A JUCO from Jacksonville, Florida, Xavier Hutchinson had no offers from 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 be a “deep threat,” but he works open very well on more advanced routes. 

There isn’t a lot of upside to Hutchinson’s game, but there is some to be found. Right now, he’s right around average in about all of his categories, or just above it. He can still grow as a route runner, and become a better threat in other avenues of his game. 

Xavier Hutchinson vs. Anthony Johnson #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/Z4ckyOWg2h

— WalkTheMock (@WalkTheMock) February 2, 2023

Injury history is very clean for Hutchinson. 

Xavier Hutchinson’s scouting report

Athletic Ability (25)

Speed/Athleticism: 15

• Speed (5/7) – Very quick. Has good speed. Was used in a variety of ways to get into space. Long speed might be a bigger problem for him. 
• Change of Direction (3/4) – Shows good change of direction ability, not as well as a ball carrier but can do it. Very crafty at times with changing direction. 
• Body Control (3/4) – Very solid body control. 

Explosiveness/Burst: 10

• Acceleration (3.5/5) – Good, not great, acceleration. 
• Explosiveness (3/5) – Seems to lack some explosion compared to other receivers. 

Receiver Fundamentals (25)

Route Running: 15 

• Footwork (5/7) – Solid footwork throughout the route, from start to finish. 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. 
• Route Tree (3.5/5) – Ran a good route tree at Iowa State. 
• Nuances (2.5/3) – Understands the nuances very well of route-running. Works back to the quarterback very well when he sees he’s in trouble. Understands the importance of positioning and how to set defenders up during his route. 

Release/Control: 10

• Release Ability (3.5/5) – Good mix of releases. Strong work and positioning ability. Works well with his hands to get through press quickly. 
• Sideline Work (3/5) – Has the body control to be good at this but wasn’t asked to work near the sidelines often. 

Catch Ability (25)

Catch Ability: 15 

• Natural Catch Ability (8/10) – Great hands. Extends well to secure catches. Shows a solid overall catch radius, but it’s not great.
• Consistency (3.5/5) – 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. 

Contested Catch Ability: 10 

• Vertical Ability (3/5) – Average vertical ability. Isn’t going to go up and outjump a lot of players for the football. 
• Through Contact (3/5) – Shows the ability to make solid catches through contact. Not consistent, below 50%. 

Schematic Aspects (20)

Deep Threat/Red Zone: 10

• Deep Threat Rating (3/5) – Has the capacity to stretch the field a good bit, but mostly with his nuance as a route runner. Won’t be able to against better athletes in coverage. 
• Red Zone Threat Rating (3/5) – Doesn’t look like he will be a particularly special player in the red zone. Looks more like a possession receiver. 

Run Blocking: 10

• Strength (3/5) – Decent run blocker on the perimeter, nothing flashy or spectacular but can get the job done. 
• Consistency (3.5/5) – Fairly consistent run blocker. Can be relied upon to hold it long enough. 

Overall: (74.5) – 3rd/4th Round