Jarret Dillard Scouting Report

Dillard enrolled at Rice in 2004, but sat out that year as a redshirt freshman. He went on to start eight of the Owls' eleven games the following season, grabbing 35 balls for 524 yards with 5 TD, His performance earned him All Conference USA Freshman honors. In 2006, the smallish Dillard re-wrote all of Rice's receiving records when he caught 91 passes for 1,247 yards and an amazing 21 TD. His numbers made him Rice's first finalist for a major individual athletic award since 1991. He followed his breakout 2007 season with another very good campaign, recording 79 receptions for 1,057 yards and 14 TD. Dillard is a small wide receiver who plays bigger than his size. He is very fast (having been clocked in the upper 4.30s-lower 4.40s range). He is a more polished route runner than many of the other small school WR prospects. Dillard is very explosive and athletic; A home run threat any time he has the ball. Because of his size, Dillard has trouble getting a quick break off the line -- he has been overpowered with relative ease as a blocker. Dillard was once considered to be a mid-to-late second round prospect. Now he is mostly looked at as a late fourth rounder. His size is a drawback, but he runs very good routes and is explosive -- two things NFL teams crave for. With more experience and dedication, Dillard could become a very effective number two receiver in the NFL.