NFL Draft Profile: Joseph Ngata, Wide Receiver, Clemson Tigers

NFL Draft profile scouting report for Clemson WR Joseph Ngata

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#10
Pos: WR
Ht: 6032
Wt: 217
Hand: 1028
Arm: 3318
Wing: 8038
40: 4.54
DOB: 1/9/2001
Hometown: Folsom, CA
High School: Folsom
Eligibility: 2023

Joseph Ngata
Clemson Tigers

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One-Liners

Despite playing through an injury in 2020, Joseph Ngata has NFL-caliber height, weight, speed and hands; that said, he is a stiff, raw route runner who is unproven in jump ball situations.

Evaluation:

Out of all the game-breaking weapons on Clemson’s 2020 offense, head coach Dabo Swinney labeled one as his expected breakout star before the season. Joseph Ngata clearly boasts NFL traits. The 6030, 220-pound athlete is fairly explosive, exhibits solid change of direction ability and has impressive long speed. His quick feet at the line of scrimmage are indicative of a potentially dangerous release package. What’s more, the Clemson receiver employs a hesitation move to freeze defenders before exploding. Ngata also occasionally forces false steps with jab steps and body fakes. At the top of his route stem, the talented pass-catcher makes sudden cuts with solid lateral burst. Conversely, he can separate with push-offs. Ngata maintains his pace through soft breaks. The budding star’s deep speed opens up underneath patterns. His route running improved as gained experience and confidence. With the ball in the air, Ngata has great body control to stay inbounds at the sideline. A reliable hands catcher, the California native has a wide catch radius. The Tigers’ standout even uses his frame to shield the ball on short routes. After the catch, Ngata has the creativity to make the first defender miss; he also displays decent power and contact balance. An impressive blocker, the Clemson pass-catcher uses his length, strength and persistent leg drive to walk defenders back. Ngata offers immediate special teams value as a returner and blocker. The Tigers’ expected breakout star’s first season as the starter was put in jeopardy by an abdominal injury in week two that limited his playing time; it also required surgery after the season. Consequently, Ngata lacks experience, film and production after being buried on the depth chart in 2019 and suffering an injury in 2020. When on the field, Ngata exhibited some concerning traits. First and foremost, he is stiff in his waist, ankles and knees. This may limit him to a vertical route tree in the NFL. He is upright out of his stance, inviting contact to his frame at the line and up his stem. Further, his late hands as a route runner do not help him work through physical coverage. This throws his route’s timing and spacing off, as he struggles to work through physicality. Once into his route, Ngata fails to drop his hips at his breaks. The Clemson standout’s telegraphed and unexaggerated route running rarely forces false steps or early hip turns. Moreover, he loses pace through some of his sharper changes of direction. When he does create separation, Ngata fails to maintain it. As a blocker, the California native often breaks down too early, stagnates his feet and lunges. Unfortunately, Ngata’s strengths and weaknesses largely contradict each other. An outside receiver who cannot beat press, the big-bodied receiver has not shown he can high point or win in jump ball situations. Although expected to break out in 2020, Joseph Ngata was limited by injury in his first season as the starter. Still, he exhibited an exciting blend of height, weight, speed and hands. That said, he struggles to work through press, is stiff and raw as a route runner and has never proven himself as a jump ball receiver. Ngata projects as an early special teamer with starting potential.

Grades

4th Round

Background:

Born on January 9th, 2001 in Folsom, California, Joseph Ngata (enn-GOT-uh) played three years of varsity football at Folsom High School. During his time with the program, the team went 39-3. In 2016, the talented receiver broke out with nine receptions for 139 yards in his first game. He would go on to score a touchdown in seven of the team’s 11 contests. In 2017, Ngata established himself as a top-tier recruit. He recorded 81 receptions for 1,777 yards and 26 touchdowns. He caught at least one score in 14 of 16 games played. In his senior season, Ngata continued to shine. He posted 66 receptions for 1,272 and 22 touchdowns. He, similarly, continued his consistent excellence; he scored in 13 of his 15 games. In each of Ngata’s last two seasons, he led Folsom High School to the state championship. In the 2018 state game, he made 9 catches for 103 yards and one touchdown. That score came with under two minutes left to send the game to overtime. In his career, Ngata put up video game numbers: 188 receptions for 3,682 yards and 55 touchdowns. He participated in the All-American Bowl. In recognition of his outstanding career, Rivals Recruiting listed Ngata as a five-star recruit, the 21st-overall player in his class, the fourth-best Californian recruit and the fifth-ranked wide receiver in his year. 247Sports Composite Rankings also thought highly of the star pass-catcher. The service named him a four-star recruit, the 52nd-overall player in his class, the ninth-best wide receiver in his year and the ninth-ranked recruit from California. Ngata committed to Clemson on July 28th, 2018, enrolling in January of 2019. In his freshman season for the Tigers, Ngata made 17 receptions for 240 yards and three touchdowns. He also averaged 23.2 yards on his 14 kickoff returns. Heading into 2020, Ngata was listed as the starter; head coach Dabo Swinney even pegged the California native as Clemson’s next breakout star. Unfortunately, the talented receiver suffered an abdominal injury in week two against The Citadel. He only played one full, healthy game in 2020. While he remained the starter on the Tigers’ depth chart, Ngata started just three of his seven games in 2020. Limited by his injury when on the field, he recorded seven receptions for 83 yards and zero touchdowns. He underwent surgery after the 2020 season. Ngata is a psychology major.