'Why Kayshon Boutte?'
Height & Weight
5'11 -- 195lbs
Ascension grade
Primary receiver ceiling
54.74 -- WR#6
High-end traits (80th percentile & up)
Acceleration
Top-end speed
Linear fluidity
Creating yards post-catch
Low-end traits (30th percentile & down)
Catch concentration
Playmaking consistency
Stylistic comparison
Juju Smith - Schuster meshed with Christian Kirk
Projected role comparison
Primary slot receiver with high target upside/high volatility (DJ Moore)
Pre-injury Kayshon Boutte was fluid, confident and ascending towards being the next unstoppable LSU receiver after Jefferson, and Chase.
"Confidence" is the key word there - do not think he had this level of it coming back from injury.
Once it clicks again for him his post-catch ability from all over the field makes him a threat to score on any touch with his top-of-the-class long speed.
Good accelerator who will regularly run away from Safeties if you give him an alley.
Ran sub 20.90 in the 200m back in high school, which puts him in a rare class of speed maintenance. Curious to where that trait stacks up now due to the multiple ankle procedures, if he gets close to 100% healthy again he is a threat to take it the distance from anywhere on the field.
A healthy Boutte is a tough assignment for boundary corners because you have to respect his top-end speed, and how fluidity he carries it.
Playing off leaves you vulnerable to 30-40 + yard chunk gains - pressing could be a blow-by if no safety help.
His best physical trait again, is how well he carries his speed over distance.
Boutte's post catch solutions are an area that is NFL starter caliber. Reminds me a lot of Juju here.
Not overly abrupt or sudden, but extremely hard to bring down in open space and plays with deceptive linear speed.
There is a question for me on if he still has this type of lower-limb stability post-surgery.
Lots of "if's" in his game, however these are some of the traits that made Boutte a potential top ten pick.
Effortlessly combines the track & contort phases with regularity and makes difficult boundary-side receptions look fairly routine.
Again, has the three-level capabilities in spades, just needs to get back to being the type of playmaker we saw two years ago.
Boutte is a great late separator on vertical patterns.
Doesn't panic when spaces condense, eerily calm in these situations. I've always liked the non-chalantness with which he plays vertically.
Expectations & Range of outcomes
Probably the greatest variance in terms of the range of outcomes within this 2023 Draft Cycle. Has the talent of a Pro-bowl caliber playmaker, but will he put it all together?
Multiple ankle surgeries and consistent off-the-field concerns are reasons why we may see his stock slip.
How far it slips will be the difference between him being a late first-round selection in Rookie Drafts or someone I am heavily in the second.