Varied speed along route stem. Excessive stuttering is surprisingly effective with his foot speed and burst. Really could win on the outside in the NFL with a full route tree and extensive efficient release package. Good ball tracking and can pull away downfield. Bursts off of each foot with similar power and quickness. Excellent sideline awareness. Consistently gets open underneath against all coverage types. Weapon with the ball in his hands.

Texas Tech (09/10/2022): 7-120-0

Very slight dropstep. Unbelievably quick feet that can move him in any direction. Slowed down with contact. Goes down like a rag doll. Worked the space to get separation in the end zone. Ball punched out of his hands. Power behind linear release. Uncalled OPI on deep reception. Clever releases. Excessive foot movements. Tape later in the season looked significantly more polished.

Memphis (10/07/2022): 10-81-1

Efficient releases. Dropped pass off fingertips. Excellent sideline awareness. Punt return experience. Came back towards the ball. Always finds himself in space on extended plays. Short area separation is unbelievable. Release is too clean to always stay with him. Wingspan is clearly a concern. Tackled easily. Touchdown play would have had better coverage in the NFL. Maximizes space in zone underneath. Weapon with the ball in his hands. Hauled in contested catch.

Attributes (Grade/10):

Separation	Short	10
	Medium	8
	Deep	9

Short: Dell has an extensive release package that allows him to find space to himself within two yards of the line of scrimmage. Add in his incredible burst and foot speed, and he is easily one of the best short area separators in class. He pulls away from press coverage well enough to even be worked outside at times in the NFL.

Medium: His short area separation stems from his uncanny release, not subtle route speed variance. If the corner recovers or Dell is picked up after the first break, he is actually covered rather tightly against some inferior competition on more intermediate routes than expected. He has clean acute breaks, great acceleration, and can vary his route speed when the play calls for it, but he does not pull away on more linear routes across the field. That said, on more choppy routes such as comebacks or double moves, he still consistently creates space. His route tree is extensive and he manufactures his own separation on extended plays, but he has the skills and tools necessary to improve his route running between about 5-15 yards out.

Deep: His subtle changes of direction, deep ball tracking, and sideline awareness make him one of the best deep threats in class, despite not having home run speed. He has seven contested catches on thirteen attempts this past season, but contested catching is not projected to be his strong suit in the NFL. He can pull away downfield against press coverage, and understands how to create space towards the catch point.

Release	Stance	9.5
	Acceleration	9.5
	Hip Control	10

Stance: Aside from the occasional drop step, his stance and initial release is excellent. The drop steps are few and far between, and he has among the most sudden releases in class.

Acceleration: His burst in any direction is impressive, but the first step power could be improved slightly. Perhaps some lower body strength would help him propel off the line.

Hip Control: He can flip his hips in any direction effortlessly.

Hands	Catch Reliability	6.5
	Catch Radius	3
	Contested Catch	5

Catch Reliability: Nine drops on the season is not horrific for having 108 receptions, but his hands still need to improve.

Catch Radius: His arms appear small even for his size, and balls bounce off of his fingertips too often when going for the acrobatic play reception.

Contested Catch: While he has over a 50% contested catch rate, his ability to haul in passes in traffic should be lessened significantly going into the NFL due to his size.

RAC	Athleticism	8.5
	Agility	10
	Contact Balance	2.5

Athleticism: Clearly extremely athletic at his size in essentially all facets, but without earth-shattering speed, no one weighing 165lbs can be grouped in the same tier of athleticism as bigger, stronger, and faster men who possess similar movement skills.

Agility: He can burst in any direction with near equal acceleration. The punt returner's open field running is stupendous, and could really only improve significantly with superior strength and contact balance.

Contact Balance: A light breeze is not enough to knock him over, as he fought through the grip of defenders at times in the open field. Usually, single arm tackles took him straight to the ground, but he can still fight through soft contact on occasion.

Coverage	Press	8.5
	Off	9.5

Press: The only reason this is lower is due to contact slowing his routes and the lack of consistent separation on linear routes across the field. His releases and full route tree along with his ability to decelerate and accelerate again in any direction allow him to consistently beat press coverage when line contact is not firm, which it often is not.

Off: Dell works underneath incredibly well. He has a great sense at what is going on around him, and maximizes space accordingly. He sells deep routes well, which can keep the defenders backpedaling as he breaks underneath or to the flat. The only reason this is lower than a 10/10 is because there is a risk of him working around the linebackers. He cannot use size to much advantage, and there is an inherent injury risk when used in certain ways which could limit some route options in the NFL.

Full Report:

Nathaniel Dell is one of the most difficult receivers to grade in the draft. He shows everything he needs to on the field with his separation at every level, RAC, vast route tree, playmaking ability on extended plays, and consistent big play threat. With almost everything needed to be considered an elite wide receiver prospect, reconciling his innate ability with his size is tremendously difficult. 5'10" 165lbs is incredibly small for an NFL wide receiver. He would instantly be the third lightest current receiver in the NFL behind only KaVontae Turpin and Deven Thompkins, while weighing roughly the same as Tutu Atwell. That is not great company from a talent standpoint, but Dell is just different from those receivers. He showed out at the Senior Bowl, confirming what he already displayed on tape. He can beat man coverage from press despite his size, and can effectively line up anywhere on the field. He may have the best pure release package in this class regarding footwork efficiency, versatility, and lateral burst. He is a deep threat who understands how to pull away through route running nuance despite not having elite speed, and he works the sideline as well as anyone. His hands could use some improvement and he is already a small target out there, making the need to separate completely that much more pivotal. There is little room for error at his size, but Dell has shown the consistent ability to work any level of the field into any coverage type and come out on top. He may end up being the outlier, but it is statistically improbable that a receiver with his height and specifically weight becomes an NFL superstar. He could gain some mass and become the next DeSean Jackson, to whom has many stylistic similarities, but taking a shot on him too early is a scary thought. His risk of injury is inherently greater at his size, and thus he receives a grade of an early-mid third round pick. While this grade may be disrespecting his tape, drafting a receiver of his size any earlier is a bigger risk than it may be worth.

NFL Projection:

Dell will probably be taken on day two of the 2023 NFL Draft. He will have a limited role in the NFL, and never reach too high of a snap percentage. If he goes to a wide receiver-needy team who can use him all over the field as a weapon, he will have a much more productive career barring injury.