2021 NFL Draft Rookie Profile: Tamorrion Terry (Fantasy Football)
When Tamorrion Terry decided to bypass the 2020 NFL draft and return to Florida State, many projected him to be one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2021 draft. A lot can change in a year and while Terry still looks to be drafted within the first four rounds, his draft stock took a serious hit after a turbulent 2020 season. He’s still one of the top overall athletes in the class, which makes him one of the most interesting prospects to profile. Let’s take a look at this polarizing class of 2021 wideout.
Editors Note: This article is part of our Rookie Profile series going on until the 2021 NFL Draft. For more on each rookie, check out Andy, Mike, and Jason’s exclusive rookie rankings and production profiles found only in the Dynasty Pass, part of the brand-new UDK+ for 2021.
College Production Profile
| Games | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Rec | TD | |
| 2018 | 12 | 35 | 744 | 21.3 | 8 |
| 2019 | 13 | 60 | 1,188 | 19.8 | 9 |
| 2020 | 6 | 23 | 289 | 12.6 | 1 |
Terry was a moderately recruited three-star prospect out of small Turner County High School in Georgia. He was recruited by Auburn and Georgia but eventually chose to play at Florida State, where he was surprisingly redshirted his first season on campus. When got on the field as a redshirt freshman in 2018, his big-play ability was immediately on display as he averaged 21.3 yards/rec and found paydirt eight times.
He absolutely exploded onto the college football scene as a redshirt sophomore. His 2019 usage numbers, as seen in his player profile, were in line with the average college production of a fantasy WR1 in the NFL. There was some speculation that he’d enter the NFL draft after the impressive season, but he decided instead to return to FSU in 2020.
His final season in Tallahassee however, was a tumultuous one. He dealt with a knee injury that caused him to miss several games early in the season. Shortly after his return from the injury, he announced that he was opting out for the remainder of the season. While he never gave an official reason for opting out, there appeared to be frustration with a coaching staff that had changed considerably over his time on campus. Despite playing for three head coaches and catching passes from a handful of inconsistent quarterbacks over his three collegiate seasons, Terry compiled some impressive numbers. He recorded the tenth-most receiving yards in FSU history and averaged an insane 49 yards/catch on his 18 career touchdowns, five of which went for over 70 yards. Though it ended on a bit of a sour note, Terry showed the ability to dominate in spurts at the collegiate level
Measurables
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash (HS) | 247 Sports |
| 6’4″ | 210 | 4.39 | 3-star recruit |
We don’t have a lot to go on as far as Terry’s measurables are concerned. We do have his listed height and weight, which both exceed the NFL WR1 thresholds from the UDK Dynasty Pass. Needless to say, his size won’t be an issue at the professional level.
His listed 4.39 second 40 time came from a camp he attended at Auburn while in high school. It was laser timed, so we can be fairly confident in the accuracy. However, coaches in attendance at the camp claimed he stumbled out of his stance, implying his time could have been even better. His speed definitely shows up on film and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him run in the low 4.3s during the untraditional combine process this spring.
What’s on Tape
Games Viewed: Miami (2018), Boise State (2019), Miami (2019), Boston College (2019), Arizona St. (2019), Notre Dame (2020)
1. He’s a big play waiting to happen
You probably gathered this when reading about his college production, but Terry is arguably the best pure big-play receiver in the class. He possesses the speed and elusiveness to take it to the house anytime the ball is in his hands, including short screens, slants, and crossing routes. He does most of his damage, however, with deep bombs. There were numerous examples on film of him lining up out wide and scorching defensive backs on his way to a huge touchdown.
2. His strong hands can pluck the ball out of mid-air.
We don’t have an official hand size on Terry but no matter how they measure I can assure you, they’re strong. His ability to squeeze the ball is amplified by his length, allow him to reach above defenders and snag the ball at its highest point. Just as impressively, he’s able to hang on to the ball through contact, as displayed in the following clip.
3. Terry displays solid, though limited, route-running ability
He doesn’t have the most extensive route tree, but Terry is solid at the routes in his repertoire. Most impressively, he knows how to set up a defensive back on comeback routes, selling the fade before hammering his feet and coming back to the quarterback as the defensive back is bailing. That route skill also sets up the stop and go route, as seen in the first video clip above. Beyond that, he runs average slant and crossing routes and can be used in the screen game. He won’t profile as a top route-runner in the class, but it shouldn’t be something that holds him back
What’s NOT on Tape
1. Short yardage end-zone targets
Given his size, I expected to see Terry utilized more around the goal line. Florida State wasn’t exactly a high-powered offense during his time there, so it may have simply been a lack of opportunity, but I didn’t see any of the short-yardage corner fades or back-shoulder throws that have become a staple in the NFL. It’s a skill that could be the difference in him becoming a consistent fantasy wideout and a weekly boom-or-bust option.
2. Ball security
Despite his strong hands mentioned earlier, Terry didn’t always do the best job of hanging on to the football. His tape was littered with examples of the ball coming loose, including a fumble that effectively ended the game in the 2019 Sun Bowl that came on a direct snap out of the backfield. He also had numerous drops throughout his college career, which often appeared to be more lack of concentration than a lack of skill.
2021 Fantasy Outlook
Terry will be an intriguing prospect to follow through the pre-draft process and NFL draft. Headed into the 2020 season he was projected as a possible first-round pick but, given the way his final season went, he’s more likely to end up being selected on day two of the draft. While receivers taken in that range can succeed (see Chase Claypool), it’s far from a guarantee in year one (see Van Jefferson). He has all the physical attributes to be a fantasy stud and it isn’t hyperbole to say that his fantasy ceiling is on par with A.J. Green. On the other end of the spectrum, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his career follow a similar path as Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
It will take the perfect set of team circumstances for Terry to be consistently fantasy relevant in 2021. It’s going to be important to follow summer reports to see what kind of role we can expect and if he’ll be worth a flier in redraft leagues. With his big-play potential, I can see him being a favorite target of best ball drafters leading up to the season kickoff. From a dynasty perspective, he falls into the crowded middle-tier of upside rookies to choose from in the late-second to third round of rookie drafts and is a wideout I’m willing to take a shot on at that point.