J. Michael Sturdivant, WR UCLA: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Sturdivant was a four-star recruit from Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas in the class of 2021

UCLA wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant opened his season with a dominant performance against Coastal Carolina. Sturdivant’s exceptional catch radius, size, and build up speed make him UCLA’s top receiving threat. He will compete for a top 100 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.

J. Michael Sturdivant, WR UCLA: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt sophomore wide receiver from Highland Village, Texas

Background: Sturdivant was a four-star recruit from Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas in the class of 2021. He was the No. 145 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 200 for Rivals, and No. 121 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 106th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Sturdivant transferred from Cal to UCLA for the 2023 season. He began his high school career at Blue Valley Northwest High School (Kan.) before transferring to Marcus before his junior season. As a senior, Sturdivant caught 64 passes for 788 yards and nine touchdowns. He was a team captain for the squad that went 9-1 and won the 6A Region I District 6 title. He earned Under Armour All-American honors prior to his senior season. Sturdivant set a single season school record with 87 receptions in 2019 on top of 1,125 yards and ten touchdowns as his team went 11-2 and won the 6A Region I District 6 title. He earned unanimous First Team All-District honors for football as a junior. Sturdivant only appeared in one game as a sophomore, making six receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown. As a freshman, he made 31 receptions for 344 yards and three touchdowns. He competed in track and field and participated in four events as a senior at the Texas 6A state meet. He was the anchor for the fifth-place 4x100-meter relay team, placed seventh in the long jump (22-10 1/4), finished eighth in the 200 meters (21.23 seconds), and earned ninth in the 100 meters (10.39 seconds). Sturdivant ran a 10.49 100-meter dash and a 20.99 200-meter dash at regionals. His father, Michael Sturdivant, played in the NFL, and his mother, Melodie Sturdivant, is in Bradley University’s Hall of Fame for track and field. J. Michael Sturdivant is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little, the sixth overall pick for the Denver Broncos in the 1967 NFL Draft. Sturdivant is an alumnus of USA Football’s U.S. National Team program. He was born on Sept. 6, 2002.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return and punt coverage units, experience in the slot and out wide, large and long frame with good arm length, long strider who covers ground quickly, hand swipes to counter press, powerful arm extensions to create separation at the top of the route, uses physicality to generate separation and knock defenders off balance, smooth at the top of intermediate routes to maintain speed, head and shoulder fakes, sits in holes in zone, zone beater, success stacking corners vs. Washington (2022), drew two flags against USC defenders (2022), makes good adjustments to the ball on the fly, catch radius, makes diving catches outside his frame, comfortable making catches along the sideline, good vision with the ball in his hands, hands pack some knockback as a blocker

Cons: Eleven drops in 2022, concentration drops on uncontested catches, lean throughout frame, lacks twitch and suddenness, lacks elite speed, speed off the line is inconsistent, needs to show more urgency early in the route, one-speed route runner, sudden or sharp routes are unlikely, routes are more rounded than sharp, not a natural separator, struggles to separate against soft-shoe press, sticky defensive backs stay with him the whole way, vertical separation is tricky vs. man, contested catch numbers don’t match his size, doesn’t have the agility, power, or speed to create much after the catch, angles to blocks

Overview: Sturdivant has special teams experience on the punt return and punt coverage units. He lines up in the slot and out wide for UCLA. He has a large, long frame with good arm length to expand his catch radius. Sturdivant is a long strider who covers ground quickly as he builds to his top speed. He uses hand swipes to counter press coverage and provide an open lane to green grass. Sturdivant’s powerful arm extensions create separation at the top of the route. He uses his physicality to knock defenders off balance and generate separation against tight coverage. The Cal transfer is smooth at the top of his intermediate routes and maintains his speed through those breaks. He uses head and shoulder fakes to sell defenders on routes. Sturdivant is a zone beater who excels at finding holes in zone coverage. He torched Washington’s corners in 2022, including several plays where he stacked the defensive back. Sturdivant also drew two flags against USC defenders (2022). He makes good adjustments to the ball on the fly, including making diving catches outside his frame. The redshirt sophomore is also comfortable making catches along the sideline. He shows good vision with the ball in his hands but doesn’t have the agility, power, or speed to create much after the catch. Sturdivant’s hands pack some knockback as a blocker, but he takes poor angles to blocks. The All-Pac-12 honorable mention suffers from concentration drops on uncontested catches. He dropped 11 passes in 2022. Sturdivant is lean throughout his frame. He isn’t twitchy or sudden and lacks elite deep speed. Sturdivant’s speed off the line is inconsistent. He is a bit of a one-speed route runner. The former four-star recruit’s routes are more rounded than sharp. He isn’t a natural separator and struggles against soft-shoe press. Despite his track background, Sturdivant is inconsistent at generating vertical separation. His contested catch numbers are low for a player his size.

Overall, Sturdivant is a height, weight, speed prospect who needs to refine his ball skills and prove he’s capable of generating consistent separation downfield. Sturdivant’s built up speed is more impressive than his immediate burst. He might be best suited as a large possession receiver working out of the slot where he can see free releases.

Role & Scheme Fit: X receiver or big slot in an 11 personnel heavy scheme

Round Projection: Fourth Round

Size: 6'3", 205 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 08-27-23