New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: WR Matt Landers

Brandon Olsen takes a look at receiver Matt Landers, who has X-receiver potential.

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Apr 26, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

In this story:

New York Giants

Georgia Bulldogs

Matt Landers, WR

Height: 6-foot-4⅜
Weight: 200 lbs.
Class: Sixth-year Senior
School: Arkansas

Matt Landers was the 63rd-ranked wide receiver in the country in 2017 and didn’t have an overall ranking. Landers initially committed to Georgia, where he would play for three years before a lack of playing time saw him transfer to the Toledo Rockets for the 2021 season before returning to the SEC with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Strengths

Elite size to operate on the boundary
Occasionally operated as a power slot for Arkansas
Knows how to find the soft spot in a zone and sits there for an easy completion
Has no problem going up top and winning jump balls, turning 50/50 balls into 60/40
When he hits top speed, he’s a nightmare to defend
Elite hand-fighting as he’s working the sideline
Has one of the better outside releases in the draft
Does a good job of stacking defenders

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Weaknesses

Will be 24 at the start of his rookie season
Takes a while to build up to his top speed
Press coverage can give him issues
Route running isn’t very crisp and doesn’t create separation very often
Has struggled with concentration drops in his career when he’s open
Not much of a yards-after-catch threat, mostly just goes for the catch and runs straight

Summary

Landers has elite measurables and fits into the prototypical X-receiver role that the Giants have been lacking consistently on the outside, but he wouldn’t be pressured into playing early while he fills out his frame a little more.

I know people dislike when players transfer multiple times, but Landers left the SEC, dominated the MAC, then went back to the SEC and performed even better -- showing he didn’t only play well because of the drop in competition.

GRADE: 6.0D