Summer Scouting: Is Jordan Addison the Best Receiver in College Football?

The 2023 wide receiver draft class is an exercise in how the position has changed over the last decade-plus at the NFL level. There are big and robust receivers that have ball skills and downfield ability, but the emergence of smaller, more gifted athletes at the position is being rewarded even more in today’s game. Jordan Addison is a perfect blend of that ability; listed at six feet tall and weighing in at 175 pounds (we’ll get verified numbers at the combine), Addison fits the bill of a more unique player that can thrive in college and the NFL. Gone are the days of more physical defense in favor of more offensive scoring output, smaller receivers have every opportunity to succeed in the game of football.

Addison played three positions, receiver, quarterback, and defensive back, coming out of high school but made the permanent change to receiver his freshmen year at Pittsburgh. As a true freshman, he was the most productive receiver for the Panthers recording 60 catches for 666 yards and four touchdowns, adding nine rushes for 58 yards. Then he would become the focal point of future first-round pick Kenny Pickett in his sophomore season where he racked up 100 receptions for 1593 yards and 17 touchdowns. An absurd season by any metrics and he won the 2021 Fred Biletnikoff Award and was recognized as an All-American. Addison helped Pickett and his quest to be drafted, now it’s his turn to put up another season to solidify his first-round potential. After Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for the USC coaching job, Addison entered the transfer portal and declared for USC as well to join Lincoln and Caleb Williams in one of the most anticipated offenses in 2022. What is Addison bringing to USC’s program this season? Where does he still need some fine-tuning? Is he going to be the best receiver in college football again this season? Let’s look into some of his tape.

Jordan Addison strengths:

-Short Area monster

-Explosive playmaker

-Sells routes vertically exceptionally

-Quick to stack

-Can make all the highlight reel catches/plays

-Good route runner(can improve)

-Routinely makes something out of nothing

Jordan Addison’s areas to improve for 2022:

-In and out of his cuts are uncontrolled, losses balance out of breaks

-Functional strength against press and man coverage

-Stem variation to manipulate DBs

-Has some drops littered in his games

-Would like to see consistent hand usage through the stem

-Initial burst is exceptional, but long speed isn’t what you’d expect

-Run blocking

I’m probably a little lower on Addison than most, but I still really like the player, especially now paired with Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley. He projects more as a Slot/Z receiver in the NFL and he’s going to put up NUMBERS at USC and find himself atop the wide receiver class in 2023, but is he going to be the best? I have my own doubts, but am looking forward to the work he’s put in to try and put up the same type of numbers he did at Pittsburgh. He’s easily a top talent coming into this season and can solidify himself as a 1st round draft pick with another great year. I can’t wait to see what he does this year.