The 2024 NFL Draft is here, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Javon Baker.
Javon Baker's 2024 NFL Combine Results
- Height: 6'1¼"
- Weight: 202 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 4.54 seconds
- 10-yard split: 1.58 seconds
- Vertical jump: 37"
- Broad jump: 10'1"
Javon Baker 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Strengths
- Good-sized wide receiver with light, quick feet and natural quickness as a route runner. Has a loose feel to his movement.
- Shows detail and nuance as route runner using vertical stem to vary path and speed to put corners in reactive mode.
- Manipulates route tempo and stem path to break down corners. Has separation quickness at top of route stem.
- Shows body control and hands to make tough, contested catches along the sideline; high points the ball.
- Catches the ball easily with his hands and doesn't allow the ball to get into his body. Has strong ball-tracking ability.
- Defeats press man coverage with initial quickness and short-area burst off the ball to get on top of corners.
- Shows some run-after-catch juice with excellent agility and quick burst to create separation from the defense.
Weaknesses
- Not a true vertical dimension with the pure long speed to run by cornerbacks and others in the secondary and get on top of coverage.
- More measured in his movement than sudden or explosive. Needs to be detailed as route runner to separate.
- There will be legitimate questions regarding his ability to separate and win on the outside vs. good NFL man coverage.
NFL Transition
Baker has an intriguing skill set as you project his transition to the next level, and that showed up consistently on his 2023 tape.
He was originally a 4-star recruit to Alabama, so Nick Saban and his staff believed Baker could flourish in the SEC, but he left for Central Florida, where he became a big-play receiver in his two years with the location versatility to line up both outside and in the slot.
Baker has good size for a wide receiver. Littered throughout his tape is a desirable combination of detailed and nuanced route running to break down corners and a deceptive vertical dimension with the kind of accelerating speed that results from stride length more than timed speed. While Baker isn't a true vertical dimension, he shows strong ball-tracking ability with both excellent body control and strong yet soft hands. There was no question that his hands were a strength of his game — he consistently showed he could catch the ball away from his frame and make tough catches in traffic.
What stands out watching Baker’s 2023 tape is that he works the middle of the field effectively, running a lot of in-breaking routes catching the ball with his hands and then seamlessly makes the transition from being a receiver to running after the catch.
Overall, I believe Baker can play at the next level. His tape shows he understands the pace and tempo of effective route running, so there is much to work with from that standpoint. And he has the body control, hands and more-than-functional play speed to work the sideline vertically and make tough contested catches.
It will likely take some time, but Baker has a chance to develop into a quality NFL wide receiver in an effective complementary role.
Other Notes
Baker had an outstanding 2023 season: 52-1139-21.9-7 TDs.
He predominantly lined up on the left side of the formation, both outside the numbers and in the slot, but there were significant snaps where he lined up on the right side. When aligned outside the numbers, Baker ran a lot of in-breaking routes, and he worked the middle of the field very effectively.
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