Ian Strong

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Twopointtry

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Ferragamo15
Schrodinger's Contested Grab

I don't understand the NFL Draft. I never will. After studying KJ Duff, Antwan Raymond and now Ian Strong, I've watched Rutgers multiple times. I don't understand why their QB, Athan Kaliakmanis wasn't invited to the Combine and became a 7th round pick, yet Kellen Mond was drafted early in the 3rd round in 2021. Why was Garrett Nusssmeier, who at one time was mocked as the top overall selection for the 2026 draft, a compensatory 7th round pick? I don't understand why JJ McCarthy was drafted in the top 10 overall or why Hendon Hooker was taken early in the 3rd round. Why was Brock Purdy nearly an UDFA? Why was Tom Brady a late 6th round pick? In his draft, I honestly was expecting Brady to be an early 1st round selection. I'm not that surprised that Brandon Allen, a journeyman QB3 to PS type player as a former 6th round pick, has had a longer NFL career than Paxton Lynch or Christian Hackenberg, so why were the draft positions of those 3 players so different?

DraftBuzz has Ian Strong deep into the UDFA range. I agree with their grade, I consider Strong to be a marginal NFL prospect. The primary reason for this is the Rams drafted Ben Skowronek in the 7th round of the 2021 draft. I consider Skowronek to be a much better prospect than Strong. Right off the bat, a key factor is Skowronek has superior special teams potential. Indeed, he just made the Pro Browl last season as a special teams player. Skowronek is a much better blocker, more athletic, more versatile and a better route runner than Strong.

If Skowronek is a 7th round prospect, it is difficult to justify giving Strong a draft-worthy grade. If those 2 WRs were competing in training camp and preseason for the very last WR spot on an NFL roster, Strong isn't going to make the team, he's going to get waived.

Let's reframe the question. Both KJ Duff and Duce Robinson are commonly mocked as 1st round draft prospects. Duff and Robinson are both taller and more athletic than Strong. If forced to choose one of the 3, I'm not sure which one I'd draft. I understand why on paper everyone likes Duff and Robinson better. The problem is that in their actual football games, Strong is arguably the most reliable performer of the 3. He and Duff played on the same team, so there is a direct apples-to-apples comparison with the same QB and the same scheme. One reason Strong is productive despite the athletic package not being overly attractive is he's very good at contested catches. Multiple draft experts have suggested that Strong might be the best contested catch WR in the entire country.

Consequently, if you told me that Ian Strong only deserved an UDFA grade, I wouldn't argue with that, I think it is logical and fair. If you then told me that Strong was the UDFA from the 2027 class most likely to become an NFL starting WR, I wouldn't argue with that statement either. Sounds about right to me.

Is Ian Strong a draft sleeper or is he a waste of time? I don't know, I don't understand the draft. Can both answers be simultaneously true?
 
Part 1: Background

Name, School: Ian Strong. True senior. Cal in 2026, Rutgers 2023 to 2025. Studied communication at Rutgers, academic all-conference in 2024 and 2025.

Size, estimated speed: Listed by Cal at 6'4'' tall and 210 pounds. Rutgers listed him as 6'3'' tall and 211 pounds in 2025, 210 pounds in 2023. DraftBuzz 4.60 seconds in 40. Draftscout 6'3 1/4'' tall, 211 pounds, 4.53 seconds in 40.

3-star recruit from NY. When he committed to Rutgers, it was as a safety prospect. He was more of a S than a WR in HS. Very lightly recruited, mostly by smaller schools in the northeast region, Rutgers was his only power conference offer. As SR in HS, had 30-797-10 receiving. Strong and KJ Duff were high school teammates and won a state title together. When Strong got to Rutgers, coaches decided to try him at WR, because the WR group was weaker than the S group on their team. He still played some snaps on defense in 2023, so didn't become a full-time WR until the 2024 season.

Injured in the 4th quarter of the 2nd game of 2025. He suffered a lower body injury. I don't know the exact injury, but watching the play, it looked to me like he hurt his right knee. DNP in the 3rd game of the season, then was listed as questionable in subsequent games. Despite being hobbled, he had a huge performance against Iowa. He then suffered an apparent ankle injury in the 7th game of the season.

2023 (10 games, 2 starts): 16-230-2
2024 (12 games, 11 starts): 43-676-5. All of his TDs that season came in the red zone.
2025 (10 starts): 52-762-5

Zero career fumbles.

Shane Hallam mock draft 6th round, 192 overall.
Drafttek 117 [4th round range.]
PFSN sim 120.
Trevor Sikkema in October of 2025 said that Strong was a potential top 75 overall prospect. [In other words, he'd be a 2nd or 3rd round selection.]
NFLMDD sim 174 [This would be about late 5th to 6th round.]
DraftBuzz UDFA, 440, 37th WR. (+) Contested catch monster with 17 out of 31 wins, only 1 drop on 82 targets. (-) Poor speed, won't be able to separate from NFL CBs, minimal YAC, no position versatility only an X outside WR, only 5 TDs.
Dame Parson, Bleacher Report: 4th round grade, 130 overall, 17th WR, Brendan Rice comp. (+) One of the best ball winners in college football, surprisingly quick for size, NFL strength at catch point, boxes out CBs. (-) Leggy athlete without acceleration or burst, inconsistent separating from man coverage, imprecise intermediate routes, build up speed, underwhelming run blocking.
Draftscout Day 3
Courtland Griffin: (+) NFL size, very physical vs press, boxes out CBs, hands catcher, elite 50/50 ball and contested catch WR, finds soft spots in zone, 101.3 QBR when targeted in 2025, sells double moves, tracks ball well, physical blocker. (-) Underwhelming route tree and technique, long speed, concentration drops, movement skills, only a boundary WR.
In an Ian Cummings mock draft late in the 2025 season for the 2026 draft, late 4th round, 132. Importantly, IC had CJ Daniels as 165 overall in this mock (he was taken 197 in the actual draft), so IC had Strong projected substantially higher in the draft than Daniels.
Early in the 2025 season, Dane Brugler called Strong arguably the best contested catch WR in college football.
Sam Teets not yet evaluated.
 
Part 2: Strengths

Relatively inexperienced at WR. He wasn't even supposed to be an offensive player in college; he was recruited as a safety. It is understandable why he isn't advanced with his technique. Strong wasn't very muscular in HS. Recruiting profiles listed him between 180 to 190 pounds. He's really filled out his frame and become much stronger. Still potential developmental upside with this player.

Tall and strong. Has a dense and muscular build. Solid body control for his size. Very good hand strength. Sinks his hips fine for his size. Flexible upper body relative to his size and weight.

While Strong definitely is slow and not very explosive, I wonder if the experts are underestimating his true speed. Part of it is he was hurt for almost all of 2025. Another factor is it looks to me that in their offensive system he's not actually running at full effort on most of the plays. There are a few rare plays where he "turns it on" and flashes better acceleration off the line. Still not that fast, but relative to his large size could be "adequate" for the NFL, instead of being "reject" level. I thought he was a little faster in 2024, showed decent torque off the line and long, powerful strides after the catch.

Very good at high pointing the ball, able to elevate over CBs with hand eye coordination, strong hands and timing of his jump. Good focus and concentration even if crowded or jostled by the CB or there are hands in his face. Nice adjustments to the flight of the ball to beat the CB to the catch point. Reliable catcher on small window throws.

Won "true" contested catches. Not just a statistical anomaly. Several catches that average WRs wouldn't have come down with, flipping what could have been a PBU or incompletion into a win, helping to boost the QB's completion percentage. There's a Larry Fitzgerald aspect to his game where it is worth trying to target him even if he doesn't look open, as long as he has body positioning on the CB, because he still has a chance to get the ball even if the CB is draped all over him. For example, Rutgers tried an end-zone fade to him, Strong doesn't create any separation and it ends up being a PBU. On the very next snap, they try again essentially with the same play, it looks nearly identical but this time Strong makes a difficult contested grab for the TD. Had several impressive contested grabs on his tape, arms extended wide or high. Excellent effective catch radius. Rescues errant throws. Good footwork near the boundary.

Shows decent route IQ with the angle and leverage of short routes such as slants and curls. Presses upfield to create proper leverage on intermediate routes. Effective double moves, faking short routes then converting them into corners, posts or vertical fades. Repeatedly won on slant corners.

Uses his size and physicality at the top of the route to create separation from the CB if they try to jam or grab him. Fights through contact.

Not a loose fumbler. Tucked ball to his chest after catch. Frame and weight to withstand contact after the catch.

Despite not being much of a route runner, on a "must have it" drive late in the 4th quarter he repeatedly won on his route. Definitely wouldn't call him clutch, that would be way too far, but he didn't fold like a tent when the pressure was on.

I don't think that Strong is a good blocker, but he's a better blocker than KJ Duff. Flashed power to push CB backwards. Has good size and frame to potentially develop into a better blocker and handle NFL sized defenders.

Not a well-rounded WR, but I think he has niche value as a situational WR, especially if an NFL team only has mostly small WRs and needs a big-bodied WR to help in the red zone or on short 3rd downs.
 
Part 3: Weaknesses

Not an explosive playmaker. Consistency is his selling point, not his highlights. There's no reason for a defense to ever feel threatened by Strong. He's not a WR1, 2 or 3 in the NFL, he's "the other guy" who once in a while makes a catch when the defense is focused on the team's star WRs.

Poor route tempo. Very lethargic route speed. Not a high energy player.

Very unimpressive overall athletic profile. Not sudden. No twitch. Only adequate hip sink, average flexibility and hip fluidity.

Zero burst after the catch, can't get away from CBs to create YAC.

Hands are not truly elite, despite the contested grabs. Sometimes has to knock or pull the ball into his chest, not a pure hands catcher. Dropped pass on a slant. Had a semi-drop on a deep fade.

Despite being a big WR, only has average effective play strength and physicality. Not aggressive for his size.

Hands not violent, quick or heavy against press-man. While he does attack the toes of the CB decently on slants, overall he's not very creative or effective with release moves. Poor release package means CBs are glued tightly to him even on red-zone short routes, leaving zero space for the QB to work with.

Doesn't craft routes well, just an average route runner. System catches inflated his stats.

Wasn't in a pro-style scheme. Very simplistic plays and routes. Team looked at sideline for plays before the snap.

Below average blocker. Barely adequate effort as run blocker. Poor hustle allowed safety to beat him to spot. Catches DBs, not physical or aggressive, weak or no punch with his hands as blocker.

Durability concerns. He does get credit for playing through injury in 2025 but could be injury prone his entire career. I think his lack of twitch contributed to his leg injury in 2025.

Interviews are not overly impressive.

Limited special teams value. While he was a defensive player in HS and has plenty of experience tackling and getting INTs (he even blocked a kick), he's not very fast or agile, limiting his value covering punts. He can't return punts or kickoffs. If you carry him as a backup, he could make the ST units weaker.
 
Draft Grade and Pro Comp

Late round grade. Seantavius Jones (UDFA 2014, New Orleans Saints, Valdosta State).

If you've never heard of Seantavius Jones, that's fine, that's kind of the point. I liked Jones in that draft as a potential late round to UDFA prospect, because he was big and like Strong he could go up and catch the ball over CBs. Jones was mostly on the PS in 2014 and 2015. After the NFL, he played in a variety of lower tier football leagues around the world. Jones never had a single catch in an NFL regular season game.

What I like about Ian Strong is he doesn't drop passes very often and he's good at catching the ball even in heavy traffic. The primary problem is he's such a poor athlete he falls below what I'd consider to be acceptable NFL standards. I don't think he's fast or agile enough to make it.

I still have a draft-worthy grade on him. In theory, maybe an NFL team won't care about his lack of explosion. If they don't plan on ever throwing it to him more than about 15 yards past the LOS, maybe it doesn't matter so much. Since he can use his body to block out CBs, maybe the key trait is just that he can catch and hold onto the ball. He at least has a fighting chance to make a roster and try to establish himself.
 
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