Simi
Fehoko.
Simi
Fehoko.
Stanford· 6'3"· 222 lb· 4.44s 40
"A 6'3⅞", 222-pound Stanford deep-ball specialist with a 9.30 RAS and a state-champion sprinter's speed but only one full season of production — a Round-5 vertical X projection where the athletic profile was doing the arguing."Pre-draft read
Fehoko's value is as a straight-line vertical boundary receiver and gunner. He uses a runway sprinter's approach off the line, employing long strides and top-end speed to separate from safeties on Go, Post, and back-shoulder throws. His 79-inch wingspan and 10¼-inch hands provide a wide catch radius, making him a consistent deep threat.
In shorter areas, his mechanics are less fluid. He plants stiffly and struggles to sink his hips on quick out-breaks and comeback routes. His releases are limited. He can climb over smaller corners on 50/50 throws, but his ball skills are inconsistent, leading to drops. He is a willing, leggy blocker who plays with effort on kick coverage. Speed and length are his primary advantages; change-of-direction, route diversity, and reliable hands are limitations.
Shanahan's vertical passing offense that prioritizes outside zone, play action, and downfield shots to isolated receivers.
Rotational deep threat and core special teamer in year one, with ceiling as a high-volume vertical target if route running and hands develop.
An Air Raid or spread RPO offense that demands sudden, twitchy route running and high-volume, quick-trigger targets from all receiver positions.
Fehoko's rare size/speed combination, catch radius, and playmaking ability on special teams made him a high-ceiling Day 3 dart throw with a clear developmental path for a team that values vertical threats.
79-yard TD! Simi Fehoko burns his old team on Stick's deep launch
Chargers preseason score against Dallas in 2024 — the vertical stretch trait that defines the profile, on national tape.
Simi Fehoko showcasing skills — preseason practice
Preseason practice reel showing releases, contested catches and speed splits with the Cowboys.
Simi Fehoko with an amazing catch — Week 8
Contested-catch highlight, illustrating the catch radius and body control the pre-draft profile leaned on.
Fehoko presented one of the more polarizing evaluations among 2021 Day 3 prospects due to a stark contrast between his athletic profile and on-field production. Teams were buying into a developmental vertical threat, hoping his elite measurable speed (4.44 in the 40-yard dash) and size could be coached into a reliable boundary receiver role given time.
His production was largely consolidated into a single senior season in 2020. This output was significantly boosted by one game against UCLA, where he recorded 16 receptions for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to this, his career high for receptions in a season was eight. He generally played against Pac-12 competition.
Concerns among scouts included his age as a rookie, inconsistency in his hands, and a route tree that lacked diversity. The consensus projected him as a fifth or sixth-round selection. The Dallas Cowboys ultimately drafted him in the fifth round, at pick 179 overall, as a deliberate swing on his exceptional physical traits.
- 01
Deep Threat Speed
Top-end acceleration in vertical routes challenges defensive backs and impacts downfield coverage.
- 02
Exceptional Catch Radius
79-inch wingspan and 10¼-inch hands create a large window for off-target throws and contested catches.
- 03
Size Advantage
6'3⅞" frame provides favorable matchups against smaller corners in 50/50 throw situations.
- 04
Willing Blocker
Consistent effort and leggy technique contribute to the run game and physicality on the perimeter.
- 05
Special Teams Potential
Size, speed, and competitive effort project him as a valuable gunner on coverage units.
- 01
Limited Production
Career output significantly boosted by one game; inconsistent stats across his college career.
- 02
Older Prospect
Age 23 as a rookie limits typical professional development time relative to peers.
- 03
Route Tree Limitations
Primary routes are verticals; lacks diversity and precision in intermediate and short concepts.
- 04
Stiff Mechanics
Struggles to sink hips and change direction, hindering separation on comeback and out-breaking routes.
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
- 4.44sp50
- Vertical
- 34.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 120inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.78sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.26sp50
- Bench
- 16repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Stanford | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019 | Stanford | 13 | 24 | 566 | 6 |
| 2020 | Stanford | 6 | 37 | 584 | 3 |
| Career | — | 20 | 62 | 1156 | 9 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Rotational deep-ball WR5 with track speed who bounced between rosters and lived on special teams — the realistic outcome for a Day-3 athletic profile with limited route tree.
Long-strider vertical X with a rare RAS and a maddening one-trick profile — the aspirational ceiling as a starting field-stretcher on a run-heavy offense.
Track-speed vertical WR who flashed on deep shots but never converted the athletic profile into a real receiving role — the downside if the hands and routes never catch up.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Simi Fehoko arrived at Stanford as a Utah state 100-meter champion out of Brighton High and spent two years on a two-year LDS mission before returning to Palo Alto. He redshirted 2018, played a bit role in 2019, then broke out during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, closing his junior year by catching a Stanford-record 16 balls for 230 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 48-47 double-overtime win at UCLA. He measured 6'3⅞", 222 pounds with 10¼" hands at his Stanford pro day, ran a laser-timed 4.44 (unofficial 4.37) with a 34.5" vertical, 10'0" broad and a 6.78 3-cone — a 9.30 RAS that pushed him from anonymous senior to Day 3 flier.
NFL fit — Dallas Cowboys. Dallas took him at 179 as a big-bodied vertical add behind CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, betting on the frame-and-speed combination to grow into a Z or backside X. He caught 2 balls for 20 yards as a rookie, was inactive for large stretches in 2022, then Dallas dealt him to the Chargers late in the 2023 preseason for a conditional Day 3 pick. He caught his first NFL touchdown on a drag route against Chicago in Week 8 of 2023 and, memorably, burned the Cowboys on a 79-yard preseason score in August 2024.
Retrospective. Fehoko has never carved out more than a rotational WR5/gunner role. He spent 2023-24 with the Chargers, signed with the Arizona Cardinals for 2025 on a special-teams-forward deal, and remains a Day-3 athletic-profile outcome five years in: an active roster body who covers kicks and dresses on gameday but has never approached 30 catches or 400 yards in a season. Backup tier, mixed grade — the frame and speed cashed enough to stick, the polish never came to unlock more.