With his scouting report, where does Houston WR Tank Dell fall in the 2023 NFL Draft cycle? Can he be one of over a dozen receivers to come off the board within the first three rounds and find himself in a starting role early in his NFL career?
Tank Dell NFL Draft Profile
- Position: Wide Receiver
- School: Houston
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
- Height/Weight: 5’10”, 165 pounds
Only one receiver in 2022 entered bowl season with over 100 catches, over 1,300 yards, and at least 15 touchdowns. That receiver was Tank Dell. The tail end and equally important component of the Clayton Tune connection, Dell has been one of college football’s most prolific weapons over the past two seasons.
MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Big Board
Across 2021 and 2022, Dell combined for 193 catches, 2,683 yards, and 27 touchdowns. He earned first-team All-AAC recognition in both years and was a fringe Biletnikoff Award contender for his production as a redshirt senior.
Dell was a dominant playmaker at the Group of Five level, and the path that led him to that stardom only makes his production all the more validating. Dell started at Alabama A&M in 2018, redshirting after picking up 12 catches for 364 yards and three scores in four games.
After Alabama A&M, Dell spent a year at the JUCO level before making the leap to Houston in the FBS. From there, Dell grew into the defensive nightmare he is today.
Tank Dell Scouting Report
Strengths
- Explosive athlete with exceptional burst upfield and out of stems
- Smart, nuanced route runner who can press into stems and eat cushion
- Has outstanding hip sink, foot speed, and stopping ability on breaks
- Consistently extends beyond his frame to secure passes
- Has the high-end lateral twitch and foot speed to displace defenders on release
- Has shown he can rise vertically, contort, and convert on high-difficulty chances
- Exceptional ball-tracking ability over his shoulder on deep passes
- Slippery run-after-catch threat who can operate from multiple alignments
Areas for Improvement
- Extremely lightweight frame that can limit resistance to physicality
- Consistently goes down on first contact with lighter frame
- Can be prone to focus drops when threatened with contact over the middle
- Despite decent proportional length, overall catch radius is average
- Sometimes struggles to pry through tight coverage at the stem
- Doesn’t quite have elite breakaway speed, even with lighter frame
- Doesn’t translate well as a blocker with frame
Houston WR Tank Dell Current Draft Projection
Dell grades out as a mid-to-late Day 2 pick. There’s a chance that with his size, he could fall into the Day 3 range and be a priority prospect in Round 4 or Round 5. But with a showing at the Senior Bowl on deck in 2023, Dell will have a chance to lock in his status as a potential Top 100 selection.
Dell’s frame is considerably light, and that’s a notable constriction on his projection. Although Dell is a bit more physical than his frame would suggest, he’s more easily fazed in contact situations than larger receivers, and he struggles to separate against defensive backs who know how to use their physicality.
MORE: PFN’s NFL Mock Draft Simulator
For Dell, it also hurts that while he has exceptional explosiveness and speed, neither trait is quantifiably elite. He can stack defensive backs, but he’s not always able to clear contact situations right away, and that can be a detriment to him.
However, Dell does have high-end agility, twitch, and fluidity as a route runner. He’s incredibly proficient at halting his momentum, sinking his hips, and eating cushion to manipulate defensive backs. And with his agility and twitch, he’s a slippery RAC threat who can dart and weave through congested areas and make use of space with his burst.
Dell already has a solid route tree and release package, and he has the athletic tools to make the most of it. And beyond all this, he has shown he can contort, extend beyond his frame, and make high-difficulty catches. Out of the slot, on the boundary, or in motion, he’s a dynamic weapon who could go on to be a catalyst as a WR3 in the NFL.