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Draft profile from fftoday.com
Jalen Royals Draft Profile
Vitals
College: Utah State
Height/Weight: 6' 0"/205
Hands: 9 1/2"
Age: 22 (at the time of the 2025 season opener)
Important NFL Combine Numbers
40-Yard Dash: 4.42
Vertical Jump: 36"
High-end NFL Player Comp(s): Jauan Jennings
Low-end NFL Player Comp(s): Jermaine Kearse
Best Team Fit(s): Chargers, Raiders, Jaguars, Seahawks, Texans, Cowboys
Bottom Line
Perhaps the best trait Royals brings to his new team is his run-after-catch ability. Despite missing nearly half the season, his 17 missed tackles forced was tied for 25th in FBS. His 1.49 10-yard split is exceptional and was the best in the draft class. Not only is he explosive, but he is also built as well as any receiver we will discuss. The combination of power and explosiveness makes it easy to understand why he is lethal when a defense tries to press him or once he gets the ball in open space. To that end, Royals' 7.9 yards after the catch per reception ranked fifth in the country among receivers with at least 80 targets last year.
He was money in contested-catch situations in 2023 (17-of-23), but opponents appeared to wise up to him in 2024 in that regard. As a likely eventual No. 2 receiver in a pro offense (meaning less defensive attention) and with a better quarterback, I would be willing to bet he will end up being good in contested-catch situations again in the NFL.
Royals is yet another receiver in this draft class whose pro readiness was hindered by his play-calling staff and the limitations of his quarterback. Why do I say that? Royals was targeted 81 times in the seven games he played. Screens accounted for 23.4 percent of his targets, while hitches accounted for 22.2 percent and in routes accounted for 12.3 percent. In short, the three aforementioned routes made up about 58 percent of his route-running portfolio in 2024.
As one might imagine from a receiver who ran so many routes that do not require a ton of nuance, Royals' route-running is average at best. Much like Tre Harris at Ole Miss (more on him in a minute), Royals typically lined up a couple of yards away from the sideline and was given a huge area to run himself open. It is incredibly difficult to evaluate receivers who line up in a way they won't in the pros and are not allowed to run many different routes, which is the primary reason Royals finds himself this low in my rankings. Royals also does not threaten too many defenders vertically, so he could be limited to mostly short and intermediate usage in the NFL.
It would not be shocking if he needs a couple of years to develop into a well-rounded receiver, but the power and run-after-catch ability should be enough to get teams excited about him as an eventual high-end complementary receiver
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