Frank Darby NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Atlanta Falcons WR

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 201

POSITIVES

— Very good ball-tracker on deep throws. 

— Above-average overall hands. Can consistently adjust his hands depending on the ball path.

— Good on vertical routes, which is where he gets his production. Had good body control and adequate play strength to fight through contact and continue the path on his routes, which makes him consistently dangerous when paired with his tracking ability.

— Above-average athlete with good long speed and acceleration. Style of play is more smooth than explosive; plays faster than his testing indicates.

— Competitive. Will go up and attack 50-50 balls. Brings energy with his play.

— Has enough size and release refinement to stay on the outside in the NFL.

NEGATIVES

— Inconsistent route-runner. Needs to continue to refine to details on his route running; will get caught at the top of his routes and be loose on his path after breaking. Best on deep routes right now.

— Not laterally twitchy and won't make many defenders miss in space. Primarily a one-trick pony with vertical routes.

2020 STATISTICS

4 G, 6 rec., 46 yards, 7.7 avg., 1 TD

OVERALL

Frank Darby is a very good deep-ball tracker who can bring verticality to any offense. Darby is an adequate athlete and a bit of a one-trick pony, as he lacks polish and consistency with his short and intermediate route running and will need to keep improving to be able to contribute as an every-down player.

But his ability to win on deep routes (his play speed is markedly better than his timed speed) combined with his hands, body control and ball-tracking ability help him consistently take the top off the defense. Darby also plays with a competitive edge and has the size to project well on special teams.

Overall, Darby's toughness and ability to consistently come down with deep throws will help him stick in the NFL as a backup role player.

GRADE: 7.0/10 (Round 4-5)

OVERALL RANK: 161/300

POSITION RANK: WR26

PRO COMPARISON: Christian Kirk

Written by B/R NFL Scout Nate Tice