KJ Hamler: 2020 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Position: WR
School: Penn State
Class: Redshirt-Sophomore
Date of Birth: July 8, 1999
Height: 5-11 Weight: 178lbs
Athletic Testing
KJ Hamler did not participate at the NFL Combine due to a hamstring injury suffered while training. Because of the the COVID-19 pandemic, he is unable to hold a Pro Day or private workout. See Bio for more.
Bio
Kahlee Jacoby “KJ” Hamler played his first three seasons of high school football at St. Mary’s High School in Orchard Lake, Michigan where he was named a first-team all-state selection. He transferred to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior year. Unfortunately, an ACL tear forced him to miss the entire season. He still received more than 20 offers from Division I schools and took official visits to Oregon, Michigan State, and Penn State. Hamler chose the Nittany Lions and redshirted his first season to let his knee fully recover.
See Where KJ Hamler Lands In Our 2020 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
Back healthy in 2018, Hamler started all 13 games and caught 42 passes for 754 yards (18.0 YPR) and five touchdowns. He was also heavily involved on special teams, with 20 kick returns for 523 yards (26.2 average) and 14 punt returns for 96 yards (6.9 average). He was a Paul Hornung Award finalist as the most versatile player in the country and took home honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. In 13 starts in 2019, Hamler hauled in 56 receptions for 904 yards (16.1 YPR) and eight touchdowns while amassing nearly 640 return yards. Hamler was named second-team all-conference as a receiver and honorable mention as a returner.
It’s understood that Hamler is one of–if not the–fastest players in the 2020 draft class. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the opportunity to show off that speed at the NFL Combine due to a hamstring injury he suffered during training. Like most of this year’s prospects, Hamler will not have an opportunity to display his skills at a Pro Day or at private workouts due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As reported by NFL Media’s Mike Garofolo, Hamler’s agents got creative by acquiring his GPS information from Penn State’s sports-science staff and sent it to teams accompanied by some of his big-play highlights. According to the data, Hamler hit a top speed of 21.76 MPH in 2018 and 21.58 MPH in 2019. Hamler’s agents compared his top speeds to the fastest timed NFL players from 2019 per Next Gen Stats and his times fit in as a tie for eighth and 13th, respectively. The top speed was 22.30 MPH by 49ers running back Matt Breida.
College Stats
KJ Hamler College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference.com
Positives
+31.7 (56th-percentile) Dominator
+16.1 YPR
+19.2 (87th-percentile, RS-Freshman season) Breakout Age
+Elite Speed
+32-percent of team receiving touchdowns
+81 kick/punt returns in two seasons
+17 rush attempts (one TD) in two seasons
+Fourth most explosive plays of 15-plus yards from the slot since 2018 (41), per PFF
+Separation
+2.48 yards per route
+6.7 YAC per reception
+14.4 average target distance
+11 deep receptions
+15 bench reps
21.1 mph for KJ Hamler. NFL speed, and then some. #PennState @PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/hA1JiJwMHF
— Logic Sports (@LogicSports3) September 30, 2018
Negatives
-Incomplete athletic profile
-Small Size; 5-11, 178lbs
-16.9-percent drop rate;12 drops on 70 catchable passes last season and dropped 16 balls on 114 catchable opportunities in his career.
-34.6-percent contested catch rate
-Limited press experience; Played almost exclusively from slot (616 of 694 snaps in 2019)
-Four missed tackles forced; Goes down very easily on contact
-4.3 receptions per game
Highlight Reel
NFL Draft Projection: Day Two
Bottom Line:
KJ Hamler played almost exclusively from the slot (616 of 694 snaps in 2019) at Penn State and that is expected to continue at the NFL level based on his small stature. Speaking of his undersized 5-11, 178-pound frame, Hamler will have to be an outlier to be a significant producer in the NFL. Since 2000, there have been just three wide receivers that weighed under 180-pounds and experienced at least one 1,000-yard season. Therefore, it’s hard to project Hamler as anything more than a tactical field-stretcher that has boom-bust appeal from a fantasy perspective. Just like I wrote with Henry Ruggs, that is just not the type of player I want to spend early-round draft capital on in dynasty rookie drafts. With that said, once it hits the third round, Hamler becomes a solid upside pick.
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, NFL.com, PFF
