Dontay Demus Jr., WR Maryland: Offseason 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Demus was a three-star recruit from Friendship Collegiate School in Washington, D.C. in the class of 2018

Dontay Demus Jr. and fellow Maryland wide receiver Rakim Jarrett form one of the most prolific duos in college football. However, neither All Big-Ten Honorable Mention has earned an All-Conference selection yet nor hit the 1,000-yard mark. Demus, who is older and more experienced than Jarrett, should be highly motivated to set new personal bests as he enters his final collegiate season.

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Dontay Demus Jr., WR Maryland: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior slot and outside receiver from Washington, D.C.

Background: Demus was a three-star recruit from Friendship Collegiate School in Washington, D.C. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 865 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 878 for On3.com. Demus was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, he caught 66 passes for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns.

2021 Production: 5 games, 28 receptions, 507 yards, 3 touchdowns

2020 Production: 5 games, 24 receptions, 365 yards, 4 touchdowns

2019 Production: 12 games, 41 receptions, 625 yards, 6 touchdowns

2018 Production: 12 games, 13 receptions, 278 yards

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 8 games with a knee injury (ACL) that required surgery (2021)

Awards: Three-time All Big-Ten Honorable Mention (2019, 2020, 2021)

Pros: Size to dominate in the red zone and contested catch chances, experienced special teams player, hasn’t committed a penalty since 2018, acceleration, makes catches outside of his frame with ease, arm length, catch radius, accelerates out of cuts, acceleration eats up space against off-man corners quickly, breaks tackles when defenders go low, turns up field with a head of steam, varies route tempo, speed to threaten defenses deep, comfortable making catches going to the ground, terrific at locating open space, strong frame to battle through contact

Cons: Never had a full season with elite production, drop rate over ten percent in 2019 and 2020, not many contested catch opportunities despite his size, struggles to land and sustain blocks despite his large frame, not an aggressive blocker, not twitchy or sudden, struggles to separate from sticky corners, big target for corners in press coverage, doesn’t consistently make defenders miss in space, limited broken tackles despite his size, not a dynamic athlete, effort as a blocker is inconsistent, looks uncomfortable playing through contact mid-route, needs to develop more intermediate routes, routes are more rounded than crisp, lacks pure homerun speed, some lower body stiffness

Overview: Demus is unofficially listed at 6'4", 215 lbs. He has long arms to complement his frame, creating a massive catch radius for quarterbacks. Demus should become an instant red zone threat in the NFL and win close to 60% of his opportunities in 50-50 situations. While he doesn’t have elite speed, Demus flashes surprising acceleration that allows him to bolt past corners in off-man coverage. This acceleration also shows up in YAC opportunities and coming out of cuts during routes. Demus would benefit from adding more intermediate routes to his route tree and playing to his size more often. At times, he seems a little hesitant to unleash his size and strength on defenders crowding him in coverage. His blocking technique is awful, but he has the arm length, strength, and willingness to improve in that area.

Overall, we’re still waiting on Demus to put together a complete season. If he delivers on the potential he flashed in 2021, we could be looking at a future first round pick. However, Demus is just a Day 2 pick right now because of limitations placed on his agility and route running by his large frame.

Role & Scheme Fit: X receiver in an 11 personnel heavy scheme with frequent 10 personnel looks

Round Projection: Mid Second to Early Third

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 07-06-22