Jaylin Noel, WR

Height: 5'10"
Weight: 185 pounds
Age: 22 years old (September 4th, 2002)

Iowa State

Year	Receptions	Yards	TDs	Yards Per Catch
2021	39	269	0	6.9
2022	60	572	3	9.5
2023	66	820	7	12.4
2024	80	1,194	8	14.9

Pros

• Quickness
  Accelerates off the line of scrimmage to top speed effectively, racing to open space and putting pressure on defenders to guess his destination. Able to create separation against man coverage and win against when pressed and against off coverage as long as he gets the initial leverage. Highly effective at creating opportunities after the catch with his speed as well because his burst is such a strength. 
  
  
• Reliability
  Noel's efficiency improved over the last three seasons, proving to be better at the catch point when challenged than most smaller receivers. His drop rate went from 10% in 2022 to 7% in 2023 and 4.8% in 2024. That's what you need to see from someone not incredibly explosive or versatile. 
  
  
• Toughness
  His career contested catch rate of 51% on 39 attempts is shockingly good for a shorter frame and smaller hands. Noel doesn't force many missed tackles, but he's physical throughout routes and is an adequate run blocker. On 205 run blocking snaps in 2024, Noel was called for four penalties and was otherwise effective. 

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Cons

• Versatility
  Although Noel spent almost 30% of his career snaps as an outside cornerback, Noel is a slot-only player at the next level. His athleticism is not at the level where it needs to be for him to play outside beyond a few specific route combinations where he has to win one-on-one. He's not a high-ball player despite finishing catches effectively, and therefore, is someone who will be best served in the slot.
  
  
• Route experience
  Iowa State's offense is effective and maximizes its stars well, but doesn't feature complex routes or prioritize sharpness. They rely on their stars to create space with their physical gifts on basic routes, including curls, digs, and slants. There's not much technical refinement in Noel's game, and he might struggle with choice routes and improvising with a more creative quarterback. 
  
  
• Speed
Noel is quick and that helps a ton, but he's not overly fast and his usage shows how that can be limiting. He was targeted on only 16 passes beyond 20 yards in 2024 and had only 10 targets between 11-19 yards. That seems almost impossible, but is indictative of how Iowa State felt he wouldn't thrive on more complex routes where he had less space to bolt away from underneath defenders.

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Player Evaluation

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound slot receiver certainly looks like someone who could handle a high volume of NFL targets. Quicker than fast, Noel races into open space and thrives against zone coverages. What makes him more intriguing is his play, where most smaller receivers fail.

Noel has dropped only 5.3 percent of targets this season, with four of his 109 passes hitting the ground. He's also caught 17 of 36 contested catches throughout his career, proving to be much tougher at the catch point than a sub-6-foot-2 playmaker. His profile isn't far off what Jarvis Landry was at LSU.

Player Comp: Jarvis Landry

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A to Z Rankings:

A to Z Big Board Ranking: #18 wide receiver

A to Z Draft Grade: 6.00

Draft projection: Day 3