Jalil Farooq, Oklahoma: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Farooq was a four-star recruit from Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Md. in the class of 2021

Oklahoma’s Jalil Farooq is battling back from a left foot fracture that could cost him reps in one of the nation’s deepest wide receiver rooms. Farooq was a surprising evaluation. He’s one of the 2025 NFL Draft prospects I am much higher on than the consensus for the summer.

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Jalil Farooq, WR Oklahoma: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior wide receiver from Lanham, Md.

Background: Farooq was a four-star recruit from Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Md. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 123 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 158 for Rivals, and No. 125 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 109th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Farooq’s high school didn’t play football his senior year because of COVID-19. As a junior, he caught 31 passes for 718 yards and 11 touchdowns, carried the ball 65 times for 668 yards and 11 touchdowns, returned more than two dozen total kicks and punts for 590 yards and a score, and totaled 35 tackles, five tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed, and three interceptions, including a pick-six. Farooq led Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School to a 15-0 record and the Maryland 4A State Championship. He made 24 receptions for 624 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore while also gaining 431 return yards with one punt and one kick return touchdown. Farooq added 32 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, seven passes defensed, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery on defense. He totaled 20 receptions for 340 yards and a touchdown as a freshman and won the Maryland 4A State Championship. He was an All-Metro selection as a sophomore and junior. Farooq received an invitation to the All-American Bowl.

Injuries & Off-Field: Injured vs. BYU in 2023 but didn’t miss time, missed time in spring of 2024 with a left foot fracture

Awards: 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big 12

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return and punt coverage units, significant kick return experience, experience playing out wide and in the slot, loose athlete with solid elusiveness and agility, double moves in release package, diamond release, ridiculous hesitation move followed by instant acceleration, gliding linear speed, threatens off-man defenders with speed, good acceleration to out-leverage zone, speed generates some vertical separation, creative route runner with lots of fakes, springy through his routes with shoulder and head fakes, mixes tempo, manipulates leverage to manufacture separation, stems routes outside before cutting back inside, quick deceleration to break back across the corner’s face, quick feet at stem’s peak, sharp snap on comebacks and curls, sinks hips at stem’s peak, inconsistent salesmanship but developing stutter-go, doesn’t shy away from initiating contact at the stem’s peak, finds space vs. zone, finds space on crossers, long arms expand catch radius, a handful of very impressive contested catches with high level concentration and ball tracking, works back to the ball to avoid contested catches, tracks ball over his shoulder, speed helps with YAC, punishes safeties for poor downhill angles, slips or spins off some tackle attempts, second gear burst and speed open door to schemed touches, battles on stalk blocks

Cons: Penalized four times in 2023, 11 drops in 2022 and 2023 combined, fumbled twice in 2023, thin lower half and lean frame, speed is good but not elite, falls short of high level twitch, faced only a few teams with strong press corners, re-routed by stiff early contact, route tree still filling out, some intermediate out-breaking routes are rounded, limited ability to create space in short fields like the red zone, limited play strength to break tackles

Overview: Farooq has significant experience returning kicks for Oklahoma and has experience lining up out wide and in the slot. He is a loose athlete with above-average agility and elusiveness. Farooq’s frame is lean with a thin lower half. His speed and twitch, like many of his other athlete traits, are good but not quite elite. Farooq’s athletic profile from a speed and agility standpoint is well rounded, but he appears to be more of a 75-85th percentile athlete than an 86-95th percentile athlete. He didn’t face many teams with strong press corners in 2023, but his release package is well-developed to combat aggressive corners despite his lack of high-end play strength. Farooq has plenty of double moves to get into right at the snap, and he uses a really sharp diamond release. His hesitation move is ridiculous because of how instantaneously he reaccelerates to blow by and stack corners. The Maryland native glides with great linear speed that threatens to overtake off-man defenders. He also has the acceleration to out-leverage zone defenders and find holes between the second and third levels. Farooq’s speed allows him to separate vertically against some corners, but his best weapon is his creativity as a route runner. He’s springy through his cuts and throws plenty of well-sold shoulder and head fakes. The senior mixes tempo and manipulates the defender’s leverage to manufacture separation. This advanced ability combines with his athletic traits to make him a threat at all three levels of the field. Farooq has quick footwork and good hip sink that allow him to snap off his route for comebacks and curls. He finds the holes in zone coverage and often ends up along in space on crossers. Strong press corners that land blows on Farooq re-route him with stiff contact. While the former four-star recruit is a creative route runner, his polished route tree is still a work in progress. Some of his intermediate out-breaking routes lack definition. Because of how he relies on his athletic traits and available space, Farooq struggles to generate openings in short fields, like the red zone. His long arms expand his catch radius, and he hailed in several impressive contested catches over the past two years. Farooq works back to the ball to prevent cornerbacks from having a play on it. His ball tracking and concentration at the catch point are both useful tools. Farooq has limited play strength to break tackles, but his speed helps him create after the catch. He punishes defensive backs for taking poor pursuit angles and slips or spins off some tackle attempts. Farooq’s burst and second gear help pick up chunk plays, which is why the Sooners scheme touches for him on screens and sweeps. He can continue to see those reps in the NFL.

Overall, Farooq is a loose receiver with the athletic traits, creativity, and understanding of leverage to manufacture separation for himself at all three levels of the field. His floor is more attractive than his ceiling since he lacks a single truly elite trait but possesses a well-rounded profile. Hopefully the foot fracture doesn’t impact his availability for 2024.

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

Round Grade: Third Round

Size: 6'1", 204 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 06-09-24