Isaiah Neyor NFL Draft Scouting Report
Isaiah Neyor, WR, Nebraska
Size:
Height: 6042
Weight: 218
Arm: 34 ⅜”
Hand: 9 ½”
Accomplishments:
Second-Team All-Mountain West (2021)
“Isaiah Neyor is a big-bodied receiver with a surprisingly effective release package and can make highlight-level catches downfield.”
Strengths:
Release package
Ball tracking
Sideline awareness
Adjusts to the football
Concerns:
Press-man coverage
Physicality through the route
Deceleration
Film Analysis:
A former two-star recruit, Isaiah Neyor was a second-team All-District selection in 2018 for Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas. He had 39 catches for 858 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. From there, he’d commit to Wyoming and played one game as a true freshman before playing all six in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. As a sophomore, he caught 44 passes for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns and earned second-team All-Mountain West honors. He transferred to Texas for his junior and senior seasons but only played one game for the Longhorns during that time. He entered the transfer portal again and landed in Nebraska, playing for Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers, where he compiled 34 catches for 455 yards and five touchdowns across 12 games.
An “X” type receiver at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Nayor played predominantly on the outside for the Cornhusker offense. His explosiveness is limited, but he brings a varied and effective release package and uses them differently to keep corners guessing. He uses his hands well against press coverage, but he gets jammed with regularity, which throws off his route's timing. He needs to speed up his swat and not open himself up to being jammed so often to get out into his route quicker. He’s not quick enough to consistently beat press-man coverage in the short and intermediate windows. Still, he will use his releases paired with speed dilation against off-man coverage to create throwing windows. When running routes against zone coverage, learning to locate soft spots underneath can round out his impact against multiple styles of defenses.
At route breakpoints, he is inconsistent in exploding out of them or carrying speed to the other side, making it difficult for him to separate. He’s a build-up speed receiver who can stack defenders vertically, but decelerating takes him too long. He impacts the game best as a vertical receiver who can take advantage of his excellent ball tracking, late hands flashing, and adjusting to the ball downfield. He has good sideline awareness and made multiple NFL catches, getting two feet in bounds along the sideline. For a bigger receiver, contact at the catch point will impact his ability to haul it in, but he isn’t afraid to go up and get the football. Nayor is a limited lateral athlete, which makes it difficult for him to turn catches into yards after the catch opportunities without a runway.
Nayor is an intriguing, big-bodied receiver with a downfield skill set that allows him to make highlight-level catches. However, his athletic ability on the field, inability to separate against man coverage, and difficulty making catches through contact limit his impact as an all-around playmaker. He’ll need to find a way to make it on special teams early.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Role Specific Contributor
Written By: Daniel Harms
Exposures: Ohio State (2024), UCLA (2024), Illinois (2024), Iowa (2024)
