2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Sean Atkins, WR, South Florida

Player Data

Name, Jersey #	Sean Atkins, #38
School (Code)	University of South Florida (FLSO)
DOB, Class Yr	08/09/2001, 5th year rJr
Height, Weight	5092, 172 lbs
40 Yd Dash	4.55e
Position/Depth	Slot/1st
Honors/Captainship	2x AAC All-Academic team, 2023 All-AAC 2nd team, FLSO season record holder for REC and yds
Season Viewed (yr)	2023
Games Watched	NYSY, ALUN, TXRI, TXSN
Scout Name / Date	Ian McNice, 12/29/2023

Per Year Stats (Most Recent First)

2023	13 GP, 13 GS, 92 REC, 1,054 yds, 11.5 Y/R, 7 TD, 6 ATT, 52 yds, 8.7 Y/A,
2022	11 GP, 2 GS, 19 REC, 238 yds, 12.5 Y/R, 3 TD, 2 ATT, 9 yds, 4.5 Y/A
2021	12 GP, 3 GS, 7 REC, 72 yds, 10.3 Y/R
2020	6 GP, 3 REC, 26 yds, 8.7 Y/R
2019	2 GP, 1 REC, 1 yd, 1.0 Y/R

Player Summary:

Redshirt Junior from Melbourne, Florida. A multi-sport athlete at Viera High School, lettering each year on the gridiron earning himself school records in career receiving yards and TD’s while lettering 3x in basketball. Poor height and weight, small compact build with marginal arm length, and above-average AA. He plays with good COD, fluid hips, effective balance, solid foot speed, and adequate acceleration. Average getting out of his stance, he gets upfield with acceptable speed and understands how to throttle his play speed to manipulate the DB prior to his stem. He excels creating separation on hooks, comebacks, and outs by selling himself vertically at his stem, relying on his innate ability to sink his hips and win with COD. He displays the ability to create separation on pivot/whips in small spaces, although South Florida does not utilize him that way. Solid getting open on double moves, he is excellent using his shoulders and eyes to sell an underneath route and has fair timing when making his vertical break. Good working the middle of the field vs zone coverage, he displays quick mental processing that allows him to find soft spots over the middle and read his matchup’s body language. Average ball skills, he is trustworthy catching the ball when sitting in soft spots and running routes across the middle, can improve on attacking the ball, he tends to let the ball into his chest when he has the option. Marginal in contested catch situations due to his stature and arm length. Adequate YAC ability,  he lacks a plan with the ball in his hand, often hesitating when presented with a defender near the target point. He does get north and south effectively, and has the contact balance to step through soft tackles, but could get better at utilizing his shiftiness in space to create more positive yards for the offense. 

Scheme Fit:

Slot WR in RPO Heavy Scheme

Power Statement:

Atkins is a shifty undersized slot WR with experience as a return man and special teamer. He is trustworthy in the red zone and short yardage situations, consistently winning with COD and foot speed that pulls away from LB’s and DB’s. Does not possess speed to stretch the field vertically, leaving a majority of his work to be done between the numbers and underneath.