Oregon's Troy Franklin lands on Bruce Feldman's NFL Combine 'freaks list'
In his final season at Oregon, junior wideout Troy Franklin re-wrote the school record book while performing like one of the top receivers in the country.
At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week, Franklin will have a chance to significantly boost his draft stock as he aims to become the first UO receiver selected in the first round since Ahmad Rashad in 1972.
Throughout the offseason, Franklin has been widely viewed as a first- or second-round prospect by most reputable draft analysts. This year’s receiver class is loaded with top-notch talent; ESPN lists 14 receivers among its top 100 prospects, with Franklin listed as the ninth-best player at the position.
According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Franklin is among the best of the bunch in terms of sheer physical gifts. Feldman released an updated iteration of his ‘freaks’ list this week and Franklin is one of 13 receivers who made the cut.
Feldman listed Franklin behind only Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. (No. 5), Roman Wilson (No. 6), and Brian Thomas Jr. (No. 11).
Here’s the rundown from Feldman on Franklin.
“Franklin tore up Pac-12 defenses last year, catching 81 passes for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns. He had 15 catches of 30 yards or more in 2023. Only LSU’s Malik Nabers (17) had more. Franklin is rangy at 6-3, 187 pounds, and very explosive. Expect him to blur through the 40 in the mid-4.3s. Maybe even faster.“
Franklin, a former 4-star signee in the 2021 class, emerged as Oregon’s most productive receiver and Bo Nix‘s go-to target as a true sophomore in 2022. That year, he caught 61 passes for 891 yards and nine touchdowns.
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Last fall, he upped his production significantly and set UO single-season records for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in a single season. Later in the year, fellow Oregon receiver Tez Johnson surpassed Franklin’s reception record.
While speaking with reporters earlier this week, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah also noted that Franklin could cement his status as a first-round pick with a strong showing in Indianapolis.
“With Franklin, look, I gave him a good grade. He is my 39th player. I liked him a lot,” Jeremiah said. “I think I’m going to end up coming up on him because I just finished going through all these guys for the combine, and I saw a lot of corners with a lot of blood on their hands courtesy of Franklin. He just runs by everybody. So big-time juice. Tall, lean, explosive. He can beat press with his quickness. He is clean in and out of breaks for a taller guy. It’s fun to watch him really track the ball and go get it. A big-time home run hitter.
“I think he’ll go 20s to 30s. He’s going to go somewhere in there, and I expect he will probably run really fast in Indy.”
