Rookie Scouting Profile: WR Danny Gray

Danny Gray (WR) SMU

Height	Weight	40-Time	DOB	NFL Draft	Dynasty ADP	NFL Comp
6-0	186	4.33	04/01/1999	3-4th Round	4th Round	Darius Slayton

College Production

A three-star recruit from James Madison High School in Dallas, Gray originally committed to Missouri but was ruled academically ineligible and spent two years at Blinn College in Brenham, TX. After spurning TCU, Gray signed with SMU in 2020 and caught 33-of-49 targets for 448 yards, 4 TDs, and contributed another 206 yards as a returner. Earned All-AAC First-team honors in 2021 after a 49/803/9 showing for the Mustangs and declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Strengths

• 98th-percentile 40 time (4.33) and 92nd-percentile speed score (110.5). In short, he’s a downfield burner.

• Fluid route-runner who gets into and out of breaks quickly and has the jets to turn short catches into long downfield gainers.

• Gets off the line well and should command plenty of respect due to top-end speed.

• Good feel for finding soft spots in zone coverage.

• Experience as a plus punt and kick returner in 2020.

Weaknesses

• Below-average burst for a burner and 9.90 catch radius is well below optimal for a 6-foot wideout.

• Worrisome lack of agility. 11.75 agility score was only in the 7th-percentile.

• Struggled at times with concentration drops and allowing the ball to get into his body rather than plucking it with his hands.

• Limited route tree at SMU.

• Thin frame; could be overpowered by bigger man coverage defensive backs.

Fantasy Outlook

There’s a lot to like about Gray’s game, but he still needs to improve the small things to develop into a dependable Y or Z receiver in the pros. He’ll likely open his career as a WR4 or WR5 until he can gain more consistency. With a mid-to-late round evaluation, he’ll be off the redraft radar but looks like a decent dynasty hold to target in the 4th round of rookie-only drafts.

Post-Draft Recap

Most draft experts expected Gray to go in the fourth or fifth round so it was a bit of a surprise to see the 49ers call his name in the 3rd. However, that was good news for Gray’s fantasy prospects as San Francisco had a rather thin receiving corps outside of Deebo Samuel, who is currently at odds with the club, and Brandon Aiyuk. With Trey Lance expected to take over as the club’s starting QB, Gray warrants late-round attention in deeper redraft leagues and is a screaming value at his currently deflated rookie ADP.