Trey Palmer, WR Nebraska: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Palmer was a four-star recruit from Kentwood High School in Kentwood, La. in the class of 2019

Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer set the program record for receiving yards in a single season in 2022 and ran the fastest 40-yard dash among receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine. Check out the speedster’s 2023 NFL Draft profile.

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Trey Palmer, WR Nebraska: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fourth year junior slot receiver from Kentwood, La.

Background: Palmer was a four-star recruit from Kentwood High School in Kentwood, La. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 112 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 20 for Rivals (five-star), and No. 86 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 133rd in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. Palmer committed to LSU over offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and other Power Five programs. He transferred from LSU to Nebraska ahead of the 2022 season. As a high school senior, he amassed 39 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns on offense and 95 tackles, including a sack and eight tackles for loss, and an interception as a safety. Palmer led his team to the Louisiana Class 1A State Championship as a senior. He also lettered in track and won Louisiana 1A state titles in the 100 and 200-meter sprints and 4x200-meter relay as a senior. Palmer ran a 10.42 in the 100-meter and won his fourth consecutive 200-meter state championship by setting a Class 1A record time of 21.11 seconds. He was born on April 2, 2001.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered an ankle injury as a high school senior, battled a nagging injury in 2020

Awards: 2022 Second-Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2022 Third-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches)

Pros: Punt and kick return versatility, experience in the slot and out wide, quick footwork, quick off the line with nice acceleration, acceleration allows him to threaten defenses vertically, smooth mover with good feet, linear acceleration to contribute as a YAC threat, top speed to stretch defenses vertically, eats off-coverage cushion quickly and blows by defender, varies route tempo, throws shoulder and head fakes, frequently forces corner to open hips to the sideline or widen their positioning before attacking inside (establishing inside leverage for post routes), splits defensive backs over the deep middle of the field, route fakes and subtle change of direction turn corners around, consistently attacks the corner’s blind spot, feasts on zone coverage schemes, instances of high-pointing and rising for the football, reads his blockers well, defeats tackle attempts with quickness

Cons: Three penalties in 2022, lean build, not twitchy or elusive in space, won’t break many tackles, frequently brought down by first contact, straight line athlete with limited wiggle, limited sink at the top of routes, routes are more rounded than sharp, doesn’t sink hips going into cuts, route running fails to maximize his athletic traits, play-to-play separation skills are middling, pushed off to generate separation against Rutgers (2022), benefited from free releases, play strength will be a concern against press coverage, 11 drops in 2022, drops have been a consistent problem, negative in contested catch situations, catches with his body, benefited from schemed touches

Overview: Palmer took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6000 and weighs 192 lbs. He has 9 5/8-inch hands and 31 7/8-inch arms. Palmer had a 77-inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl. He set Nebraska’s single season receiving yards record with 1,043 yards in 2022. The LSU transfer offers punt and kick return versatility on special teams and has experience deploying out of the slot and outside alignments. He plays with quick footwork and gets off the line of scrimmage with instant acceleration. Palmer’s acceleration and top speed stress defenses vertically and stack defensive backs. His linear speed also creates YAC opportunities. Palmer eats the cushion in off-coverage quickly before blowing past the defender. He varies his route tempo and throws shoulder and head fakes. One of his favorite routes is a deep post which he sets up by forcing the corner to open his hips to the sideline or widening the corner’s positioning before cutting inside. This establishes inside leverage for Palmer, who uses his speed to complete the route. He splits defensive backs over the deep middle of the field. The Louisiana native attacks the corner’s blind spot with route fakes and subtle changes of direction. He feasts on open space in zone coverage. There are instances of Palmer high-pointing and rising for the football. He occasionally defeats tackle attempts with quickness but generally doesn’t escape many tackles. Palmer has a lean build and isn’t twitchy or elusive in space. He’s frequently brought down by first contact and is a straight line athlete with limited wiggle. Palmer’s route running is underdeveloped. He doesn’t sink his hips at the top of his stem and frequently rounds his routes. Despite his speed, Palmer’s play-to-play separation skills are average. He pushed off several times to generate separation against Rutgers (2022). The former four-star recruit benefited from free releases and schemed touches at Nebraska. His play strength is a concern against press coverage. Palmer dropped 11 passes in 2022, continuing a trend from his LSU days. He sometimes defaults to catching with his body and is a negative in contested catch situations.

Overall, Palmer flashes elite straight line acceleration and speed to take the tops off defenses, but he lacks the agility and route running skills to be a consistent play-to-play threat. Palmer should see action on special teams as a rookie before transitioning into a slot role as he continues to develop.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot receiver (Y) in an 11 personnel heavy scheme

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Mid Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-12-23