PROSPECT SUMMARY - DAMONTE COXIE

Damonte Coxie was in striking distance of becoming the Memphis program’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards but only played in two games in 2020 and came just shy. The appeal with Coxie is his size, ball skills, and physicality, which leads to plays down the field and impressive grabs in contested situations. The game slows down for him at the catch point and he is outstanding at positioning his frame with terrific body control. His hands are reliable and he makes his share of receptions in traffic. The concern with Coxie is that he appears to be a below-average athlete that isn’t very dynamic. He hasn’t run much of a route tree in college and he lacks separation quickness. It will be important for Coxie to prove himself to be an asset on special teams so that he can stick and flesh out his skill set that is currently incomplete. Coxie is likely a wide receiver four or five in the NFL that provides depth.

Ideal Role: WR 4/5.

Scheme Fit: Spread.

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Joe Marino

Games watched: Ole Miss (2019), Tulsa (2019), Houston (2019), Cincinnati (2019), Penn State (2019), Arkansas State (2020), SMU (2020)

Best Game Studied: Cincinnati (2019)

Worst Game Studied: Houston (2019)

Route Running: Coxie ran a limited route tree at Memphis and there will be a large curve adjusting to the next level. There isn’t much deception in his route-running and he often feasted on attacking manufactured space in the Tigers’ spread offense. He does make good adjustments against zone coverage and knows how to make himself available.

Hands: Coxie’s hands are plucky and he routinely snatches it away from his frame. He does well to hang on through contact, further affirming his secure hands. While he suffered from an occasional drop in college, they were few and far between.

Separation: Coxie got open in college primarily due to the amount of manufactured space on account of the scheme. His speed and separation quickness are modest at best. He lacks twitch, quickness, and suddenness to truly run away from coverage at the next level not to mention the notable growth needed to execute a more complete route tree.

Release Package: Coxie faced a fair amount of press coverage in college and he is physical when addressing it. With that said, he can be tardy to clear jams and get into his route. His releases can be elongated and he doesn’t put much initial stress on the defense with the vertical push he generates early in routes. There is room for technical growth and variance when it comes to his release package.

Run After Catch: Coxie is physical, decisive, and showcases good vision when working after the catch. With that said, he doesn’t have the juice to create space for himself, so earning beyond the available yards is a challenge. His skill set doesn’t warrant manufactured touches that enable him to run after the catch.

Ball Skills: Coxie has tremendous ball skills. He makes terrific adjustments to the football and does well to position his frame to win at the catch point. His body control and balance are excellent. His ability to make plays on the ball down the field is one of his most appealing traits.

Football IQ: Coxie has good spatial awareness and the game slows down for him at the catch point. With that said, for how productive his career was at Memphis, he didn’t play in a scheme that set him up well for what he will be asked to do at the next level. He has athletic restrictions and the need for technical improvements.

Versatility: Coxie aligned almost exclusively at wide receiver with very few reps in his career from the slot. While his best trait is his ball skills, he lacks the speed to be a dynamic vertical threat in the NFL and his skill set doesn’t translate well to being productive after the catch in the NFL. He has very little experience playing on special teams and given he’s likely a depth receiver in the NFL, he has a lot to prove in that area.

Competitive Toughness: Coxie is physical in everything he does and brings the fight as a blocker. He does a great job playing through contact as a route-runner and at the catch point. He gives great effort trailing plays as they elongate and competes to hit blocks down the field.

Big-Play Ability: Coxie’s ball skills and the Memphis scheme helped him average an impressive 16 yards per reception in college. He lacks the dynamic athletic profile needed to be a consistent big-play threat in the NFL. His speed is very gradual and he lacks juice.