Jaylin Noel, Iowa State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Noel was a three-star recruit from Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Mo. in the class of 2021

Iowa State slot receiver Jaylin Noel is one of the most natural separators in the 2025 NFL Draft. His combination of agility, route running, and speed makes him a three-level threat. Noel faces some physical limitations at his size, but we’re seeing more slot receivers succeed despite not meeting traditional thresholds.

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Jaylin Noel, WR Iowa State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior slot receiver from Kansas City, Mo.

Background: Noel was a three-star recruit from Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Mo. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 837 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 456 for On3.com. Noel was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. He lettered four times in high school and was an All-State selection as a senior. Noel also earned All-Conference and All-District honors three times. As a senior, he totaled 68 receptions for 1,005 yards and ten touchdowns. Noel made 42 receptions for 769 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior and rushed 45 times for 251 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned eight kicks for 141 yards and eight punts for 59 yards. As a sophomore, Noel made 36 receptions for 498 yards and seven touchdowns and returned ten kicks for 355 yards and a score. He also lettered in track and field and was an All-Conference high jumper and sprinter.

Injuries & Off-Field: Played through undisclosed minor injury in 2022, missed 2023 Ohio game, banged up in the 2024 Houston game but didn’t miss the following week

Awards: 2023 Second Team All-Big 12 (WR), 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (KR/PR), 2023 Co-Captain, 2024 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (WR), 2024 First Team All-Big 12 (KR/PR), 2024 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, 2024 Co-Captain

Pros: Punt and kick return experience, experience in the slot and out wide, nice density at his size, loose and fluid athlete, good speed off the line, nice long speed, speed to blow past off-man coverage, punishes corners that miss press punches at LOS, bursts past undisciplined safeties, late route acceleration to separate vertically, shifty route runner to manipulate and shake defenders in space, agile and nimble feet, quick feet allows for sharp turns and sudden deceleration, maintains or generates separation on comebacks and curls, massive threat vs. open field coverages, sells routes well on stutter-goes and out-and-ups, acceleration out of route fakes, strong hands, comfortable and experienced catching passes with defenders in his air space, tracks the ball well over his shoulder, body control at the catch point, impressive catches painting the sideline and corner of the end zone, speedy YAC threat

Cons: Limited height, short arms, schemed healthy amount of free releases, speed is good but not elite, runs himself into DBs mid-route, physically outmuscled by some CBs at the top of the stem, some inconsistencies finding holes vs. zone, catch radius, some mistimed jumps at the catch point, disrupted by physicality at catch point, some body catches, lacks strength to break tackles, more of a straight line athlete than twitchy creator, inconsistent angles to blocks, doesn’t sustain stalk blocks, interest in blocking comes and goes

Overview: Noel is a versatile prospect with experience returning kicks and punts and time spent in the slot and out wide. He’s an undersized slot-only option at the NFL level with short arms but packs nice density into his frame. Noel is a loose and fluid athlete with the speed off the line to blow past off-man coverage and the long speed to stack cornerbacks downfield. Iowa State schemed him some free releases, and he rarely faced heavy press coverage. However, he made several press-man corners pay for missing their jams by dusting them downfield. Undisciplined safeties who drift too low in their zones also become victims of Noel’s burst and speed. The Missouri native lacks truly elite speed but is fast enough to threaten most defenders. He accelerates late in vertical routes to generate separation at the end of plays. Noel is a shifty route runner who excels at manipulating defenders and generating natural separation in space. His nimble and quick footwork and agility allow for sharp cuts and sudden deceleration to work back down the stem on comebacks and curls. Noel decimates open field coverages over the middle of the field. He’s a talented route salesman who regularly wins with stutter-goes and out-and-ups. Defenders must respect his fakes because of his sudden deceleration, but this leaves them vulnerable when he reaccelerates. Noel lacks the physicality to outmuscle defensive backs and gets pushed around at the top of the stem. He’s inconsistent at finding holes in zone coverage and sometimes runs himself into defensive backs mid-route. Noel lacks a large catch radius and mistimes some of his jumps at the catch point, but he’s comfortable operating in a crowded air space. The senior uses his strong hands to pluck the ball out of the air, but physical defensive backs sometimes prevent him from completing the process of the catch. He tracks the ball well over his shoulder and displays impressive body control. Noel generates yards after the catch with his speed but lacks the strength to break tackles. He’s more of a straight line athlete than a twitchy creator after the catch. He doesn’t offer much value stalk blocking.

Overall, Noel lacks the size to play outside but punishes defenses with his field-stretching speed and sharp route running. His acceleration and speed make him a threat with the ball in his hands, but he lacks the play strength and elusiveness to break tackles. Noel is a three-level threat who could quickly increase his target share early in his rookie season.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot receiver in a vertical-stretching offense

Round Projection: Late Second to Early Third Round

Size: 5'10 1/4", 194 lbs. (NFL combine)

Submitted: 01-07-25

Updated: 03-06-25