Charlie Becker

[Twopointtry]

Please Recycle

One nice thing about studying Indiana WR Charlie Becker is you don't have to watch many games. His stunning emergence as a breakout star and National Championship game hero consists of a 7-game stretch to end IU's 2025 season. Prior to that point, he was primarily a special teams ace who only had 7 career receptions. In the PFSN draft simulator, Becker is a potential top 10 overall selection in next year's draft. What a wild ride he's on. It feels like CFB's version of Linsanity.

Becker was born in Ohio but most of his childhood was spent in Nashville, TN where he was a state track and field champion in the hurdles. A former NFL WR who would be an excellent comp for Becker starred in Nashville, playing for the Titans and Jeff Fisher.

Drew Bennett was a backup QB at UCLA. In college, he only had 8 catches for 167 and zero TDs. As an UDFA in 2001 with the Titans, he was a longshot just to make the roster. Battling his way from the very bottom of the depth chart, he beat those odds. In his first 3 NFL seasons, he had relatively modest stats, though he did make a dramatic game winning TD catch from Steve McNair in the final seconds of the game to seal a playoff spot for the Titans.

The following season, Steve McNair got injured and was replaced by Billy Volek, a former UDFA. It would be the only year of Volek's career where he got extended playing time. Late in that season, Volek and Bennett partnered up to create football magic.

In a 3-game stretch beginning with a game vs the Colts, Bennett had 3-124-3. The following game on MNF and a national TV audience, he exploded for 12-233-3. Then, he capped off the run with 13-160-2. At the time, the only other WR who had ever hauled in as many TD catches in a 3-game stretch was Jerry Rice. Bennett finished that breakout 2004 season with 80-1,247-11. In 2007, the St. Louis Rams signed Bennett to a lucrative 6-year contract.

Is some type of football karma or reincarnation about to happen, where Drew Bennett's football doppelganger becomes a Ram in the 2027 draft? Or is Lucy about to pull the football out from under Charlie "Brown" Becker's draft dreams?

CBSSports did an article on the best offensive players in college football and per their rankings, Becker is the 4th best draft eligible WR in the entire country entering the 2026 season. The other 3 guys are widely expected to be top 10 overall selections. If you take that ranking literally, Becker should be off the board by about slot 15. Still, I think there are a variety of reasons why Becker's stock could slip before we get to next year's draft. After all, we're talking about a WR who didn't have a single catch in 2024 and has under 700 yards for his entire career. He's not a one-year wonder, he's a half-season wonder. Everyone is assuming that Becker will have a huge 2026 season, but that season hasn't happened yet. We're counting the chickens before they're hatched. Fernando Mendoza is no longer IU's QB. What if the next guy isn't as good? Mendoza repeatedly hit Becker on deep bombs but Hoover doesn't have the same level of deep ball arm strength. Nick Marsh, the other projected starting WR, is expected to be one of the top picks in next year's draft. What if most of the targets go to him and the QB doesn't throw it as much to Becker?

Despite the high praise that Becker is receiving from the draft media community, I think that it is still worthwhile to look at him as a potential Rams draft target. It isn't a lock that he'll go in the top half of the 1st round. I was really excited to dig into Becker's tape, so let's get started.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, school: Charlie Becker, Indiana. True junior.

Size, estimated speed: Listed by IU as 6'4'' tall, 207 pounds. DraftBuzz 4.48 seconds in 40. Reportedly hit 22.5mph in GPS tracking. Listed as 6'3'' and 185, 193 or 200 pounds in HS depending on source.

3-star recruit from Nashville, TN. As JR in HS was state champ in 110 and 300 meter hurdles and 4 x 400 meter relay. Both his dad and brother played college football as linebackers. He and Fernando Mendoza were roommates. One of 3 kids, he's the middle child. Also played safety. Had multiple kick return TDs in HS.

2024 (12 games): Played 123 special teams snaps, including kick return, kick coverage and punt return units. 1-3-1 rushing.
2025 (16 games): Continued to play special teams. 34-679-4 receiving. Has 8 career tackles.

Hamstring injury in spring of 2026, missing time.

PFSN simulator 11th overall. (+) Long and explosive, dangerous deep speed, full release package, quick and fluid for size, dynamic Z receiver, blocking, 26.11% catch rate over expectation rivaling Carnell Tate, production and efficiency metrics among the best in the nation.
Sam Teets 2nd round tier, 31 overall
Kyle Crabbs: Alec Pierce comp. (+) Ball tracking, body control, strong hands, wingspan, 13 out of 17 contested grabs, led IU in special teams tackles, enthusiastic blocker, vertical field stretcher. (-) Just 45 career targets, primarily a vertical target, needs more route diversification, high hips, over 1/3 of his targets were contested.
PFF big board 73
Drafttek 39
NFLMDD 29
Ian Cummings mock draft 24th overall selection, 1st round
DraftBuzz: Late 2nd round, 10th WR, 62nd overall. An outside X receiver.
CBSSports (Brad Cranford): Rare combination of size, speed and big play ability, unusual body control and balance, track speed. Made 13 out of 17 contested catch opportunities, per PFF had zero drops, 18.4 ADOT, 4.1 YAC per reception. [His ADOT at the NFL level would have ranked 2nd best for WRs with at least 40 targets behind only Alec Pierce at 18.9, but his YAC stat would have been mediocre.]

 

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Part 2: Strengths

The most common pro comp used by draft experts is Alec Pierce of the Colts, who was one of my favorite prospects in the 2022 draft. Pierce was taken in the 2nd round, slot 53. Pierce was a deep ball guy in college, but Lance Zierlein in his draft profile predicted that Pierce would need to become a possession WR in the pros, because he wouldn't be able to get deep against NFL defenses. LZ was wrong. Pierce led the NFL in yards per catch in 2025, way ahead of the 2nd place guy. Pierce had over 1,000 yards. He was 1st in yards per target for any WR with at least 50 targets. Pierce is one of the top deep threat WRs in the NFL. Could you imagine Pierce and Puka Nacua playing together on the same team? I think it would be a long day at the offense for the opponent's defense.

Tall with lean muscle, track athlete long speed and former hurdler body control. Fluid and coordinated.

While he hasn't played much, also doesn't have a lengthy injury history.

Personable in interviews, grounded, seems to be a hard worker.

Good special teams value. Very experienced and versatile ST player who has played on multiple ST units. Can run, block and tackle, good height and length. Even if he needs more time to develop at WR and doesn't get many offensive snaps as a rookie, can stay on roster and contribute on ST without hurting the team.

Flair for the dramatic. Repeatedly made clutch highlight reel catches that helped pave the way for IU to win the National Championship. Ridiculous rescue of high 3rd down pass, going over the top of CB like his gloves were made out of Velcro. Dwight Clark type catch on sideline fade in final minute of game on "must have it" drive to help set up the winning TD pass. Clutch 3rd down catch for conversion. Acrobatic 2 handed snag on high pass for TD. Highlight catch on deep fade on 3rd down late in 4th quarter to finish off Ohio State. Critical 3rd down backshoulder catch late in 4th quarter of National Championship game.

None of his great catches looked difficult or stressful for him. They all had a "of course I caught it, were you expecting anything else?" feel, like it was just practice. He made similar catches back when he was in HS. I don't think they were flukes or just lucky outcomes. He's naturally skilled at jump balls and acrobatic catches.

Height advantage over shorter CBs, almost like a TE, making it challenging for them to contest the catch point even if they are next to him.

Excellent effective catch radius because his hands are so confident when his arms are fully extended.

Held onto catch after huge hit by safety.

Has basic physical tools to improve his release moves and route running. Flashed clean stutter step footwork on release. Has arm length to hold off jams. Long glider when he runs, which can be deceptive, because it might not look like he's running fast but if we measured him with GPS, I bet it would be faster that it appears to naked eye. Leaned into the CB and used his hand to create separation and route leverage on deep post.

Long speed to be a deep ball threat. Can punish CB errors at the LOS by stacking them with pure speed and preventing them from recovering. I don't think he's going to have a very fast 40 time but this isn't reflective of his vertical big play potential. He has build up speed so once he gets up to full speed he's tough to handle. If he's a step ahead of CB on deep over routes he stays a step ahead of them.

At the top of the route on deep post, the stress of his vertical speed caused the CB to get discombobulated, turned around, then the CB fell to the ground. Has very good route speed in the middle of the route.

If he has an open lane, can gain big YAC with his long speed. Turned a short curl route catch into a chunk play.

Consistently gives effort as blocker, hustles to landmarks. Feet are proper width when engaged. Works to defend blocking angle. A few times, IU used him as a move blocker in sift action, like a TE, leading the way for the RB. Short choppy steps entering blocks in space so that he's balanced on initial contact. Reliably reads the movement of the defenders in the middle of the play and mentally adjusts his assignment to identify the most dangerous player that he needs to block. Sound hand placements.

 

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Part 3: Weaknesses

The experts are very kind and gentle to Becker when they say things like "expanding his route tree". I'm not going to be diplomatic or mince words. I'm going to be very blunt and honest. This post is purely for Rams fans, it isn't for Becker. I'm not worried about hurting anyone's feelings. When it comes to the short and intermediate areas of the field (we're not talking deep balls, just the first 2 levels of the field) Becker's route running is atrociously bad. I felt like I was watching a high school player. Shockingly bad. I was very surprised when I saw this, wasn't expecting it at all. It really changed how I was planning on grading Becker as a draft prospect.

If you're in the red zone, you could throw an end zone fade or backshoulder to Becker. He can do that. If I had been IU's coach and the play required the WR to run any other route besides those concepts, I'd take Becker off the field and put in a different WR. There's no point in even having him out there. He's hurting the team. It was painful to watch. Way too often, CBs completely blanketed Becker. He couldn't consistently get open. Very easy for the CB to cover. Sometimes, this contributed to Mendoza getting hit in the pocket, because he had to hold the ball longer.

Poor feel for how to create leverage on the route. Doesn't craft routes. Inside of about 15 yards, he's bad in the stem and the top of the route. Has nothing to offer that stresses the CB, whether athleticism or deception, so they stay glued tightly and can drive on throws. Created PBU with poor route. Shrinks passing widows, requiring Mendoza to be very accurate to avoid potential INTs.

The types of catches he made closer to the LOS were where the defense played very soft coverage and backed off, where he was schemed open or if Mendoza moved around and the CB left Becker. Otherwise, Becker has very poor ability to create his own separation on shorter routes. I'm not saying he's average or slightly below average. I'm saying that he's alarmingly bad. Red flag on his draft profile bad. His contested catch stats are cited for why he's a great prospect, but the other side of that coin is the same stat illustrates how he's garbage at creating separation. He causes what should be wide open catches to become contested catches. In college, those resulted in catches, but in the NFL some of those are going to become PBUs or INTs.

Bad at double moves. If he tries to change speeds inside the route, it isn't deceptive or tricky. Multiple times there was zero resulting separation, pointless in even trying to execute the double move if that's the result, all you're doing is slowing down the route. Rounds breaks. Bad in-breaking route vs zone coverage. His footwork isn't precise, he takes inefficient small steps, making his football speed worse than his timed speed on shorter routes. Breaks on intermediate routes aren't sharp.

It is 3rd down, zone coverage. There is a huge void in the middle of the field. Becker is running a shallow crosser. Instead of settling into the huge hole, he just keeps running until he gets to the next defender, running himself into a covered position. What are we doing? Cue Vince Lombardi voice.

After watching Becker closely, it became obvious why he was the backup WR and not one of the starters. Elijah Surratt (a 4th round pick) is better than Becker at true contested catch situations, because he's a stronger player. Omar Cooper Jr. (1st round) is much more talented and polished than Becker. There's a huge gap between Becker and those other 2 WRs the closer you got to the LOS. Yes, for the highlight plays where Becker made catches he excelled. But there's a reason all those plays look so similar. He's terrible at everything else. He's a one-dimensional WR at this point in his career. Repeating for emphasis, Surratt was a 4th round pick. If Surratt was starting ahead of Becker, why are we grading Becker higher than the 4th round?

Upright posture, exposes his chest coming off the line, presenting a big target for jams. The jam can slow him down, delaying him from getting into the route. Doesn't explode off the line. Even if given a huge cushion, he doesn't have powerful strides to immediately build speed.

Average releases. Not able to manipulate the CB at the LOS. Unable to separate from the CB on fade routes. Makes for highlights but it'd be better if a WR could make the exact same play look "easy" by creating separation.

Has a high center-of-gravity, making it challenging for him to sink his hips to explode in and out of breaks. Not good on wheel routes. Not able to suddenly turn back towards the QB, he'll drift into comeback.

Average instincts in scramble drills. For example, QB gets flushed to the right, WR has acres of space on that side of the field to work back towards the QB or move towards the sideline to be available for pass. Instead, WR goes back towards middle of field, which would have required QB to make very dangerous and very difficult throw back across his body if he wanted to target the WR. Didn't make any sense.

Slender and narrow build. Lacks both upper and lower body muscle and power. Underpowered and light in the pants for an NFL WR.

Limited ability to create YAC. Not elusive after catch. Not agile in confined spaces. Poor run strength. He's not going to break many tackles or make many NFL defenders miss.

His blocking effort is way better than his blocking effectiveness. He's a one punch and "screen off, get in the way" type of blocker. He doesn't lock up DBs or deliver flurries of punches. Even if he tries to be physical, his shoves are weak and make little impact. He never pushes opponents backwards or finishes the block. Doesn't eliminate his mark from the play, they always seem to get back involved before the whistle. No leg drive on his blocks. He'll lose grip or contact with the CB, allowing them to pursue the ball. His helmet sometimes gets too far over his toes and he slides off the block. More aggressive CBs can grab him and throw him off to disengage. IU's RPOs didn't require him to block on many plays, he just ran downfield. Not aggressive or physical blocking. Made a mental error, allowing his CB to penetrate into the backfield 100% untouched. Narrow frame makes it easier for CBs to run around his block. Just an okay blocker. I wouldn't call him a "good" blocker.

On one of his deep bombs, there was a miscommunication by the CBs, it was a blown assignment, leading to a very easy catch for the WR.

Has good speed, but not elite deep speed. Even when he gets behind the CB, there still is typically limited separation. He doesn't widen the gap and run away from them.

Very good hands, but not automatic. On one of his TD catches, the ball went through his hands and he had to trap it against his facemask. On one of his backshoulder catches, the timing of the closing of his hands was off and the ball almost went through his hands. He might not have dropped passes in 2025 but some of this might have just been a tiny sample size and if he played more games, he likely would have a couple drops.

If he had been draft eligible for the 2026 draft, my advice to him would have been to stay in school at IU and not enter the draft. He's not ready. Enjoy college, get the NIL money, get more playing time and experience. Use the playing time to improve so that when you do jump to the NFL you are better situated for long term success. Don't just be a high draft pick, then sit on the bench. It can short circuit further growth and kill your football career. Coming out of college, Alec Pierce was a much better prospect. He was better with his releases, route running, play strength. Pierce had very good jumping and agility testing scores, he's a well-rounded athlete, not just fast and tall.

I like Becker's upside potential and believe that someday he could be another Alec Pierce. He's not there right now.

The Rams just drafted CJ Daniels in the 6th round. Daniels is a very good blocker, better than Becker. He's not fast and only has average size but has good releases, can uncover, is aggressive, can work double moves and made vertical plays while at Miami. If we put Charlie Becker on the Rams for 2026, I don't think it is a slam dunk that he'd beat out Daniels on the depth chart. Remember, Surratt the 4th round guy was ahead of Becker in 2025. How much would Becker play for the Rams if he were on our team this season? He might be a ST guy much like how he started out in 2025. I'm not saying that just for a hot take. Watch the tape on CJ Daniels and tell me I'm wrong. Daniels isn't that bad. I can see why Snead and McVay thought he could make the roster and contribute. I don't know if Daniels can ever be a true starter but he could be a solid backup.

Bottom line is you don't draft a WR as a top 10 overall pick unless you have a firm conviction in your mind that he will beat out the 6th round type WRs already on your roster. How does that logically make any sense?

 

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Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

4th round grade. Equanimeous St. Brown (late 6th round 2018, Green Bay Packers, Notre Dame)

I think it is very important to understand who we're profiling. This is a WR who was a true sophomore last season. He had very little playing experience until the latter part of the season with almost no receiving production at that point of his career. He should be raw. There's nothing "wrong" with Charlie Becker, he's where he should be at this stage of his career. He wasn't a 5-star recruit. He wasn't supposed to be a top NFL prospect. He's an underdog, a potential late bloomer.

Becker has some very good traits to develop and someday could be a successful NFL starting WR. He's tall. He's fast. He has great hands. He has the athleticism to be a good route runner. He has a high ceiling if he could reach his full potential.

Right now, however, Becker is far from a finished product. He's very raw and unpolished. He needs more coaching. He needs way more playing time. The upcoming 2026 season is huge for him, a tremendous opportunity. I'll give him a high grade by next year if he makes a big jump. I'm not giving it to him right now. He has to earn it.

ESB is the older brother of Amon Ra St-Brown. He had almost 1,000 yards his SO year, then was an early entrant after his JR season. He only had 1 catch his FR year. He was 6'5'' tall, 214 pounds and ran 4.48 seconds at the Combine. LZ gave him a 3rd to 4th round grade. After a promising rookie year with the Packers, he got injured and missed his entire 2nd season.

I part ways with the consensus draft boards when it comes to Charlie Becker. I don't see him as a 1st round prospect. He is a player to keep an eye on for 2026 but I consider him to be fundamentally flawed right now. If the Rams want to draft him to be a potential WR2 or even a developmental WR1, Becker needs to make a huge jump and prove that he can be a boda fide 3-level threat in the NFL. Right now, he's more of a one trick pony. You can throw him deep balls and jump balls. I don't think that's enough to warrant being taken in the early rounds.

 

[Memento]

I don't think he's a first-round player at this point either.

I will push back on Elijah Sarratt being a fourth-round pick and thus Becker should be lower, though; Sarratt could've easily been drafted in the second or third-round, and he only wasn't because of his injury history and lacking - for a wide receiver, not for a player - athleticism. Sarratt was my favorite receiver in last year's class, and I think he'll be an utter steal for the Ravens. By all rights, he should not have fallen as far as he did, and I don't believe that's an indictment on where Becker "should" go.

Becker, I could see reaching the first round with more improvement. The good news for him is that he has the "want-to" to improve. He was terrible on the short routes but given how good he is on the longer ones (he's a great route runner on the long routes; it's just that he was never utilized for short yardage like Sarratt and Cooper were), it doesn't seem like he can't improve there, especially with a QB who isn't as good on the deep throws as Mendoza was.

I'm hoping he's there at #64 (assuming we win the Super Bowl), I really am. A better Equanimeous St. Brown - at this time, of course; I think he'll be better than that - sounds like an excellent comparison; ESB was very highly regarded in college, and a very talented receiver in his own right.

Definitely my favorite receiver in this class, even if he isn't a first-round player.

 

[Twopointtry]

I absolutely love Becker's teammate, Carter Smith, the LT for Indiana. B/R only gave him a 3rd round grade but most experts have him as a 1st round prospect, potentially even top 10 overall.

I agree with the consensus. I think Smith is an outstanding prospect, one of my favorite players so far in the draft pool.

 

[Twopointtry]

While working on something else, had another random thought. The Detroit Lions drafted a WR from Arkansas named Isaac TeSlaa in the 3rd round of the 2025 draft. Even though TeSlaa is almost 6'4'' tall, he's more of a slot WR. Detroit used him both inside and outside. If Becker and TeSlaa were in the same draft class, I'd put TeSlaa above Becker, because TeSlaa is very quick, is a good route runner and has position versatility to be used at multiple WR spots. Like Becker, TeSlaa has a flair for making crazy highlight catches. The early rumor out of Lions camp is that TeSlaa has his hands full trying to hold onto the WR3 spot. If he loses that battle, he'll only be WR4 for Detroit this year.

 

[Memento]

While working on something else, had another random thought. The Detroit Lions drafted a WR from Arkansas named Isaac TeSlaa in the 3rd round of the 2025 draft. Even though TeSlaa is almost 6'4'' tall, he's more of a slot WR. Detroit used him both inside and outside. If Becker and TeSlaa were in the same draft class, I'd put TeSlaa above Becker, because TeSlaa is very quick, is a good route runner and has position versatility to be used at multiple WR spots. Like Becker, TeSlaa has a flair for making crazy highlight catches. The early rumor out of Lions camp is that TeSlaa has his hands full trying to hold onto the WR3 spot. If he loses that battle, he'll only be WR4 for Detroit this year.

TeSlaa was my guy in that draft. I didn't expect him to go Day 2, but he was my favorite potential diamond in the rough receiver (Whittington was that guy the draft before, Sarratt was that guy the draft afterward - the last draft), and now Becker is my guy in this next draft class.

 

[Memento]

TeSlaa was my guy in that draft. I didn't expect him to go Day 2, but he was my favorite potential diamond in the rough receiver (Whittington was that guy the draft before, Sarratt was that guy the draft afterward - the last draft), and now Becker is my guy in this next draft class.

Also, if TeSlaa loses that #3 job like you said, I'm calling the Lions on a trade for him because I think that kid could be a stud in our system, especially once Adams leaves.

 

[Twopointtry]

Also, if TeSlaa loses that #3 job like you said, I'm calling the Lions on a trade for him because I think that kid could be a stud in our system, especially once Adams leaves.

That's not a bad idea. TeSlaa has an interesting combination of twitchy quickness and height. Most taller WRs are slow and stiff. I think one of the issues is he's not a strong player, he lacks muscle and body mass.

I think that fans and sometimes GMs overreact and want immediate results instead of being patient and letting WRs develop. Look at Jordy Nelson's career with the Packers and consider what would have happened if GB had pulled the plug too early and traded him after his 2nd NFL season. If you liked the prospect enough to draft him early, trust in the evaluation and give it time to work.

 

[Memento]

That's not a bad idea. TeSlaa has an interesting combination of twitchy quickness and height. Most taller WRs are slow and stiff. I think one of the issues is he's not a strong player, he lacks muscle and body mass.

I think that fans and sometimes GMs overreact and want immediate results instead of being patient and letting WRs develop. Look at Jordy Nelson's career with the Packers and consider what would have happened if GB had pulled the plug too early and traded him after his 2nd NFL season. If you liked the prospect enough to draft him early, trust in the evaluation and give it time to work.

Three years is the gold standard of receivers - and most NFL positions, for that matter - to prove who they really are. Not every receiver is going to be Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Cooper Kupp, or Puka Nacua right out of the gate, and that's okay. It's not the end of the world for their careers, and a lot of young receivers have struggled in their rookie and second years before turning it on. Hell, Kevin Carter is an excellent example of that.

TeSlaa showed excellent body control, hands, and twitchiness for his height. His long speed is also outstanding. There's something there, and if the Lions give up on him, I'd be glad to trade for him, use one of our younger receivers plus a pick to get him.