WR, Oklahoma State
Height: 5’11“
Weight: 185 lbs
Class: Senior
In a deep receiver class, there is likely to be plenty of talent available well into Day 2. One of the names to watch will be Tylan Wallace. In 2017, Wallace committed to Oklahoma State as a four-star recruit, alongside his twin brother, Tracin. Whilst Tracin’s career was derailed by injuries, Tylan blossomed into one of college football’s most productive receivers. He enters the draft as a two-time First Team All Big-12 member, with 3,424 career receiving yards.
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Strengths
One of Wallace’s biggest strengths is his consistent production and there are very few receivers who can rival the numbers that he has put up during his college career. Since becoming a starter in 2018, Wallace has racked up 3,306 yards and 26 touchdowns on 198 receptions. He has averaged 16.7 yards per catch and over 100 receiving yards per game throughout his career. The extent of his experience is a clear strong point and teams will like the amount of quality tape he has put together.
Where Wallace wins is primarily as a deep threat. Whilst he lacks elite long speed, he showcases fantastic explosiveness and burst. His vertical route tree is amongst the best in the class and and he has an average depth of target of 15 yards across his career. He excels at stacking his man and stretching the field and defenses will have to account for him on every play. He also has enough change of direction ability to throttle down well on comebacks and hitches.
Whilst Wallace was mainly used as a deep threat in college, he offers some intriguing potential with the ball in his hands. He didn’t get a tonne of opportunities to create after the catch, but when he got them he took advantage. Wallace averaged 5.6 yards after the catch throughout his career, an impressive number given his primary role as a deep threat. He was elusive with the ball in his hands too, with 32 forced missed tackles on 198 receptions since becoming a starter in 2018.
Wallace is 5’11” and 185 lbs, but plays far bigger than his size would suggest. This is particularly evident in contested catch situations. Wallace has logged 43 contested catches since the start of 2018, the most of any receiver in college football. He possesses a large catch radius and is comfortable making catches outside his frame. This kind of toughness will serve him well in the NFL.
Weaknesses
Whilst Wallace offers physicality at the catch point, he does have an issue with contact during routes. He isn’t notably undersized, but he struggles with corners who like to make contact off the line. Teams will have legitimate concerns about his ability to get off press coverage at the next level. This was an issue even against smaller corners like Tre Brown of Oklahoma and doesn’t bode well for the next level.
There are a few other smaller issues that teams may have concerns about. The first is his limited route tree. This doesn’t mean that Wallace can’t develop that side of his game, but it may be a concern for some. The other issue will be injuries. He tore his ACL in 2019, forcing him to miss the bulk of the season. In fairness, it did not appear to have any impact on his performances in 2020, but again teams will want to do their homework.
Bottom Line
Wallace is an interesting receiver to project to the NFL. He has an incredibly productive collegiate career behind him and his ability to win in a variety of different ways is a major selling point. The concern will be his lack of physicality and inability to deal with bigger corners. As such, a switch to the slot might be the best bet for his career in the NFL.
Big Board Rank: #67
Positional Rank: #10
