In a talented 2022 wide receiver class, teams will be scrounging for late-round guys that can be classified as sleepers. Romeo Doubs has seen his name come up in many of these conversations. Last year, the former three-star got 80 balls for 1,109 yards and 11 touchdowns. He and Carson Strong were a so-called dynamic duo in the Mountain West Conference, but it’s not all about the stats. We now dive into the film to see if Doubs can truly be that sleeper, Day 2, selection.
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Player Bio
Name: Romeo Doubs
Jersey: No. 7
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Nevada
Class: Senior
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 200 lbs
Games Watched: Kansas State (2021), Boise State (2021), San Diego State (2020), Fresno State (2020)
Major Injury History: None
Player Breakdown
Hands (6.25/10)
This is a bad start. At first, Doubs was making the simple catches. He couldn’t really extend out much to make the highlight grabs, but the hands were fine. As we got deeper until the film, they were not fine. He dropped a wide-open, would-be 50-yard touchdown versus Fresno State and has also failed to reel in other intermediate balls. Doubs tends to run before he catches the ball, and drops will be an issue in the NFL.
Contested Catch (7.5/10)
For someone with Doubs’ frame, you’d hope he’d be able to go up and get the ball. This was an area of his play that got a lot better in 2021 but still isn’t great. A big part of Nevada’s offense is go-routes and jump balls. Doubs did not win many fades in 2020, even get smaller receivers. However, he got going in both the Kansas State and Boise State matches with some challenging grabs with guys on him. More consistency is needed here from Doubs, but the potential is there.
Tracking/Body Control (8.5/10)
As we just mentioned, Doubs has received a ton of targets on the deep end of the field. This has allowed him to become a nice tracker of the football, even despite the drops. Doubs will use this skill to try and go up to make a play, often adjusting his body towards the ball well enough. In regards to total body control, Doubs does a good job of being a fluid mover in the air, a good sign for the future even though he’s not making the highlight plays now.
Route Running (8/10)
Doubs’ route running is clean and crisp. He has very sharp cuts in the intermediate game and gets open a good bit. The problem is consistency. Sometimes, Doubs can be incredibly unpredictable. His stutter-step into the next cut can be deadly. There are other times, though, where he’s very predictable, especially across the middle of the field in intermediate areas. Doubs will need to get this consistency down to continue winning reps at the next level, as he may struggle early.
Another big note to point out is the route tree. Receivers with diverse route trees can be super dangerous at the next level, but Doubs doesn’t have one. He ran primarily drags, slants, ins, and streaks. There was a post mixed in here and there, although that’s primarily it. Now, this could be due to Nevada’s scheme, so it’ll be interesting to see what routes his future team gives him early.
Separation (7.25/10)
This is a tough one to judge. Bigger receivers often get criticized for their inability to separate, and it could happen with Doubs. The way he’ll win is by utilizing his hips to their full potential on his cuts. When he does this, Doubs gains good leverage to dust by the corner when working horizontally. Speed may be the issue here, though, as Doubs won’t be blazing by defenders. The route running will also have to improve, so there are a lot of factors that make the separation game questionable.
Release (9/10)
Where Doubs will find the most separation is off the line of scrimmage. He’s very smooth and quick to react once the ball is snapped. What Doubs does best in this category, however, is getting past jam attempts. Potentially due to a lack of long speed, Doubs was pressed a good bit with the Wolfpack. What happens, though, is that he knocks the jamming attempt down with ease and gets into his route quicker than the cornerback who’s trying to recover. This is Doubs’ best trait and one that will bring him the most success early on.
Run After Catch (7.75/10)
The first thing that came to mind when looking at Doubs’ RAC ability was underrated speed. However, saying that doesn’t mean it’s an elite trait that has just been overlooked by everyone. Doubs has solid speed and even better ball carrier vision. He’s patient with the ball in his hands and more so evasive than going to juke every defender out.
Vertical Speed (7.5/10)
For his size, Doubs has good long speed. It gets a little stale the farther he goes downfield, but he’s shown some impressive signs. Against San Diego State, Doubs was constantly getting a step about 15 yards down the field and basically kept the same pace as he kept going. We know this is a player who’s big on the go-routes, and while he’s not a blazer, this is certainly not an area to hurt Doubs in the future.
Burst (3.5/5)
Doubs needs to get more burst. We talked a little about how the vertical speed is just constant, and that’s because he isn’t going to kick it into second gear. Doubs’ burst comes best off the line of scrimmage. Here, he’s pretty explosive. Otherwise, Doubs has movement that gets a little stale as he goes, which may not fly at the next level.
Athleticism (3.5/5)
Athleticism is always more accurate with Combine measurements, but we’ll do our best. Doubs has average athleticism. Yes, he’s got a great frame which will help tremendously but expect a 40 time around 4.55. The jumping ability isn’t anything to write home about as well. From a strength standpoint, it’s not an issue by any means, but you’d like him to play a tad stronger for his size.
Blocking (3.5/5)
This one is all about the potential. Doubs doesn’t get involved much in the blocking game, however, will need to more to get reps early in his career. When he does, the technique is solid but needs some work. Nevertheless, his frame is what makes Doubs so dangerous on the blocking front, and it’s something that NFL teams will definitely have on their radar.
Versatility (3.75/5)
Doubs lined up all over the field for Nevada. He’s taken both outside spots, the slot, and the Wolfpack got the ball into his hands quite a bit. This came through screens and end around, especially in 2021. But, having experience doesn’t translate to success in the NFL. Doubs will primarily be an outside guy in the league but can play some slot. As for the screens and end around, he won’t be a phenomenal candidate as most teams will have better RAC guys but don’t be surprised if he gets some throughout his time.
Player Summary
After all the hype for Doubs to be a big-time hit or sleeper candidate, his tape was underwhelming. While Doubs is definitely a player who will be drafted Day 2, it won’t, and shouldn’t, happen until the fourth round. Teams will need to develop Doubs for quite some time, but it’ll be hard. The ceiling seems pretty low; however, the floor does seem high for a fourth-round talent. Doubs should get reps off the bat, just enough to keep him polished and developed, and hopefully, he’ll crack some sort of rotation by the time his rookie contract is up.
Rookie Projection: Low-End Backup
Third-Year Projection: Rotational Receiver
Player Grade (76/100): Fourth-Round
Player Comparison: Josh Reynolds
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