Cedric Tillman 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• Father played WR at Alcorn State and was an 11th-round draft pick that spent four seasons in the NFL

• Older brother played wide receiver at Navy 
• Holds Tennessee record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception (seven)

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Spread
• 2022 projected role: Second-year starting outside wide receiver 

Pros: Cedric Tillman is a big-bodied receiver that eats up significant turf with his stride length. He does well to bend his route stems to set up breaks and stack corners. Tillman features exceptional body control and does an outstanding job of establishing leverage at the catch point. While he isn’t only a contested-catch guy, Tillman is unfazed when challenged at the catch point. He features outstanding ball skills and spatial awareness. His hands are strong and confident. Tillman has no issues plucking the football away from his frame with extension and hanging on through contact. He excels down the field with his blend of size, ball skills, hands, and speed. Tillman is physical and competitive with the ball in his hands and he showcases good field vision. In 2021, Tillman became the Vols’ first 1,000-yard receiver since 2012 and set a program record by scoring a touchdown in seven consecutive games to close the season. His production exploded once Hendon Hooker took over as Tennessee’s quarterback. 

Cons: Cedric Tillman almost exclusively aligned on the right side of the formation and was rarely put in motion. He hasn’t been tasked with running a route tree that features many branches. He’s reliant on being bigger and stronger than his opponents when competing against press coverage and he needs to develop more technique (handwork and footwork) to clear jams in the NFL. He isn’t likely to be as effective running routes on the horizontal plane as he is running vertically. Tillman turns 23 in April 2023 and didn’t find meaningful production in college until the 2021 season at age 22.

Cedric Tillman NFL Draft Scouting Report by Joe Marino