Jaguars Draft: What Iowa State's Jaylin Noel Brings to the Table

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a need at slot receiver. What could Iowa State's Jaylin Noel bring in that regard?

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Staet wideout Jaylin Noel (WO35) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have completed their first week of free agency and are not entering the ramp up process for the NFL Draft next month. It's an exciting and hopeful time for fans with new head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone leading the way as the franchise looks to jump back into playoff contention.

This year's draft is what some have called a "starters draft" where you'll likely find more impact starters than superstars at most positions. The same can be said for the wide receiver position and the prospect under the spotlight in this draft profile.

Alongside his teammate Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel was the No. 2 in the 1-2 punch at wide receiver for the Iowa State Cyclones on their way to a Big 12 Championship berth. Noel is a All-Big 12 wide receiver and return specialist and emerged in his senior year as one of the best Cyclone receivers in recent memeory. To that end, let's look at Noel's draft profile and what he could bring to the table for the Jaguars.

Strengths

Noel comes in at a dense 5-foot-9, 196 pounds and plays like it. This is an explosive athlete with incredible launch off the ball that allows him to create separation very quickly. His short-area capacity and initial explosion make him a threat before he even touches the ball afterwards with creativity in space for run-after-catch opportunities.

I’m liking Jaylin Noel’s tape. His initial explosiveness allow him to gain separation and attack space with consistency. Teams in need of a slot receiver or someone with explosive capacity and YAC would be a fan of his. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/U9da29NJLh

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) March 15, 2025

As a route runner, Noel is as good as they come, using his agility to create ample separation at the line of scrimmage against semi off-ball defenders in man coverage while illustrating twitch and snappiness to break off his route stems. Noel has a great understanding for how and when to attack a defender's leverage while stacking them to get open on in and out breaking routes, especially with stems of 10-15 yards.

Noel is an excellent tracker of the ball, using ample body control and awareness to readjust and make tough catches despite his lack of elite length and catch radius. His hands are overall reliable. After the catch, he becomes a running back with great vision and balance off contact, allowing him to be an effective return specialist.

Here is every one-on-one rep by Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel at the Senior Bowl: pic.twitter.com/n4L1vF9k8M

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 3, 2025

Weaknesses

Noel is a smaller receiver with short arms that limits his catch radius. Expecting him to be a reliable playmaker in 50-50 jump ball shots seems short-sighted. His size also forbids him from being an effective blocker on the edge, though his effort is admirable.

The former All-Big 12 receiver has also had problems with drops over the last few seasons, with questions surrounding his true reliability as a go-to target in the slot.

While his initial explosion is effective, Noel clearly lacks a second gear to separate from defenders after the catch. He also isn't entirely twitchy and creative when his second gear lags and is forced to make defenders miss in space.

Overall, this is likely a slot-only playmaker at the next level, making him a limited choice for teams that may already have effective slot receivers on their roster.

How Noel could fit with the Jacksonville Jaguars

Noel is a solid Day 2 prospect that should be a top target for the Jaguars in the middle of rounds two and three. With Devin Duvernay's release, Jacksonville needs a new return specialist and someone to compete for snaps with Parker Washington in the slot. Noel's skill set is the perfect match for those two areas.

The former three-star recruit possesses an ample combination of explosiveness, route running, vision, football IQ, and separation skills that teams will be intrigued by. Noel would fit well in Coen's offense with 11 personnel and his effort as a run blocker would allow for some clearance to potentially see the field.

Overall, Noel is the type of player every team should look to add to their roster, especially if they lack an explosive and separation element to their wide receiver room.

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