'I Am the Best WR in this Draft': Former Gator Heads into NFL Draft Underrated

“Badge is a playmaker. You know, you take a look at what he did, the body of work before he got here when he was at Arizona State, he had a fine career," UF wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales during spring camp. “He was on pace to have a record year here until he got banged up at the end of the season.”

Badger finished his final collegiate season sixth in the FBS in yards per catch, second amongst draft prospects, with only 61 targets, 103rd most of all 2025 draft eligible wideouts in college. His 2.96 yards per route run was 11th amongst such receivers.

“He’s like the Energizer Bunny. He can just go," Gonzales said. “He’s deceptively fast… a 4.4 guy… great lateral movement, super tough…You can coach him hard…he has a desire to be great.”

Listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Badger found his most success with the Gators as a deep threat, receiving a 97.1 PFF grade on throws over 20+ yards downfield. He caught five of seven contested targets in such an area.

Just a month ago, he showed the top end speed that helped him dominate, running a 4.43 40-yard dash at the combine. He finished the event with the 262nd raw athletic score out of 3,815 wide receivers since 1987, proving his NFL ready athleticism.

On top of being an elite field stretcher, Badger’s ability after the catch stands out as a difference maker at the next level. Over 47percent of his receiving yards at the collegiate level came after the catch, with the elusive receiver averaging 6.4 yards–after-catch per reception. His career missed tackles forced per reception is the best of any college receiver in the past 10 years (minimum 175 career receptions).

Though not a complete receiver just yet, the idea that Badger is closer to an undrafted free agent than a 2nd round pick is surprising, and maybe even disrespectful.

Last year, 13 wide receivers went in rounds two through four of the NFL draft. Comparatively, Badger had more yards in his final season than six of them while playing less snaps than all but two. He also had the eighth-best PFF grade of the group, second-best yards per reception and fourth-best yards per route run. His raw athletic score was the fifth highest.

While being possibly underrated by draft analysts and even NFL front offices, Badger’s profile draws similarities to one of the bigger draft steals in recent memory at the position in five-time pro bowler Stefon Diggs.

A seemingly steep comparison, Diggs was actually far less productive than Badger in college, only having one season over 110 yards. His career-high of 796 yards as a junior would be Badger’s third-best total.

In addition to the similarities in build, the two share many of the same strengths and weaknesses in their prospect profiles, both done by Lance Zierlein.

While the similarities are not hard to find, one of the biggest questions of Badger’s game has also been a huge strength of Diggs’ in his career so far: route running.

Zierlein called Badger’s routing running ‘lackadaisical at times’, while other draft analysts such as NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers shared the concerns for his ability to separate.

“Against press, his routes get disrupted...I don’t love the lack of sharpness in his routes,” Rogers said on his NFL stock exchange podcast when diving into Badger as a prospect. “I think a coach can get the route running to an adequate NFL level…If you do that, this is a legitimate wide receiver three.”

While Badger seems unlikely to have his name called on day one, and day two or three are not guaranteed, the NFL team lucky enough to draft him will be getting a talented weapon with lots of confidence.

“When I touch that field, I got a ‘nobody can stop me’ mindset,” Badger said. “I play with the most confidence on the field.”

Starting Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, the wait begins for Badger and his NFL dreams, hoping that an NFL front office will take a chance on a prospect that has all the intangibles to be a steal in this draft.

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