Cedric Tillman 2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile
Position: WR
School: Tennessee
Class: Redshirt-Senior
Date of Birth: April 19, 2000
Height: 6-3 Weight: 213 lbs
Athletic Testing
40-Time: 4.54
Speed Score: 103.0
Vertical: 37”
Broad: 10′ 8”
Shuttle:
3-Cone:
Bio
Cedric Tillman was named after his father who played wide receiver in the NFL (Broncos and Jaguars) for four seasons in the early ‘90s. The younger Tillman committed to play for the Tennessee Volunteers as a three-star recruit out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. After recording just one catch for -3 yards in his first few games, Tillman took a redshirt for the 2018 season. He returned in a reserve role in 2019 and then again in 2020, compiling just eight receptions for 124 yards and two scores over his first three years on campus.
Tillman finally earned a starting job in 2021. Not only did he play well, but Tillman recorded the school’s first 1,000-yard receiving season in nearly 10 years. Tillman took his 64 receptions for 1,081 yards while setting the school record for most consecutive games with a receiving touchdown. He finished the year with 12 scores. Tillman returned for his senior season in 2022, but an early-season ankle sprain kept him from building on his breakout campaign. In six games, Tillman caught 37 balls for 417 yards and three touchdowns. He opted out of the team’s bowl game to begin preparations for the NFL draft process.
College Stats
Cedric Tillman College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
+Size
+Physical
+Catch radius
+Strong hands
+Contested catches
+34.4% dominator rating in 2021
+2.88 yards per team pass attempt in 2021
+36.4% touchdown share in 2021
Listen: Cedric Tillman Prospect Profile
Negatives
-Ran limited array of routes
-Release tactics
-Age 21 breakout
-Redshirted freshman season
-Not an early declare
-8 total receptions in first three seasons
-0 career rush attempts; 0 career kick/punt returns
Highlight Reel
Archetype: Prototype X
NFL Comp: Allen Lazard
Yards Per-Formance Grade: 49.6 (77th-percentile)
Draft Projection: Third Round
Bottom Line:
Cedric Tillman is a big-bodied wide receiver who wins with size, strength, and toughness. He out-physicals smaller defenders to the football, using his frame and strong hands to dominate in contested situations. Tillman’s game is particularly built around a vertical tree with limited experience on other route concepts. At the NFL level, Tillman will need to focus on developing a wider array of routes as well as a more well-rounded arsenal of release tactics versus press coverage.
While it’s easy to get excited about his physical tools, we have to question why he wasn’t able to produce earlier in his career. Tillman totaled just eight receptions over his first three years at Tennessee. He didn’t breakout until he was nearly 21 ½ years old which is well past the breakout age threshold we look for. It’s a major blemish on his profile. Even so, Tillman projects as a third round pick in the NFL Draft to a team that will hope to deploy him as a starting X-receiver. In dynasty, we have to be cautious if his rookie draft ADP rises above the third round.
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN
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