2025 NFL Draft: Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel Scouting Report
Noel should have a good week at the Senior Bowl and is a legit sleeper right now.
Welcome to scouting report season. These reports will be my main form of content for a bit, but I’m hoping to ramp back up with other content soon.
The reports will include trait-by-trait breakdowns, a summary of the player’s skill set, and a rough round grade at the bottom.
Jaylin Noel Scouting Report
Route Running
Noel is a solid route runner with the natural tools to improve at the NFL level. He’s incredibly quick at the top of his breaks, allowing him to separate on horizontal breaking routes consistently. His route tree at ISU had decent diversification. He runs a lot of crossers, outs, sticks, posts, and outs. His best route is probably the out-and-up double move. He could do a better job finding space vs. zone, and I’d like to see him run some more double-breaking routes in the short area of the field.
Contested Catch Ability
Noel is a smaller player, so he’s not really a high-point player. He doesn’t get a lot of opportunities above the rim, and I don’t think he’s got the skills to become that player in the NFL. Over the middle, Noel struggles to finish through contact at times. He was charted with just a 47.5% contested catch rate.
Separation
This is where Noel will earn many of his fans. He’s got above-average speed to separate downfield, and he’s got the quickness to separate in short spaces. He doesn’t have the physical nature to separate that way. When cornerbacks get physical with him, he struggles to fight through and separate anyway.
Ball Skills
Noel was tagged with three drops to this point. They were mostly concentration drops, so I’m not too worried about his ability to hold up at the NFL level. He makes most catches with the correct technique, although he can basket catch down the field when a high-point would be preferred.
Beating Press
ISU hides him from press quite a bit, which should be done in the NFL. He mostly lines up in the slot, and ISU uses him on many motion concepts to get him free releases. His few reps against press show a player who has to win with quickness. He’s admirable in avoiding contact, but when CBs land, he struggles to work through.
YAC Ability
Noel’s speed and quickness allow him to create a decent amount of YAC, especially downfield. I wish he was a little more creative in the screen game in trying to make some players miss.
Ball Tracking
I was really impressed with this area of Noel’s game. He profiles as a slot-deep threat, so this is a critical part of his evaluation. He can adjust his routes to account for poorly thrown passes and use his speed to track down passes across the field.
Long Speed
Noel’s speed looks above average on tape. He can create vertical separation and does a nice job stacking CBs quickly and then attacking their blindspots. Noel should have little issue separating this way in the NFL.
Versatility
Noel is a role-limited player. He’s a pure slot heading to the NFL, and his outside reps in college don’t show someone with the skills to expand his abilities in the NFL. His route tree is diverse enough to make him a three-level threat. He’s best served heading to a heavy-motion offense that wants its receivers to attack open space.
The Bottom Line With Noel
Jalyin Noel profiles as a potential starting slot receiver with the speed to stretch teams vertically and the quickness to win in the short and intermediate areas of the field. Noel is a smaller, compact player with a good route tree and the skills to expand it even more.
Noel’s ability to track the ball downfield and win on vertical routes with nuance (head fakes, step cadence, attacking blindspots) makes him a potential deep threat in Year 1. He understands how to attack CBs and break off his routes when running horizontal breaks. Noel’s natural movement skills all project well to the NFL level.
My concerns with Noel are mostly centered around the lack of versatility in his game and profile. He’s not good against press, struggling to work through contact and create separation. ISU used him in the slot and frequently motioned him at the snap or hid him in bunch sets. He’s not a good contested-catch player, especially above the rim.
Noel profiles as a valuable member of a receiver room who can win at all three levels from the slot. He’s best served going to an offense that likes to use pre-snap motion and is willing to let its receivers freelance a bit against zone.
Round Grade: Late 3rd - Early 4th