Cedric Tillman NFL Draft Scouting Report

WR, Tennessee Volunteers

Cedric Tillman came to Tennessee and delivered the type of production the Volunteers hadn’t seen in a while. In 2021, Tillman became the Volunteers’ first 1,000-yard receiver since 2012 and set the program record for most consecutive games with a receiving touchdown. Tillman’s father played receiver at Alcorn State and was an 11th-round draft pick that spent four seasons in the NFL. His older brother played receiver at Navy. 

Tillman is a big-bodied receiver that eats up significant turf with his stride length. He does well bending his route stems to set up breaks and stack corners. Tillman features exceptional body control and does an outstanding job of establishing leverage at the catch point. While he isn’t only a contested-catch guy, Tillman is unfazed when challenged at the catch point. He features outstanding ball skills and spatial awareness. His hands are strong and confident. Tillman has no issues plucking the football away from his frame with extension and hanging on through contact. He excels down the field with his blend of size, ball skills, hands, and speed. Tillman is physical and competitive with the ball in his hands and he showcases good field vision.

Tillman almost exclusively aligned on the right side of the formation and was rarely put in motion. He hasn’t been tasked with running a route tree that features many branches. He’s reliant on being bigger and stronger than his opponents when competing against press coverage and he needs to develop more technique (handwork and footwork) to clear jams in the NFL. He isn’t likely to be as effective running routes on the horizontal plane as he is running vertically. Tillman turns 23 in April 2023 and didn’t find meaningful production in college until the 2021 season at age 22. His 2022 campaign was limited due to an ankle injury. 

Tillman can be a strong WR 2/3 at the next level but he shouldn’t be confused as a do-everything receiver. That said, his size, ball skills, and body control are a welcomed profile to any receiver room. 

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Size 
• Ball skills
• Body control 

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Route tree expansion is necessary 
• Modest YAC skill set 
• Acclimation to the next level where his utilization promises to be vastly different 

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 6′ 3”

Weight: 213 lbs

Arm Length: 32 3/4”

Hand Size: 10”

Athletic Testing (NFL Combine):

40-yard Dash: 4.54s

Vertical Jump: 37”

Broad Jump: 10′ 8”

Short-Shuttle: TBD

Three-Cone: TBD

Bench Reps: TBD

Ideal Role: Outside receiver that gets chances to win down the field  

Scheme Fit: Vertical spread 

Prospect Comparison: Bryan Edwards (2020 NFL Draft) 

TDN Consensus Grade: 75.00/100 (Third-Round Value)

• Marino Grade: 75.00/100

Written By: Joe Marino

Exposures: Alabama (2021), Purdue (2021), Kentucky (2021), South Carolina (2021), Ball State (2022), Pittsburgh (2022), Kentucky (2022)

Cedric Tillman NFL Draft Scouting Report. Add him to your big board here.