Titus Young Scouting Report

Like fellow senior receiver Austin Pettis, Titus Young wasted no time making an impact on Boise State. As a true freshman he caught at least one pass in all 13 games and ended the campaign with 44 receptions for 639 yards and five touchdowns. Young added a couple more trips to the end zone on run plays. After missing most of the 2008 season, Young turned into the Broncos' leading receiver in 2009, catching 79 passes for 1,041 yards and ten touchdowns. That was the season Young also turned into a great kick-off returner and added two more scores on returns and a couple more trips to the end zone on rushes.

For his senior season Young is keeping up with his impressive 2009 numbers in every category. He has yet to return a kick for a score, but through seven games he has only had 15 opportunities on kick-off returns. That is partially because teams kick away from him, but the opposition does not score much either against the Broncos, so the opportunities are limited.

At 5-11 and 175 pounds, Young would need to be a slot receiver in the NFL. He has good speed, but needs to run closer to a 4.4 40 than a 4.5 at the NFL combine to cement his spot in the top half of the draft. His lack of size will keep him down some draft boards, but his ability to return kicks (not to mention run solid routes and make tough catches) should make up for his lack of size.

3/15 Update: Young had a superb Senior Week in January and was working his way up into the second round. He ran good routes and caught just about everything feasible. He showed off his good hands again in February at the NFL combine, but his route running left a lot to be desired and he did not run nearly as fast as had hoped. Of course Young wanted to run faster than anybody ever has at the combine, but his 4.43 time is certainly respectable. His inconsistencies at the combine have slipped his stock a little bit, but he could still be picked late in the second round.