Jalen Royals 2025 NFL Draft: Utah State WR Scouting Report
In this loaded 2025 NFL Draft class, Jalen Royals is a wide receiver to keep on your radar. He’s a talented RB from Tennessee with excellent vision and patience. Today, we’ll break down his NFL outlook with this in-depth scouting report. Additionally, we will be breaking down his strengths, areas for improvement, and his potential draft grade.
Jalen Royals 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Royals emerged as a standout in the Mountain West Conference, showcasing a blend of physicality, explosive playmaking, and raw potential, making him an intriguing prospect for the NFL. A late bloomer who started his college career at Georgia Military College before transferring to Utah State, Royals has steadily developed into a dynamic weapon.
Unfortunately, Royals’ breakout 2023 season and a shortened but productive 2024 campaign (due to a foot injury) have put him on the radar as a mid-to-late Day 2 prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. While still refining his craft, Royals offers a skill set that could translate well to specific offensive schemes at the next level.
Additionally, Royals profiles as a versatile “Z” receiver who can stretch the field vertically while also thriving on manufactured touches like screens and jet sweeps. His YAC ability and physicality make him a candidate for offenses that prioritize getting the ball to playmakers in space—think systems like the San Francisco 49ers or Detroit Lions, where he could develop behind established veterans. While he has the tools to eventually become a WR2, his immediate role might be as a WR3/4 with special teams upside (particularly as a kick returner, given his vision and burst).
Furthermore, Royals will benefit from coaching that focuses on refining his releases against press coverage and expanding his route tree. Adding more quick-twitch elements to his game—improving his suddenness out of breaks—will help him create separation against stickier NFL corners. Additionally, improving his consistency in contested catch situations could also elevate him from a rotational piece to a more prominent target.
HT: 6000
WT: 205
40: 4.42
ARM: 3248
Strengths:
- Yards After Catch (YAC) Ability: Royals is a menace with the ball in his hands. His sturdy frame and balance allow him to break tackles and turn short passes into chunk gains. He consistently gains extra yardage through contact, showing a running back-like mentality after the catch.
- Vertical Threat: Possesses good long speed to stretch defenses. Royals can take the top off coverages, particularly on go routes and deep overs, where he’s shown the ability to track the ball and win on 50+ yard plays (led the nation with seven 50+ yard TD receptions in 2023).
- Route Running Nuance: While not polished, Royals displays flashes of savvy in his route running. He uses subtle head fakes and tempo changes to create separation, especially on intermediate routes like slants and digs. His basketball background shows in his ability to manipulate space.
- Physicality: At 205 pounds, Royals plays bigger than his listed height. He’s willing to engage in the run game as a blocker and isn’t afraid to go over the middle, showing toughness in traffic.
- Production Against Quality Opponents: Royals has shown up in big games, including a 211-yard outburst against Boise State in 2024, proving he can compete against higher-caliber competition.
Areas for Improvement:
- Press Coverage Struggles: Royals often struggles against physical corners at the line of scrimmage. His hand usage and release package need development, as he can get bogged down by aggressive press techniques, slowing his route timing.
- Contested Catch Inconsistency: While he has the frame to win in contested situations, Royals doesn’t always come down with 50-50 balls. Improving his body positioning and high-point timing will be critical against NFL defenders.
- Route Tree Limitations: Royals has primarily operated on verticals, slants, and screens at Utah State. He’ll need to expand his route tree and prove he can consistently win on sharper breaking routes like comebacks and outs, where his deceleration and change of direction are still developing.
- Injury Concern: A foot injury cut his 2024 season short after seven games, raising questions about durability. Teams will likely want to evaluate his medical history during the pre-draft process thoroughly.
- Positional Alignment: He’s played mostly on the left side of the formation and benefited from wider splits in Utah State’s offense. Adjusting to tighter NFL alignments and more diverse roles (including potential slot work) may take time.
Conclusion:
Overall, Royals is a raw but exciting prospect with the physical tools and competitive toughness to carve out a role in the NFL. His ability to make big plays after the catch and stretch defenses vertically gives him a clear path to contributing early in his career, but he’ll need time and coaching to polish the finer points of his game. Ultimately, if he lands in the right system and continues to develop, Royals has the potential to outplay his draft position and become a reliable secondary option in a passing attack. Look for him in the third round of the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Round Grade: 3rd Round
Stats: Per Sports Reference
| Season | Team | G | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Y/G |
| 2022* | Utah State | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023* | Utah State | 13 | 71 | 1080 | 15.2 | *15* | 83.1 |
| 2024 | Utah State | 7 | 55 | 834 | 15.2 | 6 | 119.1 |
| Career | 32 | 126 | 1914 | 15.2 | 21 | 59.8 |
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