5 wide receivers the Commanders could select in the 2023 NFL Draft

Commanders could draft Jake Bobo

Jake Bobo, who had an outstanding year for the 9-4 UCLA Bruins in 2022, has one number that makes any hope of an NFL career seem virtually impossible. He runs a 4.99-second 40-yard dash. That’s not a misprint. He’s an eyelash under five seconds.

Now, for a normal human being, that’s pretty darn fast. But not for an NFL receiver – among the swiftest athletes on the planet. To put that number in perspective, it’s the same time recorded by Clemson’s Jordan McFadden, who is a 303-pound offensive tackle.

So that time would seem to disqualify Bobo from a career at the next level. But does it?

Bobo played four seasons at Duke where he developed into a quality possession receiver. In the more explosive UCLA attack during the 2022 campaign, the prospect showed he could do a lot more.

He averaged more than 14 yards per reception and scored seven touchdowns. What he lacks in straight-line speed, Bobo has been able to offset with quickness and a good understanding of soft spots in a defense’s coverage.

Bobo stands at 6-foot-4 and weighed 206 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. With that height, it might be natural to ask if he could put on about 20 more pounds and transition to a tight end.

Since Niles Paul successfully did that, the Washington Commanders have tried with a few other bigger wideouts. I never thought it would work for Antonio Gandy-Golden and it didn’t. I did think it would work for Dylan Cantrell and it didn’t. It is not a simple transition.

Bobo would have to gain a fair amount of bulk and strength. The wideout must also show he could be a decent blocker for this to work. I don’t see it happening.

If Bobo is to stick with an NFL team, he would have to fit into one of the new hot positions – the big slot receiver. Mike Evans has been almost unstoppable in this role for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he is an elite receiver, and his relative lack of foot speed shows just how relative these numbers can be.

Evans runs in the 4.5s and is considered on the slow side. Bobo has a lot to overcome, but other than Marcus Kemp, the Commanders do not have anyone big to put in the slot, and there is playmaking production on his side – at least in college.