The 2026 NFL Draft is shaping up to be much deeper at wide receiver than initially anticipated. There might not be many blue chip players at the top of the class, however the next tier of wideouts seems to just keep expanding.
Tennessee receiver Chris Brazzell II wasn’t an unknown during the season, and he was definitely a guy talked about as a player to watch. However, he solidified himself in that second neighborhood of receiver over the pre-draft process and might even be at the top of it.
The New York Giants could still find themselves in real need of a wide receiver by the time the draft gets here. If they don’t address that need with their first pick, could Brazzell II be an answer at the top of the second round?
Prospect: Chris Brazzell II (17)
Games Watched:
Red Flags: none
Measurables
Strengths
Best traits
- Height
- Length
- Long speed
- Explosiveness
- Quickness
- Agility
- Ball skills
- Competitive toughness
Chris Brazzell II is a long, lean, and highly athletic wide receiver prospect. Brazzell II has a very long frame at 6-foot-4 with 32 ⅜ inch arms. That frame gives him an excellent catch radius for a vertical threat, but also belies surprisingly explosive athleticism.
Brazzell’s long speed is apparent on tape, as he’s easily able to run past most cornerbacks down the field. He sports a very fluid transmission, easily altering his route tempo and accelerating down the field. Brazzell accelerates hard early in his route and also features a second burst to separate at the top of his route. Interestingly, he has a very fluid lower body, allowing him to sink his hips and be surprisingly quick in and out of his breaks.
Combined with his raw speed running vertically, Brazzell is very good at forcing corners to open their hips and turn to run before snapping off his route and breaking back toward the ball.
Brazzell also has very good ball skills in all areas of the field. He quickly locates the ball in the air and does a good job of tracking it down the field. He combines that with good adjustments to errant passes and flashes late hands that don’t give corners an opportunity to bat the ball away. He has very good body control and is able to play through contact, extend to maximize his catch radius, and high-point the ball over defenders.
Finally, Brazzell is a surprisingly physical blocker on the play side. He’s willing to block for his teammates on wide receiver screens or off-tackle runs to his side. He gets into his blocks well and fights to sustain them.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Route variety
- Route precision
- Hand size
The primary question teams will have with respect to Brazzell’s game is just how well it will translate to the NFL.
There’s a stigma attached to Josh Heupel’s offense in Tennessee, and its passing concepts are considered particularly far removed from what prospects will see in the NFL. The wide receivers typically line up with extremely wide splits, designed to stretch the defense to its breaking point and put athletic receivers on islands with corners. As a result, they run very limited route trees and there isn’t a big emphasis on precision in route running. He also needs to work on some inefficiencies in his release off the line of scrimmage. In particular, he has a tendency to need to gather himself before getting into his route. That can give NFL corners a much-needed margin of error in the face of Brazzell’s speed.
And that certainly shows up in Brazzell’s tape. He has the traits to be a skilled route runner if he puts in the work, but there is some undeniable sloppiness in his routes and he’s typically running Go, Slant, or Curl routes.
Tennessee’s offense can also see the play going far away from either wide receiver, and Brazzell has a frustrating tendency to not just throttle down, but stop playing altogether when the ball goes to the opposite side of the field. He’ll often jog (or just walk) a couple yards then watch the play. There aren’t concerns regarding his competitiveness on the play side, however he can be caught flat-footed if the play flows back to him or is caught by surprise with a scramble drill.
Some teams could also have concerns regarding Brazzell’s frame. He’s a lanky receiver at 6-foot-4, 198 pounds, and there are instances where physical coverage is able to influence (if not outright disrupt) his routes. Likewise, he has relatively small hands (perticularly for his height) at just nine (9) inches. Teams could have some concern as to whether he’ll be a reliable catcher of the ball in the cold or in poor weather.
Game Tape
(Brazzell II is the Tennessee wide receiver wearing number 17.)
Projection
Chris Brazzell II projects as an important rotational wide receiver with starting upside at the NFL level.
Brazzell’s size, athleticism, and ball skills all suggest a starting receiver who can be a big contributor early in his career. However, his inexperience with NFL passing concepts could make him a bit more of a developmental prospect than if he had gone to another school. Brazzell shows enough savvy in his routes, as well as his surprising quickness and agility, to give confidence that he can get there.
The big question is just how long he needs to hone his craft as a receiver. It could matter to teams whether he’ll be able to win a starting job as a rookie or if he’ll need a year as a role player before emerging.
Brazzell has the potential to be a true Big Play Threat whose size and speed allows him to “Moss” defenders as well as a dependable option if he develops well. He’ll likely be a high second round pick with the potential to sneak into the bottom of the first round based on his traits.
Does he fit the Giants? Yes
Final Word: An early second round pick
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