15. NATHANIEL DELL | Houston 5083 | 165 lbs. | 5SR Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland) 10/29/1999 (age 23.49) BACKGROUND: Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, who is one of three children, was born and raised in Daytona Beach and started playing football at age 6. He received the nickname “Tank” by his mother because of his large head as a baby (his teammates and coaches call him “Tank”). Dell attended Mainland High School and lettered all four years as a wide receiver. As a junior, he led the team in all-purpose yards and posted 56 receptions for 1,078 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning honorable mention All-State honors. As a senior, Dell earned second team All-Area honors and finished with 46 catches for 925 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also lettered in track and set personal bests in the high jump (5 feet 10 inches), long jump (21-11) and 400 meters (57.99). A two-star recruit, Dell was the No. 421 wide receiver in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 422 recruit in Florida. He went widely overlooked as a recruit until he attended a 7-on-7 camp the summer prior to his senior year and received an offer from FIU. Dell committed to Butch Davis prior to his senior year, but FIU stopped communicating and rescinded the scholarship offer. His only other option was to join high school teammate Brian Jenkins Jr. at FCS-level Alabama A&M. Dell played in only four games in 2018 because of injury and made a “business decision” to bet on himself by going the junior college route with his eyes on jumping to an FBS program. He enrolled at Independence (Kan.) Community College, where he led the team in receiving in 2019. Dell was considered a three-star junior college recruit and the No. 19 juco WR in the 2020 recruiting class. He planned to commit to South Florida and return to his home state, but the coaches told him to hold off because they were waiting on a few other potential signees. Instead, Dell committed to Houston over Akron, Central Michigan and Old Dominion. Dell accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl but decided to pull out (choice) after two practices. STRENGTHS: Moves with sudden quickness ... closes cushion in a flash and creates vertical separation with his top-end speed ... flashes an extra gear when tracking the football downfield (five catches of 40-plus yards in 2022) ... fluid body control to get in-out of his breaks ... his ability to brake and balance in the open field makes him a nightmare for pursuit ... effective in the screen game and on crossers thanks to his YAC athleticism ... can score from anywhere on the field and caught a touchdown in 10 different games in 2022 (most in the FBS) ... became the team’s featured punt returner in 2022, averaging 16.0 yards per return (10/160/1) with one return touchdown (also had two additional punt return touchdowns called back due to penalties) ... also returned kicks as an underclassman ... voted a team captain as a senior ... highly productive junior and senior seasons, leading the FBS in receiving yards per game (101.0) and receiving touchdowns (29) over the last two seasons. WEAKNESSES: Slight, small-framed athlete ... falls below the height/weight/strength thresholds for most NFL teams ... underpowered, and it looks like one hit will break him ... needs to refine his releases and not allow corners to jam him off the line ... wasn’t asked to run the most complex route tree in college ... average length and overall catch radius ... fumbled three times in 2022 ... most of his snaps (67.0 percent) came from the slot as a senior ... stayed relatively healthy at Houston, but missed seven games in 2018 at Alabama A&M because of a hip pointer. SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Houston, Dell was an inside/outside receiver in Dana Holgorsen’s version of the Air Raid offense and added punt return duties as a senior. After leading the FBS in receiving yards (1,398) and touchdown grabs (17) in 2022, he leaves as one of the most prolific receivers in school history, finishing his career No. 3 in touchdowns catches (32), No. 4 in receptions (222) and No. 6 in receiving yards (3,155). A finely tuned athlete, Dell has blur speed along with the twitchy ease of movement and controlled burst to create separation in 1-on-1 match-ups. Although he is a smallish target and lacks tackle-breaking strength, he can run circles around defenders and plays with the competitive urgency of a much bigger player. Overall, Dell’s diminutive size and below average strength won’t be a fit for everyone, but he has quick hands and elite start-stop acceleration to create chunk plays short, intermediate and deep. He projects as a dynamic No. 3 or 4 wide receiver for an NFL offense while also handling punt return duties. GRADE: 3rd-4th Round
I don't hate the pick because he gives us something we lack but am concerned how much he's on the field in an offense that stresses blocking by wrs in the run game. So.... Woods Collins Metchie Dell Brown Still a little underwhelming but you can't solve everything in a year..
