2023 Senior Bowl Scouting: WR Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State

A JUCO from Jacksonville, Florida, Xavier Hutchinson had no offers coming out of high school. As a JUCO prospect, he garnered much attention, including interest from Oklahoma, Boise State, Nebraska, and Arizona State. Going into the NFL, he can play the Z receiver in any offense but looks well-prepared to play the X in a traditional west coast offense. He’s a strong route runner at his size who might lack the long speed to really be a “deep threat,” but he works open very well on more advanced routes.

Xavier Hutchinson

X WR – Iowa State Cyclones

HT: 6026
WT: 210
Year: Super Senior
High School: Bartram Trail (Jacksonville, FL)
Rating: N/S
JUCO: Blinn (Jacksonville, FL)
JUCO Rating: 3-star (0.8560)

Projected Draft Grade: Borderline Year One Starter

Projection: 1st/2nd Round

Iowa State WR Xavier Hutchinson has played quite well this season. Through 7 games, he’s caught 67 of his 100 targets for 758 yards and 5 tds.

Body control, good hands, and tracking the ball well in the air! pic.twitter.com/5B8p1xovjG
— Full-Time Dame 💰 (@DP_NFL) October 17, 2022

Xavier Hutchinson scouting notes

Pros:

Very quick. Has good speed. Was used in a variety of ways to get into space.
Shows good change of direction ability, not as well as a ball carrier but can do it.
Very solid body control.
Good, not great, acceleration.
Solid footwork throughout the route, from start to finish. He struggles a little bit more on comeback/curl concepts, would like to see him try to take a step out of it, but considering his size it’s good.
Ran a good route tree at Iowa State.
Understands the nuances very well of route-running. Works back to the quarterback very well when he sees he’s in trouble. He understands the importance of positioning and how to set defenders up during his route.
Good mix of releases. Strong work and positioning ability. He works well with his hands to get through press quickly.
Great hands. Extends well to secure catches. Shows a solid overall catch radius.
Overall a consistent receiver. Will go through spurts where he will drop a lot of footballs at once, but overall very consistent outside of the occasional bad game.
Shows the ability to make solid catches through contact.
Has the capacity to stretch the field a good bit.

Cons:

Long speed might be a bigger problem for him.
Seems to lack some explosion compared to other receivers.
Decent run blocker on the perimeter, nothing flashy or spectacular but can get the job done.