Rookie Profile – Tylan Wallace

Terrace Marshall - WR - Oklahoma State

Welcome to the rookie profile for Tylan Wallace. He may not be in the top tier of this loaded wide receiver draft class, but he is making a case for himself to be at the top of the next group. Wallace led the Oklahoma State Cowboys in receiving each of his last three years with the team, despite playing only 9 games in his Junior season due to an ACL tear. He returned his senior season in 2020 proving his health and delivering over 900 yards in just 10 games before declaring for the NFL draft.

Draft Results

Round: 4
Pick: 26
Team: Baltimore Ravens

Measurables

Age: 22

Height: 6′ 0″

Weight: 194 lbs

40-yard dash: 4.48s

3-cone drill: 6.97s

20-yard shuttle: 4.25s

Vertical Jump: 33″

Broad Jump: 112″

Bench Press: 19

Analytics

College DOM College YPR College Target % Breakout Age
47.1%
16.3
29.3%
19.3

Credit: Playerprofiler.com

College Stats

Receiving Formation
Year
Team
Class
GP
Rec
Yds
YPC
TD
Snaps
Slot Snaps
Wide Snaps
2017
OK State
Fr.
5
7
118
16.9
0
NOT AVAILABLE
2018
OK State
So.
13
86
1,491
17.3
12
941
78
857
2019
OK State
Jr.
9
53
903
17.0
8
575
78
493
2020
OK State
Sr.
10
59
922
15.6
6
597
71
517
College Career

Wallace had a quiet freshman season, buried on the depth chart. Going into his sophomore year, Wallace recorded his breakout season at the age of 19.3 with 1491 yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2018, Wallace was a Biletnikoff Award finalist for most outstanding FBS receiver but was beat out by current NFL wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. He continued his strong campaign into his Junior year before suffering an ACL tear 9 games into the season. Despite playing a shortened season, Wallace was still the leading receiver for Oklahoma State in 2019.

He decided to return for his senior year to prove his health and show that he didn’t lose a step. This was a great decision as he showed out for 922 yards and 6 touchdowns, leading the team again in receiving. Throughout his college career, he showed versatility and has solid size to play anywhere on the field at 5’11” and 194lbs. Following his college career and heading to his pro-day, he somewhat disappointed in many areas. Per playerprofiler, Wallace scored in the bottom 50 percentile in every area including his 40-Yard Dash, Speed Score, Burst Score, Agility Score, and Catch Radius.

Scouting Report

Positives:

Wallace shows solid hands, consistently attacking the ball and rarely catching with his body. He shows the ability to make contested catches with a defender right on him. When ball placement isn’t accurate, he makes adjustments to the ball well and shows the ability to fully extend his reach increasing his catch radius. Wide receiver screens were a big part of the Oklahoma State offense during Wallace’s tenure, and he showed the ability to quickly turn upfield and gain plenty of yards after the catch. With great physicality, he is able to bounce off defenders and break arm tackles consistently, not only on screens but also at the catch point.

 

He consistently created separation showcasing his ability to gain inside or outside leverage and maintaining it to shield the ball from the defender. Wallace also showed fluid/quick hips on his inside and  outside breaks, creating nice separation and a solid release at the line of scrimmage. He also showed lineup versatility, lining up in both the slot and outside. Before his pro-day, his analytics looked solid, including his 19.4 breakout age and 47.1% college dominator rating.

Negatives:

One of the biggest and consistent knocks on Wallace’s game is his ability to separate from press coverage at the line of scrimmage. This is something that a lot of rookie wide receivers go into the NFL struggling with and, with good coaching, Wallace can improve on and add more release techniques to his repertoire. He really only has one speed on film, never showcasing true breakaway speed when he gets in the open field. On film, he also didn’t show a full route tree,  part of this is due to the Oklahoma State playcalling consisting of so many wide receiver screens. This isn’t something to put a lot of stock into as incoming rookies will develop heavily in this area once in the NFL, but something to note. Obviously, Wallace posted a lackluster pro-day performance, scoring poorly in many metrics that translate to speed score, burst score, and agility score.

Draft Analysis

Pre Draft

Expected Draft Capital:

Day 2 draft capital, late Round 2 into Round 3. This deep second tier of wide receivers could push a lot of players lower than they should go, but Wallace is still a top 10 wide receiver talent in this draft.

Best Draft Fits:

Wallace might take a bit of time to develop into a consistent starter for an NFL team, but he definitely has the ability to do so. He shows the versatility to line up inside and out which gives him more opportunities to get on the field. He has the potential to be a great second option for a team and produce really well for fantasy managers and NFL managers alike. Wallace has plenty of great potential landing spots including the Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titan, and the Kansas City Chiefs. All teams have an immediate need or a need in the near future at the wide receiver position, whether that is as a complementary piece to their other weapons or just need for a consistent weapon.

Post Draft

Draft Capital:

Baltimore Ravens: Rounds 4, Pick 26

Landing Spot:

Tylan Wallace was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 26th pick in the fourth round. The Ravens have made it apparent that they want to bolster their wide receiver core not only through the draft but also by bringing in veteran receiver Sammy Watkins this offseason on a one-year deal. They drafted Marquise Brown in the first round in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he has not been able to step up to the plate as a true wide receiver one for the offense. The main Baltimore receiving weapon over Lamar’s career has been Mark Andrews, the tight end. Baltimore has drafted Miles Boykin and Devin Duvernay in the third round as well as James Proche in the sixth round over the past few years to attempt to fix this wide receiver group.

Now in the 2021 draft, Baltimore drafts Rashod Bateman in the first round and Tylan Wallace in the fourth. Bateman, Brown, and Watkins appear to be solidified starters on the offense in three wide receiver sets. So that leaves Wallace to fight for the fourth spot with Boykin, Duvernay and Proche. Watkins has shown the inability to stay healthy over the years, so if Wallace were to take over the wide receiver four position, he could get some playing time when Watkins goes down. Additionally, Watkins is only on a one year deal and Baltimore would be fine letting him walk at the end of 2021 if Wallace progresses. There were also rumblings during the 2020 season that Brown was unhappy with the situation and wanted out. If they were to part ways, Wallace could again be in store for a larger role if he could beat out Duvernay, Boykin, and Proche.

Fantasy Impact

Wallace is a very talented wide receiver and many thought he would accrue better draft capital. With the lack of research and in person scouting this offseason, it is very possible that he could have fallen further than he should have based on his injury history. Teams may not have been able to do their due diligence that they would have done in previous years. Additionally, Wallace’s weak point in his game is his ability to separate which is in turn a big focal point of NFL offenses today. If he can grow and develop better technique in this area, he could be cracking the Baltimore starting wide receiver group sooner than expected out of an early day three pick.

That being said, it is hard to trust Wallace in any sort of redraft formats. He does not have a clear path to a starting wide receiver role or consistent playing time this year. Even with the possibility of getting some run as the wide receiver three this year, Baltimore runs a lot of two wide receiver sets and were dead last in pass attempts and passing yards last season. When Watkins most likely leaves next offseason, it’s still hard to trust the third wide receiver and fourth pass catching option in a run-first offense. In Dynasty leagues, he could be worth a flier at the beginning/middle of the third round in super flex rookie drafts purely on his talent, but it’s hard to project a path to success for Wallace as anything more than a role player for his offense. There are plenty of wide receivers in this class that are on par or close to Wallace’s talent level with much better situations.

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Image Credit: Rob Ferguson – USA TODAY Sports