New York Giants Draft Prospect: WR Cedric Tillman

Nick Falato puts the magnifying glass on a tall receiver who is currently flying under the radar.

Nick Falato | Feb 21, 2023

New York Giants Draft Prospect: WR Cedric Tillman /

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Cedric Tillman, WR

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 215 lbs.
Class: RS-Senior
School: Tennessee
Age: 22 (4-19-2000)

A former three-star recruit out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was the 11th recruit from the state and the 246th receiver prospect during the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Bishop Gorman was also the home of Nick Gates, Ronnie Stanley, DeMarco Murray, Xavier Grimble, Grey Ruegamer, and UFC commissioner Dana White; Stanford CB Kyu Blu Kelly was his teammate in high school. Named after his father, who was a receiver for four seasons in the NFL. His brother, Jamir, played wide receiver at Navy.

Notables

A big, physical WR whose 2022 campaign was plagued by a high ankle sprain after a very impressive junior season in 2021. Recorded 37 catches on 59 targets for 417 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 after his breakout of 64 catches (86 targets) for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns in his junior season.

Tillman caught all 7 of his targets for 152 yards and a touchdown against Alabama in 2021; he also picked on Georgia’s star CB Kelee Ringo in 2021 & 2022. His teammate Jalin Hyatt garners much attention, but teams should not sleep on Cedric Tillman. He’ll be at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

Strengths

Excellent size, with good thickness in his extremities and a long catch-radius
Solid overall athlete - a long strider who accelerates quickly
Excellent ability to stop promptly and flip his hips to the QB
Solid overall burst, suddenness, and change of direction
Good physicality and ability to release versus press coverage
Sinks his hips well and quickly decelerates - good footwork on cuts
Excellent ability to break back toward the CB on comebacks/curls

Does well to work back toward the football and present soft hands

Utilizes subtle push-offs to create extra separation
Has highlight reel plays - solid overall ability catching in traffic
Good overall hands and ball skills - snatches the ball well away from his frame
Good ability to track and locate with good body control
Good concentration on deep passes - will be a good 50-50 winner at the next level
Displayed understanding as a route runner vs. zone - sat in voided area

Kentucky: Q1, 14:21, 3rd & 2
Pitt: Q1, 3:13 1st & 10
Ball State: Q1, 9:48, 1st & 10

Physical YAC ability after catch - moves well for a bigger WR
Falls through contact well
Ridiculous 2 fade touchdowns against South Carolina - one against Cam Smith
Took Kelee Ringo (Georgia CB) to task in two consecutive seasons
A willing blocker who displayed good competitive toughness
2022 wasn’t as eventful due to injury - could be a steal
Elite toughness…suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 3 (Akron) of 2022; returned to the field six weeks later at less than 100%

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Weaknesses

Played the vast majority of snaps on the right side
Isn’t a difference-making athlete - more of a physical presence

Modest long speed and explosiveness

Creating separation with just athletic ability won’t be a consistent trait he’ll rely on
Route tree is limited coming from Tennessee’s offense
Physical at the top of breaks - could lead to OPI calls
Too many close plays where he failed to haul in catchable passes

Ball State: Q1, 5:06, 1st & 10; Q2, 1:59, 3rd & 9
Pitt: Q1, 14:45, 2nd & 10; Q3, 7:12, 1st & 10

Q4, 13:50, 2nd & 9; Q4, 10:03, 2nd & 10

South Carolina: Q2, 1:42, 1st & 10; Q3, 10:08, 1st & 10
Q3, 3:08, 3rd & 25

Summary

Cedric Tillman is a bigger-bodied wide receiver who suffered an early high ankle sprain that disallowed him from reaching his potential in 2022. He doesn’t possess the long speed of his teammate Jalin Hyatt, but he’s a very good possession type of receiver with strong hands and excellent tracking ability/ body control. Tillman’s success against the SEC’s best (Alabama/Georgia) says much about his ability to rise in big spots.

There’s not much discussion around Tillman, who, unlike many other receivers in this class, has excellent size. He’ll have to develop a more advanced route tree at the next level, but he has the makings of a starting wide reliable wide receiver who can successfully play in any NFL offense. We don’t hear his name enough, but he’s a good football player.

GRADE: 6.31