Tall Boyz, Part 3: Goin’ Deep

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 29: Jeff Caldwell #9 of the Cincinnati Bearcats catches a touchdown pass as Jevon McIver Jr. #20 of the TCU Horned Frogs defends during the first half at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Please see Part 1 here, and Part 2 here. More on SiYAA here.

If you’re being drafted in the sixth of seventh rounds (or not at all) there’s generally a good reason for that, but with the following three players, athleticism is NOT that reason. Two of the three have top 20 all-time RAS scores, one of which is second only to Megatron. If you’re drafting any of the following, you’re betting on some late development, or you just need a guy to run fast and straight.

Late Big Fast Freaks

Caleb Douglas: 6-4, 206. Consensus Board: 229. RAS: 9.50. SiYAA: 113

If you watch five seconds of Caleb Douglas’ tape, the one thing that will immediately stick out is just how long a strider he is. This guy ran a 4.39 40, and I’ll wager it only took him 10 total steps. Long strides often result in deceptive speed, and watching Douglas effortlessly run by corners on the outside definitely gives you that vibe. His 10-yard split at the combine was quite good, which surprised me. That long gait sure looks like it takes time to ramp up, but then again, maybe he also has deceptive acceleration.

So, he’s fast, and if you need a guy to run fast, he can do that, but he’s 229 on the consensus board for a reason. Many reasons. He really rounds off his non-go routes and will need to work on his breaks. And while he’s big, he’s definitely going to struggle with press at the next level. Worst of all, though, he had seven drops and caught just 6 of 17 contested catches. The hands need work, the strength needs work, and he’ll turn 23 early this season, which isn’t ancient, but limits projectability. His top RAS comp is Terrell Pryor, and his third RAS comp is Marquez Valdes-Scantling. If you draft/sign him, I think you’re mostly hoping on the MVS career.

Fun fact! No one knows quite how tall Caleb Douglas actually is, as he measured 6-3 and a half at the combine, but shrunk to 6-2 and 7/8 at his pro day, a difference of more than half a foot. The combine has had several bizarre instances of improper measurements lately, and he’s “big” regardless, but I’ve never seen such a large disparity in height measurements.

J Michael Sturdivant: 6-3, 207. Consensus Board: 233. RAS: 9.96. SiYAA: 16. (Ranks 19th all-time in RAS)

Here’s a weird one. J Michael Sturdivant has played for Cal, UCLA, and Florida, and he has (debatably) gotten worse every season. As a redshirt freshman at Cal, he mostly worked underneath averaging 11.6 yards per catch from QB Jack Plummer, but he led the team in receptions with 65, a number he would never approach again. After a transfer to UCLA, he turned into more of a big play threat, with 36 receptions for 597 yards as a sophomore, and then crashed way down the depth chart, catching just 22 balls as a junior. As a senior at Florida, he managed just 27 catches for 406 yards.

If you draft Sturdivant, you’re betting on his 9.96 RAS (19th all time, though no agility drills so grain of salt), but playing receiver is more than just being an elite athlete. The reason Sturdivant is likely available is that he’s had five college seasons to put some polish to his natural gifts, and far from improving the soft skills, he’s been passed over for playing time again and again. It’s easier to bet on someone like Bryce Lance improving because there is a good reason for his raw skillset. Sturdivant has no such excuse.

Jeff Caldwell: 6-5, 216. Consensus Board: 155. RAS: 10.00 SiYAA: 49 (Ranks 2nd all time in RAS.

If you are just going to bet on RAS, here’s your guy.

Caldwell did not do the bench press or run agilities, but he ran a blistering 4.31 40 at 6-5 and 216 pounds, which, with his 42-inch vertical and 11+ foot broad jump, gives him the second highest RAS of all time for receivers. His comps are Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, DK Metcalf, and Christian Watson. But of course, as with J Michael Sturdivant, being a great athlete isn’t everything, and what you think of Caldwell will depend largely on what you think of his story and what you conclude about his personality, and remaining projectibility.

One of the truly great thing about the annual draft guide, The Beast, by Dane Brugler, is the level of detail he provides on the personal lives of prospects, and one of Brugler’s great gifts is his ability to communicate effectively about their circumstances with nuance, and without judgement. If you ever read Bob McGinn’s annual anonymous scout slander-fest, Brugler is the polar opposite, and with Caldwell, I think there’s an interesting story buried in the Beast that explains Caldwell’s underwhelming production in college. I also think that there’s a case to be made that he could still be special at the next level. (There is also a plausible case that football is perhaps not his greatest passion, but I’ll leave that up to you, and front offices everywhere).

You should read The Beast of course as it’s phenomenal, and legitimately one of the best things I read every year. This year for me it’s like Project Hail Mary, Dungeon Crawler Carl, and then The Beast. Mr. Brugler has a story for everyone, but here’s the gist on Jeff Caldwell, as I see it. Caldwell’s older brother was a star football player at his high school, but Jeff was too small at first, at just 5-8, and tried soccer instead. The desire to be like his older brother got him onto the field as a junior, and between his junior and senior seasons he grew from 5-8 to 6-5, which I’m sure was not at all awkward. In his junior season, he had competition for playing time from Jordan Watkins, which limited his exposure. Then, when it was finally his time to shine in 2020…2020 happened. And so off radars completely and with no offers, after almost joining the Navy, he landed at Division II Lindenwood, which also signed his brother in the 2019 class.

The family aspect is important here because when making decisions on where to go, Caldwell has so far followed his family. He stayed at Lindenwood for several seasons to stay with his brother. When his production caught up with his physical talent and he began to get other offers, he continued to stay with his brother through his graduation after the 2024 season. Then, without his brother around anymore, when faced with offers from a ton of big schools, he picked Cincinnati because it was close to home.

In all honesty, I do not know how to interpret this from a “football projection” standpoint. I like my receivers to have a bit of an edge, and to be a little crazy,

and Caldwell’s decisions reflect someone who prefers comfort over ambition. That said, I think you could make a case that it’s quite admirable to put family over personal gain, and that level of dedication may serve him well. The fact that he was also a late bloomer who likely missed two years of high school development probably means that there is still some potential for additional polish.

He’s enormous, incredibly fast, and raw as hell. Cincy ran him almost exclusively on go routes, slants, and screens, but despite the profile, he was better underneath and struggled to haul in bombs. Tracking the ball was an issue, and maybe his single biggest issue. He caught just 5 of 13 contested catches, and in the few examples I found, he seemed to struggle more with establishing position than with securing the ball. He started to become more of a hands catcher and less of a body catcher later in the season, which was nice to see.

Caldwell is purely a developmental pick. Even his extremely modest statistics are juiced heavily by a 5-catch, 109-yard performance against Bowling Green (though you should watch the one-handed catch he made in this game). But, if you’re looking for reasons to be optimistic, he scored a touchdown in each of his final three games (Arizona, BYU, TCU) and appeared slightly (just slightly) more polished. The range of outcomes for Caldwell is immense, but if nothing else, I would wager there is a good special teams player in there (he had a few punt blocks) that you can use while you wait to see if he can develop into something more.