Andrel Anthony, Oklahoma: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Anthony was a three-star recruit from East Lansing High School in East Lansing, Mich. in the class of 2021

Andrel Anthony was on his way to a breakout season before suffering a torn ACL in 2023. Now, the senior will lead Oklahoma’s talented wide receiver room as the Sooners make their debut in the SEC.

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Andrel Anthony, WR Oklahoma: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior wide receiver from Lansing, Mich.

Background: Anthony was a three-star recruit from East Lansing High School in East Lansing, Mich. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 526 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 585 for On3.com. Anthony was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He transferred from Michigan to Oklahoma for the 2023 season. Anthony set East Lansing’s career receiving yards record with 1,971 yards. MaxPreps credits him with 28 receptions for 508 yards and three touchdowns as a senior during a season in which East Lansing went 8-0 in the regular season. He also scored on a punt return touchdown. As a junior, Anthony snagged 54 receptions for 954 yards and nine touchdowns. He made 33 receptions for 543 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore. Anthony was a First Team All-Conference receiver as a senior and junior. The Associated Press, Detroit Free Press, and Michigan High School Coaches Association selected him as a Division 3-4 First Team All-State honoree after his junior campaign. He was also a finalist for the Lansing Journal Player/Athlete of the Year Award that season. Anthony was born on Jan. 7, 2002.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed seven games in 2023 following season-ending surgery for a torn ACL suffered vs. Texas

Awards: N/A

Pros: No career fumbles, limited to no hip stiffness, flexibility shows up as a route runner, flashes of impressive burst off LOS, hesitation move to freeze DBs, explosiveness really popped vs. Iowa State (2023) during releases, defenders can’t get flat-footed against him, takes the space defenders give him underneath, works to find space for his QB when the play breaks down, good hip sink at the top of the stem, sharp breaks in many routes including corners, posts, and slants to create separation vs. tight coverage, stutter-go, improved focus and concentration on completing catches in 2023, fully extends for diving catches, appears to be a natural hands catcher, works back to the ball to avoid contested catches, comfortable making catches through contact and playing with defenders in his face, sharp plant and cut to make defenders miss tackles, slips some arm tackles, willing stalk blocker

Cons: Limited special teams experience, limited experience in the slot, enters 2024 with limited college production, arm length isn’t special, sitting duck vs. press punches, release package is underdeveloped vs. press, doesn’t separate vs. press early in the route, stuck on press vs. Cincinnati and Texas (2023), room to tighten turns on comebacks and curls, intermediate out-breaking routes are rounded, inconsistent generating separation on crossers, chased down and had separation eliminated by T.J. Tampa (2023), limited vertical separation, speed is good but well short of elite, limited contact balance at his size, hand placement as a blocker

Overview: Anthony has limited special teams experience and limited reps operating in the slot. He already had by far the most productive season of his career in 2023 when he suffered a torn ACL after just six games. Anthony has yet to put together a complete season as one of an offense’s primary receiving threats. He is a loose athlete who shows off his agility and flexibility while running his routes. Anthony lacks outstanding size, bulk, and arm length. He has flashes of impressive burst off the line of scrimmage that threaten defenders working in press coverage or off-man. Defenders that get flat-footed or drawn in by his hesitation move risk being stacked. Unfortunately, Anthony’s simple release package and basic one-cut releases are often ineffective against press. He opens himself to too many punches when battling press coverage and lacks the counters to avoid taking the hit. The Michigan native struggled to separate against press coverage versus Cincinnati and Texas in 2023. He needs to develop a more complete, full-body release package capable of generating separation early in plays. Anthony excels at recognizing and taking the underneath space defenders give him. This mainly looks like comebacks and curls that take advantage of zone and off-man defenders giving Anthony too much cushion. The senior displays good hip sink at the top of the stem to execute sharp breaks on corner, post, and slant routes. These sharp cuts generate separation against tight coverage. Anthony also deploys an effective stutter-go. He has room to tighten his routes when turning to work back down the stem on comebacks and curls. His intermediate out-breaking routes are often rounded and give defensive backs opportunities to undercut throws. Anthony lacks elite speed, which means he doesn’t generate separation on crossers or vertical routes consistently. With roughly 3:45 left in the second quarter against Iowa State in 2023, Anthony worked across T.J. Tampa’s face on a post route and made the now Baltimore Raven spin around. However, Tampa got back into the route, caught up to Anthony, and made a diving pass breakup. This play showcased some of the limiting factors with Anthony’s speed to pull away from defenders and finish plays. The former three-star recruit displayed improved focus and concentration at the catch point in 2023. He fully extends for diving grabs and works back to the ball to avoid letting defensive backs contest passes. Anthony is comfortable making catches with defenders in his face. He has limited contact balance to break tackles but plants and makes sharp cuts to evade tackle attempts. The Michigan transfer is a willing stalk blocker but needs to tighten his hand placement.

Overall, Anthony is an above-average but not elite athlete for his position and is still refining his release package and route tree. His flashes are Day 2-caliber, but there are a lot of plays separating those reps that don’t rise to that standard. Anthony needs to prove he’s fully back from the ACL injury and showcase significant growth versus press coverage and as a big play finisher.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot receiver or Z in an 11 personnel scheme

Round Grade: Mid Fifth to Early Sixth Round

Size: 6'1", 183 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 06-09-24