2023 NFL Draft Profile: Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer

Mar 28, 2023 - 12:00 PM

One prospect who may interest the Denver Broncos on day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft is former Nebraska wide receiver, Trey Palmer. He is listed at 6’0”, 192 pounds, and is one of the fastest players in the entire draft. Right now, he is projected to be a third-round selection in the draft, but the speedy wide receiver is rising up the draft boards.

Palmer transferred from LSU to Nebraska this past season and had himself a breakout year for the Cornhuskers. During his three seasons at LSU, he totaled 41 receptions for 458 yards and 3 touchdowns. However. this past season with Nebraska, Palmer totaled 71 receptions for 1,043 yards and 9 touchdowns. This breakout performance earned him an invite to the Senior Bowl to showcase his talents. He also earned a right to compete at the NFL scouting combine where he ran the fastest 40-time of all the receivers who participated.

Player Profile

Height: 6’0

Weight: 192 pounds

40-time: 4.33 seconds

Arm Length: 31 7/8”

Hands: 9 5/8”

Age: 22 years old

Film Room

Scouting Report

Strengths

• Top end 4.3 speed and has a track background which translates on the field
• Vertical deep ball threat
• Tracks the ball well in the air
• Quick off the snap and has good moves to separate from defenders
• High points the ball well and can make contested catches
• Good open field moves and has elusiveness to create after the catch
• Was effective when asked to do jet sweeps and when used in the screen game
• Has established himself as a return specialist in college and could contribute to those roles right away
• Good length and wingspan for a receiver
• He is a raw player who has yet to reach his upside

Weaknesses

• Being a raw prospect is a positive while also being a negative and he will need to refine his craft as a player to reach his upside.
• Your classic “one-year wonder” prospect
• His route running needs work
• Has concentration drops at times when he is looking to run with the ball before he secures the catch
• Not really a physical receiver
• Played mostly in the slot in college so he will need work if he wants to play outside

What other analysts are saying about Trey Palmer

Former five-star recruit who made a name for himself at Nebraska after leaving LSU. Palmer’s route running is raw, but coachable. He’s an athletic mover with good leaping ability and a quiet engine that can unleash a big second gear to chase the deep throw. Getting Palmer to play to his top speed and with a consistent competitiveness will be the challenge, as his ball skills are below average. The athleticism and speed will be tempting on Day 3, but his upside could be limited. - NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein

Palmer has the potential to develop into a complementary wide receiver target and a big-play creator in a vertical offense in the NFL—he should be considered a calculated risk given his sample size of production in the passing game. But your worst-case scenario is a dynamic return player who can stay on a 53-man roster and dress on gameday. - The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs

Trey Palmer is a speedster WR with quality size. He’s a pace route runner. He throttles up and down to create separation because he doesn’t have high-end twitch or flexibility to consistently get open.He’s very effective on the vertical route tree. He was used as a screen-game option and wasn’t a liability but hardly a make-you-miss or contact-balance type. Contact balance is better than his wiggle. Contested-catch ability is good, but not great. If he can be utilized in a role where his pure speed is accentuated, he can be a valuable piece to an offense but doesn’t have many other wow football traits. - CBS Sports

Final Thoughts

With Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton trade rumors not slowing down, the Broncos may be in the receiving market once the draft begins. There appears to be at least a decent chance that one or potentially both receivers get dealt before or during the draft, so drafting a receiver is likely something Sean Payton and the Broncos end up doing.

Denver Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright recently named dropped Trey Palmer as a receiver to keep an eye on during the draft, and it makes sense.

The Broncos need speed and a reliable deep threat at wide receiver. Former second-round pick K.J. Hamler was supposed to be that but he is currently out for four to six months with a pectoral injury. Even before that injury occurred, this was a need because of Hamler’s inability to stay healthy during his NFL career thus far. Jerry Jeudy has speed but he could be traded and Courtland Sutton has not been a reliable deep threat since 2019 and could also be traded. So, again, it makes sense that they are looking into drafting a high-end deep threat for this offense.

Another reason why it makes sense is because Russell Wilson is your quarterback. Head coach Sean Payton is expected to create an offense that fits his strengths and that will include the deep ball. They will be run-heavy of course, but Wilson will need to uncork a few deep balls throughout the game if the offense wants to be successful. Palmer’s speed and tracking skills make him an ideal fit.

The Broncos do not select until the third round where they have back-to-back picks, but it would not surprise me to see them select Palmer with one of those picks if he is available.