Dax
Milne.
Dax
Milne.
BYU· 6'0"· 189 lb· 4.54s 40
"A 6'0", 189-pound BYU slot with 4.54 speed and a 5.51 RAS, a 2020 breakout inside Zach Wilson's offense with strong hands and route feel — a late developmental slot-plus-returner projection."Pre-draft read
This slot receiver consistently wins with quickness, savvy releases, and reliable hands. He uses a low center of gravity and stutter-step release to manipulate nickel corners at the line. He efficiently stacks two-way go options on option routes, snags, and comebacks. He tracks the ball naturally over both shoulders and secures contested catches on in-breakers with strong hands, notable for his frame.
As a route runner, he is a technician on the option tree, sitting down in zones with subtle plant-and-drive quickness. His limitations include separator speed. He can be blanketed by twitchy nickel corners on true vertical stems. His open-field yardage is structural, not earned through elusiveness. As a returner, he sets up blocks cleanly and secures the ball, establishing a solid floor.
West Coast timing offense, relying on precision and anticipation with a run-heavy play-action element and layers of option/choice routes in the passing game.
Immediate Year 1 depth slot receiver and punt returner who projects to develop into a reliable third-down option with a high floor but limited ceiling due to athletic limitations.
An Air Raid offense that relies on vertical threats and open-field elusiveness from their slot receivers.
Milne's savvy route running and reliable hands make him a good fit for timing-based offenses, but his lack of top-end speed and catch radius will limit his role.
BYU WR Dax Milne Highlights 🔵⚪️ ᴴᴰ
Game film cut-up of Dax Milne's BYU tape.
Dax Milne Highlight | BYU WR 2018-2020
Game film cut-up of Dax Milne's BYU tape.
DAX MILNE, Bingham WR 2018 - ESPN GEICO BOWL Highlights
Game film cut-up of Dax Milne's BYU tape.
This receiver projects as a slot-only option with an immediate floor in special teams as a punt returner. A team would acquire him for his reliable hands, refined release package, and the proven ability to produce in a significant college offense. While his vertical speed is not a primary asset, his technical route running and understanding of leverage suggest he can carve out a role as a short-to-intermediate target.
He emerged as a central figure in BYU's passing game during the 2020 season, featuring prominently with 70 receptions for 1,188 yards and eight touchdowns. His extensive usage stemmed from playing in an offense that allowed him to showcase his ability to make plays. This production, combined with his punt-returning capability, indicated a tangible skill set that transcended mere volume.
Evaluators considered him in the sixth-to-seventh-round range, acknowledging his reliable hands, nuanced release techniques, and special teams value. However, concerns about his lack of true vertical speed, modest catch radius, and the possibility that quarterback play significantly boosted his 2020 breakout led to a later projection. He was drafted by Washington with the 258th pick in the 7th round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
- 01
Slot Release Package
Manipulates nickel leverage with quick two-way-go footwork and a low-center stutter; he consistently wins the first three yards.
- 02
Reliable Hands
Tracks naturally over both shoulders and secures contested catches on in-breakers, rarely double-clutching the ball into his frame.
- 03
Intelligent Route Runner
Sits down in soft spots on option routes, reads leverage, and adjusts stems on the fly before the break.
- 04
Proven College Production
Registered 70 receptions for 1,188 yards and eight touchdowns in the 2020 BYU passing game.
- 05
Punt Return Utility
Consistently secures the ball and sets up blocks cleanly, establishing special teams value on returns.
- 01
Lacks Vertical Separation
A 4.54 forty time is functional but does not create consistent separation against twitchier nickel corners on vertical stems.
- 02
Limited After-Catch Ability
Open-field yardage is structural, he does not consistently break the first tackle or turn short gains into chunk yardage.
- 03
Average Catch Radius
At 189 pounds with average arm length, throws forcing him to reach outside his frame are significantly less reliable.
- 04
Scheme-Specific Fit
His projection narrows to slot-only usage in offenses that frequently layer option routes and Texas concepts.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.54sp50
- Vertical
- 31inp50
- Broad jump
- 114inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.19sp50
- Bench
- 14repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | BYU | 10 | 11 | 75 | 1 |
| 2019 | BYU | 13 | 21 | 285 | 2 |
| 2020 | BYU | 12 | 70 | 1189 | 8 |
| Career | — | 35 | 102 | 1549 | 11 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Round-6 receiver whose real NFL value ended up on special teams and rotational depth rather than as an established target-share slot.
Undersized slot with reliable hands, punt-return utility and a career built on option routes and short-area quickness rather than vertical stress.
Return-specialist profile with limited offensive footprint; the ceiling if the slot targets never materialize and the return job dries up.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. A three-year BYU slot listed at 6'0" and 189 pounds with 32-inch-ish arms, Milne developed from a rotational sophomore into a foundational piece of the 2020 Zach Wilson passing game, finishing his senior year with 70 receptions, 1,188 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on a 17.0 yards-per-catch line. His pro day produced a 4.54 forty, a 31-inch vertical, a 114-inch broad and a 4.19 short shuttle — a 5.51 composite RAS that read as average with functional short-area agility. Board consensus landed in the sixth-to-seventh-round tier: hands, release detail and return value were the buy; the vertical ceiling and quarterback-leverage question were the sell.
NFL fit — Washington Football Team / Commanders. Washington used the 258th selection on Milne late on Day 3 as a slot-plus-returner developmental swing behind Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and the veteran room. He carved out a punt-return role as a rookie, contributing situational offense (roughly 15 receptions and 140-plus yards in 2021), then held the punt-return job through 2022 while offensive usage stayed in the WR5/6 range. Washington cycled him on and off the active roster and practice squad in 2023 as the receiver room reshuffled, and he continued to bounce between practice-squad opportunities league-wide from 2024 forward without stacking a run of regular-season target share.
Retrospective. Milne's NFL arc played out as the pre-draft profile suggested: the hands, release package and return floor were real enough to earn a rookie special-teams role and a couple of years of active-roster relevance, but the lack of separator speed and after-catch elusiveness kept the offensive usage capped. He is the honest ceiling of a mid-5-RAS slot with real college production — a punt returner who caught enough passes to matter for a season or two, not a receiver who ever threatened for a real target share.