Cj
Daniels.
Cj
Daniels.
Miami· 6'2"· 202 lb· 4.62s 40
R6 · #197 · Los Angeles Rams"Daniels is a boundary possession X who wins with stem detail and genuinely plucked, away-from-frame catches, and his NFL role hinges on whether reliable hands can offset a build-up gear that rarely threatens vertically."Pre-draft read
Daniels is an X receiver, utilizing a wide split and stacked release to create space. His separation stems from precise stem detail, a hard nod at the top, and pressing a defensive back's outside hip before breaking inside. He's a build-up strider, not dominant in initial burst or long speed, and does not frequently win with pure speed.
His most consistent trait is his hands. He genuinely plucks the ball away from his frame and shows a proven catch radius on back-shoulder throws and fades. He excels on boundary comebacks, deep digs, and goal-line fades, where positioning is key. Daniels effectively eats cushion against off coverage but struggles to consistently run by defenders playing with a top. He also blocks with notable intent on the perimeter.
The Los Angeles Rams typically employ a modern West Coast timing system, blending elements of vertical passing concepts with a strong emphasis on precision, route-running, and quick game designs.
Initially a depth boundary receiver and red-zone specialist, his ceiling is a reliable possession X-receiver who can consistently move the chains and excel in contested catch situations.
A purely vertical Air Raid or spread RPO system that relies heavily on receivers winning with top-end speed and creating chunk plays after the catch would diminish his value significantly.
Daniels' strength in route detail, contested catches, and willingness as a blocker aligns well with the Rams' demanding scheme for receivers who can create separation with skill rather than raw speed.
CJ Daniels (Miami) — Full 2025 Highlights
The complete national-runner-up season: boundary comebacks, fades and the red-zone work that produced seven touchdowns on 50 catches.
CJ Daniels (Liberty) — 2023 Highlights
The 1,067-yard junior year at 19.4 yards per catch, the version of the player that put him on draft boards in the first place.
Miami's CJ Daniels — Top 5 Catches of 2025
The catch-radius reel: back-shoulder placement, contested wins on the boundary and hands away from the frame.
Daniels projects as a possession X receiver, best suited for a role emphasizing contested catches and precise route-running, particularly in the red zone. A team acquiring him is buying a player with reliable hands and route savvy, capable of converting critical third-down and goal-line opportunities. His profile suggests an immediate contributor in a specific role rather than a developing prospect.
Across six collegiate seasons and three programs, Daniels demonstrated varied production depending on the level of competition. He was a prominent target at Liberty, with 55 catches for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023. However, his two subsequent power-conference seasons yielded lower yards per catch, indicating a shift in his role and effectiveness against higher-tier defenses. His usage at Miami in 2025 indicated a supporting role in the offense.
Evaluators noted his age and limited long speed (running a 4.62-second 40-yard dash) as potential drawbacks, suggesting a limited developmental upside. He was generally projected as a fifth-to-seventh-round pick. Ultimately, the Los Angeles Rams traded up ten slots to select him at pick 197, signaling a belief in his specific skill set despite the concerns.
- 01
Reliable hands and catch radius
plucks away from his frame rather than trapping against the chest, and his tape is full of back-shoulder and fade completions where the throw is placed to a spot only he can reach.
- 02
Red-zone and goal-line value
seven of his 50 catches at Miami went for touchdowns despite a modest 11.1-yard average, and his 2025 first-down efficiency mark of 1.048 per play was the highest situational number in his profile.
- 03
Route detail at the stem
sells the vertical before snapping off comebacks and digs, using a hard nod and a stack of the corner's outside hip to create the throwing window without needing a speed advantage.
- 04
Change-of-direction testing backs the tape
a 7.03 three-cone and 4.27 short shuttle at 202 pounds are above-average agility marks for a boundary receiver and match the way he separates at the top of routes.
- 05
Perimeter blocking and situational reliability
engages with intent in the run game and earned a third-down target share of 11.8 percent at Miami, the sign of a staff that trusted him when the drive was on the line.
- 01
Long speed is a hard ceiling
the 4.62 forty is below the threshold most teams set for boundary receivers, and against ACC and SEC corners he almost never won a straight vertical race without help from the release.
- 02
Efficiency collapsed with competition
19.4 yards per catch at Liberty became 11.4 at LSU and 11.1 at Miami, evidence that the explosive plays were a level-of-competition function rather than a repeatable trait.
- 03
Zero touchdowns in the SEC
his one season at LSU produced 42 catches without a single score, and an in-season injury against Texas A&M cost him the chance to answer whether the role or the player was the problem.
- 04
Age and runway
he turned 24 in his draft year after six college seasons, so there is no developmental cushion; the team is buying a finished product rather than betting on a trait that might still grow.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.62sp50
- Vertical
- 34.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 123inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.03sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.27sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Liberty | 11 | 11 | 220 | 3 |
| 2021 | Liberty | 13 | 37 | 629 | 7 |
| 2022 | Liberty | 4 | 3 | 38 | 1 |
| 2023 | Liberty | 14 | 55 | 1067 | 10 |
| 2024 | LSU | 11 | 42 | 480 | 0 |
| 2025 | Miami | 13 | 50 | 557 | 7 |
| Career | — | 66 | 198 | 2991 | 28 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Carson BeckQB26%
- Malachi ToneyWR10%
- Keelan MarionWR8%
#3 of 18 tracked contributors · Produced in line with his snap share · Offense explosiveness 1.16 (p12) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Honors
- Second-team All-Conference USA (2023)
- 1,067 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023, a Conference USA title season
- Career-high 157 receiving yards in the 2023 Conference USA Championship Game
A dependable fourth or fifth receiver who plays 15 to 25 snaps, converts third downs and red-zone targets and survives on availability and hands rather than separation.
The ceiling if the contested-catch work translates and he becomes a boundary starter who wins on comebacks and back-shoulder throws without ever needing to be a burner.
The floor if the lack of speed lets NFL corners sit on every break — a big-bodied camp body who bounces between practice squads without carving out a role.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Los Angeles gave up a slot to move up ten spots for him, which is the most informative fact in the file: a team that drafts receivers on separation traded up for one who does not have them, meaning the evaluation was about hands, release detail and the red-zone package rather than the forty. The role is legible from day one — boundary X in three-receiver personnel, fades and back-shoulder throws inside the twenty, and the comeback route on third-and-seven. He will not run past NFL corners, and any projection that requires him to is wrong. What he can do is win the last two yards of a route and finish through contact, which is a real skill in a red-zone offense.
The honest question the tape never answered is whether the Liberty version exists at this level. Two power-conference seasons produced 92 catches, 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns — solid, useful, and nothing close to the 19.4 yards per catch that made him a prospect. His Miami usage was a supporting 8.2 percent of the offense on a team that ranked 30th nationally in passing-downs efficiency, so the volume was never there to force the issue. If he sticks, it will be as the fourth receiver who never drops the ball and blocks on the perimeter, and that is a perfectly good outcome for pick 197. If he doesn't, the reason will be the one every board circled: at 4.62, there is no margin for a route that comes out of the break a tenth of a second late.