5 early top Texas football prospects to watch for 2023 NFL Draft
Jahleel Billingsley, TE
Among the most underrated transfer portal additions for Sark and the Longhorns in terms of draft stock so far this offseason is the former Alabama Crimson Tide junior tight end Jahleel Billingsley. The ability for Billingsley to stand out as a potent receiving tight end while having the traits/frame necessary to be an effective blocker at the position will make him an appealing draft prospect in the 2023 class.
Billingsley possesses the rare physical traits and skill set that will make NFL scouts view him as a really high upside receiving tight end at the next level. The 6-foot-4 and 230-pound Billingsley is a gifted tight end that has the explosiveness and flat-out speed to make him one of the more potent receivers at the position in the 2023 draft class.
Add to that the fact that Billingsley is a very gifted vertical athlete, and you get a physical specimen that will really flash on film to NFL Draft scouts right away.
Billingsley is a multiple weapon that can be used in a number of different ways to beat opposing defenses.
But there are still a few areas of Billingsley’s game that will present concerns for scouts at the next level. For one, Billingsley needs to show up more as a threat in the passing game after a 2021 campaign where he regressed a good bit in terms of his receiving production.
Billingsley had issues with dropping the ball and getting separation as opposing defenses were forced to prepare for him more often than the year prior.
That is evident in the fact that Billingsley had one fewer catch last season than the year prior and four more drops. He also just wasn’t making big-time plays as often as the year prior. Billingsley had three contested catches on four targets in 2020 compared to just two contested catches on six targets last year.
If Billingsley can continue to flash the versatility and upside as a receiving tight end this fall as he did during the 2020 campaign, he could solidify his status as a day-two caliber prospect.