James Proche | WR | SMU
Elevator Pitch
Proche is an ultra-productive receiver with great ball skills, strong hands and intelligence as a route runner. Though his relatively average athleticism limits his ceiling a bit, he projects as a high-end No. 3 weapon at the next level.
Vitals
Height | 5-11
Weight | 201
Strengths
As far as production goes, you won’t get any question marks with Proche.
The SMU standout is coming off of consecutive seasons in which he tallied over 1,000 yards and snagged double-digit touchdowns, all while catching 204 passes in the process. He absolutely dominated his competition and was a consistent and reliable producer for the Mustangs. Part of the reason he produced was because he was able to get open consistently. He runs his routes with good footwork and has a good understanding of how to exploit the weaknesses in a defense’s coverage. His body control is polished and coordinated, as he can make tough adjustments to the ball look easy and track down the deep ball very well.
Proche isn’t the lengthiest receiver, but that doesn’t stir him from winning 50/50-ball matchups. He’s a physical player when battling for the ball and does a good job of boxing out defenders to make the catch. His strong, sticky hands help him in securing those tough grabs: he may have some of the best hands in this year’s class. Teams can also use him as a returner, as he has experience as both a kick and punt returner on his resume.
Weaknesses
While Proche has plenty to like in his game, there are some tools in which he lacks. One of those is top-notch athleticism, as his deep speed is pretty average and his ability to accelerate off the ball could be improved. He is much better in short-area situations than he is as a vertical threat who can take the top off the defense.
There are some instances in which Proche’s ability to make sharp cuts isn’t quite consistent, as he can be prone to running rounded routes from time to time. He also doesn’t possess stellar lateral quickness and burst after the catch, and that weakness is apparent in the stat sheet, as he only averaged 11 yards per catch in 2019. He played on the outside at SMU, but he will likely have to move to the slot due to a lack of length.
Projection: Day 3
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