Virginia TE Jelani Woods
6-foot-7
259 pounds
Yahoo Sports’ 2022 NFL draft grade
5.83 — possible second-rounder; starter potential
TL;DR scouting report
Ascending talent with rare size and athleticism but still developing the finer points of the position
The skinny
A 3-star Rivals recruit as a dual-threat QB in the Class of 2017, Woods committed to Oklahoma State out of high school and redshirted his first year, moving from QB to tight end prior to the bowl game. In 2018, he played in 11 games (seven starts) and caught seven passes for 120 yards and two TDs. Woods caught 16 passes for 112 yards and one TD in 13 games (12 starts) in 2019 and eight passes for 129 yards and a TD in 2020, plus a 5-yard run.
Woods transferred to Virginia in 2021, catching 44 passes for 598 yards and eight TDs in 11 games (10 starts). He performed at the East-West Shrine Game.
Virginia TE Jelani Woods was a breakout star for the Cavaliers in 2021. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
Upside
Rare physical specimen — not too many tight ends with his size, athleticism
Incredible length — legit 6-foot-7 with 34 1/2-inch arms, 82-inch wingspan
Ran blazing 4.61 40-yard dash, plus terrific numbers in broad (10-foot-9), vertical (37.5) jumps
Really nice short-area quickness — displayed in hot 3-cone drill time (6.95 seconds)
Impressive upper-body strength — 24 bench-press reps with his arm length?
Athletic enough to line up wide and catch fade passes
Seals off defenders with massive frame, provides huge target
Surprisingly natural hands catcher
High win percentage on contested catches — more 70-30 than 50-50 balls
Dangerous seam threat — tough cover between the hashes
Play strength to muscle through tackle attempts after the catch
Long strider who can rip off yards after the catch (see Illinois, Georgia Tech games)
Red-zone weapon — TDs in eight in 10…
..
