Nic Anderson, Oklahoma: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Anderson was a four-star recruit from Katy High School in Katy, Texas in the class of 2022

Oklahoma wide receiver Nic Anderson has the potential to develop into a second round prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he’s still an inexperienced player who needs to refine many areas of his game. The arrow is pointing up for Anderson as he enters his second season as a significant contributor.

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Nic Anderson, WR Oklahoma: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt sophomore wide receiver from Katy, Texas

Background: Anderson was a four-star recruit from Katy High School in Katy, Texas in the class of 2022. He was the No. 243 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 200 for On3.com. Anderson was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. ESPN ranked him 101st in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Oregon before flipping to Oklahoma. Anderson totaled 29 receptions for 529 yards and five touchdowns as a high school senior. He helped Katy win the Texas 6A D-II State Championship as a junior. Anderson ran the 110-meter hurdles for Katy, posting a 16.10 as a junior. His older brother, Ryder, spent four seasons at Ole Miss and one season at Indiana in college as a defensive end before landing with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent. Nic is also the younger brother of Rodney Anderson, the former Oklahoma running back who rushed for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns on 188 carries in 2017. Rodney was a sixth round pick for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019.

Injuries & Off-Field: Only played in three games as a true freshman in 2022 because of soft tissue injuries, limited in spring of 2024 with an undisclosed injury

Awards: 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2023 Honorable Mention Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, 2023 First Team Freshman All-American (The Athletic), 2023 Freshman All-American (FWAA)

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return and punt coverage units, minor exposure to the slot in 2023, tall frame, good arm length, long legs and strides to eat up grass, fires feet vs. press and uses a hesitation move, sharp but quick head and route fakes vs. press, uses hesitation before accelerating past soft-shoe press, quick to blow past and separate from Tulsa soft-shoe press (2023), rapid feet when building speed, corners start getting nervous once he hits top speed, top speed allows him to stretch defense vertically, vertical threat opens space underneath for comebacks and curls, maintains route trajectory despite contact at stem’s peak, sharply cuts across the corner’s face into open space, passable hip sink on comebacks and curls, generally gears down quickly on comebacks and curls, realistic stutter-go, good in-and-up to drawn down DBs before blowing past them, sells the corner route before breaking on a post, quickly clears underneath zone coverage up the seam, subtle but full-speed cuts and misdirections, long arms help stiff arm, large frame is tough for some corners to bring down on the move, willing blocker who frames blocks well, battles to establish positioning on stalk blocks, good grip strength to stay attached to blocks

Cons: One season of production, penalized three times in 2023, lean build, occasionally too much dancing in release, limited hand counters at the LOS vs. press coverage, driven toward the sideline by press coverage, struggles to create space vs. hard press, does not get off of mid-route contact at a high level, some slips and stumbles on tight comeback routes, six drops in 2023, doesn’t use frame to shield ball at the catch point consistently, must be more physically dominant at the catch point, caught from behind on long plays, not much wiggle after the catch, limited lower body contact balance, hands land high and wide as a blocker, some lapses and whiffs as a blocker

Overview: Anderson has special teams experience on the punt return and punt coverage units and gained some exposure to operating in the slot this past season. The redshirt sophomore didn’t see significant action as a true freshman because of a soft tissue issue, which meant 2023 was his first year seeing real playing time. He has long arms attached to a tall, lean frame. Anderson’s long legs and strides help him cover ground quickly as he devours cushions versus off-man and overtakes corners. He fires his feet against press coverage and uses a hesitation move to clear some space to operate. His quick, sharp head and route fakes are his most effective weapons against press, but this sometimes leads to him spending too much time dancing at the line. The hesitation move occasionally provides an opportunity for him to accelerate past soft-shoe press coverage. He sells a slant well against press with a sharp in-step before working to a vertical route. Anderson still needs to improve his hand usage to combat punches in press. Aggressive press corners drive Anderson toward the sideline and limit throwing windows. The young receiver is still learning to create space early in the route against hard press coverage. He doesn’t handle mid-route contact well at this stage of his development. Anderson’s foot speed becomes rapid as he builds speed early in his route. He has the top speed to stretch defense vertically. While attempting to respect Anderson’s speed, cornerbacks open opportunities for the Texas native to access comebacks and curls. He displays passable hip sink on routes that require him to work back down the stem and generally gears down quickly. He runs good stutter-go and in-and-up routes that draw defenders downhill and open space over the top. Anderson also sells the corner route well before breaking on a post and is comfortable working across the corner’s face with sharp cuts. His speed allows him to quickly clear the underneath layer of zone coverage on his routes. Anderson’s ball skills and aggression at the catch point have room to improve. He dropped six passes in 2023 and doesn’t use his large frame to shield the ball from poaching defensive backs. Anderson must become more assertive at the catch point. After the catch, he uses subtle full-speed cuts and fakes to make defenders miss tackles and deploys an effective stiff arm. Anderson is occasionally caught from behind on long runs and doesn’t offer much wiggle to make defenders miss in tight spaces. His lower body contact balance is limited. Anderson is a willing blocker who uses his strong grip strength to battle for positioning on stalk blocks. He displays excellent energy and effort on stalk blocks but occasionally whiffs or fails to clamp down because his hands land high and wide.

Overall, Anderson improved significantly throughout 2023, flashing the ceiling to warrant a second round selection if he maintains his developmental trajectory and takes the next step in 2024. He must become more resilient when facing contact, further develop his release package, and maximize his size at the catch point.

Role & Scheme Fit: Rotational Z receiver

Round Grade: Fourth Round

Size: 6'4", 213 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 06-09-24