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Amidst the buzz surrounding the recent combine, Oregon’s Troy Franklin has found himself at the center of attention. With explosive plays and impressive stats throughout his college career, Franklin has garnered significant hype as a potential game-changer in the NFL and has even received first-round projections from some of the NFL’s top draft analysts. Yet, as the draft approaches, questions remain regarding his true potential and if this first-round hype is truly warranted. Let's look into the intricacies of Franklin’s game and decide if he will live up to the lofty draft projection placed on him by the media or is merely a product of exaggerated media hype.

Troy Franklin, for being a primarily deep guy, does have some nice suddenness in & out of breaks. pic.twitter.com/4krLiQhW78

Key Attributes and Play Style

Troy Franklin served as a fantastic deep threat for quarterback Bo Nix this past year at Oregon. Franklin's calling card is his ability to destroy coverage downfield with good speed, length, and athleticism. Franklin's great ball-tracking ability will make him a threat downfield at the NFL level. Franklin is a crafty route runner, especially at the top of routes and in and out of breaks, and he has a quick release off the line. His fluidness as an athlete also allows him to be a threat after the catch.

While Franklin has good size at 6 '2”, his combine weight of 176 pounds leaves a lot to be desired and could end up being his fatal flaw. Franklin does not play through contact well and when defenders get their hands on him he can be rerouted easily. Franklin's lack of strength also severely limits his ceiling as a contested-catch guy, as he struggles to make catches through contact.

The drop problem for Troy Franklin is a problem. Can't drop balls like this at any level. pic.twitter.com/0etd24kCli

Film Breakdown

While I would classify Franklin’s speed as “good,” I believe he does not have the elite deep speed needed to overcome his size concerns to warrant a premium draft. On his tape Franklin seemed like a low 4.4 guy to me and his combine time checked that off for me, even at a weight of over 10 pounds lighter then he was listed at Oregon. I still think Franklin can succeed as a vertical threat, but I don’t think he has the speed to win at an elite level downfield.

Conclusion

Franklin is a player who has received a ton of draft hype in this cycle. While I don’t think Franklin is a particularly bad player or prospect, I have major issues with the first round hype, and even the second round hype he is getting, especially in this loaded WR class. I still think Franklin can find success in the NFL as a low-end, deep-threat wide receiver, similar to my comp for him, Darius Slayton. Slayton is also an undersized primarily deep threat with a similar profile to Franklin’s.

The high-end comp I have seen for him is former great DeSean Jackson, which I feel is very extreme and, honestly, just outright wrong. I don’t want this to seem like a total Troy Franklin hate post, he’s a solid player, and I wouldn’t fault any team for taking him anywhere past the second round really, but I do not think he is remotely close to a first round talent.

Final Grade: 82.4 - Early 4th Round

For the full grade breakdown see Instagram @KwonScouting.