Tank Dell 2023 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Position: WR
School: Houston
Class: Junior
Date of Birth: October 29, 1999
Height: 5-8 Weight: 165 lbs
Athletic Testing
40-Time: 4.49
Speed Score: 75.6
Vertical:
Broad: 10’1”
Shuttle:
3-Cone:
Bio
Nathaniel “Tank” Dell is a product of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. He initially attended Alabama A&M where redshirted after just four games. He then transferred to Independence Community College for the 2019 season where he amassed 1,278 all-purpose yards. At that point, some Division I schools were taking notice. Dell was a three-star recruit and the 19th-ranked wide receiver in the 2020 class. He chose to join the Houston Cougars where he caught 29 passes for 428 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the program.
Dell took a major step in 2021, when he hauled in 90 balls for 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named first-team All-AAC. Dell followed up his breakout season by catching an incredible 109 passes for an NCAA-leading 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was again named first-team all-conference.
After the season, Dell attended the Reese’s Senior Bowl where he was among a handful of prospects who stood out and improved their draft stock.
College Stats
Nathaniel “Tank” Dell College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
+Quickness
+Change of direction
+Excellent route runner
+Excellent release, even vs press
+Big-play threat
+YAC
+Returner; 28 career kick/punt returns (1 PR TD)
+38.4% Dominator (PlayerProfiler)
+8.4 receptions per game
+2.8 yards per team pass attempt
+42.5% receiving touchdown share
Negatives
-Severely undersized—both height and weight
-Limited catch radius
-12.8 YPR in 2022
-Slot receiver; 67% of his snaps in 2022 were out of the the slot
-Level of competition
-NFL role may not bring enough volume to be fantasy relevant
-20 drops over the last two seasons (si.com)
-Will turn 24 during his rookie season
-Needed to run faster to make up for his size
Highlight Reel
Archetype: Slot WR
Best Comparable Player: Taylor Gabriel
Draft Projection: Day 2
Bottom Line:
Tank Dell is an incredibly gifted athlete with all the speed, quickness, explosion, and agility you could ever ask for. He is a playmaker with the ball in his hands and has the versatility to become involved in a number of ways. The problem is, he is just 5-8, 163 lbs. That is severely undersized. If he becomes a consistent producer in the NFL, he will do so as a major outlier. His impressive contested catch rate is unlikely to translate to the NFL. The same could be said about his track record of beating press coverage. However, if he is drafted by a team with some creative minds on the offensive staff he will have a chance to maximize his potential.
Dell could become a slot receiver who lines up all over the formation, is put in motion often, and schemed into space to allow his natural run-after-catch abilities to take over. Either way, Dell will be one of the most fun players to watch on Sundays, even if his role doesn’t amount to anything we can rely on in fantasy. Dell will likely come off the board on day two of the NFL draft. He will be a “stay away” in dynasty rookie drafts if his ADP gets too high.
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN
RANKINGS | DYNASTY |
