the New York Giants They got to play better out of their no-name corps in 2022 than many would have thought possible. But thanks to injury and free agency, they may be in the position of having to rebuild that unit almost entirely from scratch this off-season.
Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers probably won’t be the “number 1” receiver many envision for the Giants. However, he is an athletic, versatile, and very dangerous player who would be a defining upgrade for the unit.
Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have shown a willingness to venture off the beaten path and deviate from conventional wisdom in 2022. Could they do it again and double at receiver with a player like Flowers?
Prospect: Z Flowers (4)
Matches watched: against. Rutgers (2022), vs. Florida (2022), vs. Clemson (2022), vs. Wake Forest (2022)
measurable
Height: 5 feet 9 1⁄4 inches
Weight: 182 pounds
arm length: 29 1⁄4 inches
inch: 9 1/8 in
Career stats
Matches played: 48
Receptions: 200
Yards (YPC): 3056 (15.3 per catch)
carry: 57
Yards (YPC): 345 (6.1 per load)
Total landings: 31 (29 receiving, 2 rushing)
2022 stats
Matches played: 12
Receptions: 78
Yards (YPC): 1,077 (13.8 per catch)
carry: 12
Yards (YPC): 40 (3.3 per pregnancy)
Total landings: 12
Quick summary
better: Speed, agility, speed, body control, versatility, and competitive toughness
worst: Size and catch consistency
prediction: A starting hole receiver with added versatility
game bar
Full report
Flowers is a small-scale but highly experienced and dynamic receiving opportunity from Boston College.
Flowers played in 48 games over four years for Boston College, 12 of them coming in 2022. He has been consistently productive on the Eagles offense and has proven surprisingly versatile. Flowers usually runs out of the slot, but he also lines up as a wide receiver, in group formations (inside and outside the line of scrimmage), and is put in motion before the snap.
Flowers has amazing speed outside the line of scrimmage when snapping the ball. He is able to blast his way when lined up outside the line of scrimmage or out of coverage. He uses quick action and agility to force hesitation into corners that line up in tight leg coverage. Flowers is a dynamic athlete who puts his athletic abilities to use on his way to running. It might best be described as a good collegiate road runner, but it’s not really technical yet. Flowers shows an understanding of how to use his methods to create separation, varying his path pace and stride length to chip away at the timing of defenders. He makes good use of his naturally low center of gravity to break sharply at the top of his routes, getting a foot into the ground and carrying his speed through the breaks. The swift speed of the flower steps allows him to easily change pace across the road and explode from breaks.
Flowers have good ball skills on the field. He does a good job of locating and tracking the ball in the air, and adjusting his path to track the ball. He also shows impressive body control on the catch point, contorting his body to maximize his catch radius and pulling out passes that would otherwise have fallen incompletely.
He is also a fiery competitor with great competitive toughness in all areas of his game. Flowers is a serious ball carrier with a solid vision and athleticism that makes him incredibly difficult to drop into space. He is also a willing and surprisingly brave blocker for his teammates. Al-Zohor attacks defenders when blocked and even attempts to attack, despite his lack of size.
This lack of size is Flowers’ greatest weakness. At 5-foot-9, with 29-inch arms, he has a limited catch radius by nature and will need to play an accurate quarterback at the NFL level. It has good thickness for its heft at 182 pounds, but its lack of mass can come across as a point pickup and blocker. Likewise, while he has a solid connection balance, Flowers struggles to survive in traffic.
Flowers also show some inconsistencies as a traffic capture device. It’s a “hand” catcher, but can sometimes overcomplicate or suffer from decreased concentration. Part of this is due to inconsistent play from the Boston College quarterback, but there are other instances where Flowers appears to get ahead of himself and initiates a running run before finishing the catch.
Total marks: 7.0
prediction
Flowers projects as a starting slot receiver early in his career.
He has a knack for lining up in multiple positions, and a creative offensive mind can take advantage of that. However, his size will likely force NFL offensive coordinators to play out of the slot, in formations, or stacked behind a larger receiver. The rose is a fast and furious athlete and can be a weapon in any attack that directs the ball to athletes in space. It is dangerous when the ball carrier is playing up the screen, in flying sweeps, or in road concepts that create space in the intermediate area of the court.
Flowers needs to continue to hone his craft as a receiver, though consistent playing around him will certainly help in that regard. He has the tools to be a really serious receiver once he becomes a technician and a chess player as a road runner. With his positioning and athletic ability, teams will likely look to Flowers for high-leverage positions. He will need to be a more consistent ball-handler to earn his team’s trust. He’s not a bad catcher by any means, but dropping or double-grabbing in important situations early on can see the offense look elsewhere.
There’s nothing Flowers can do about his size, and he’ll almost certainly come under some teams’ doorsteps for the position. That would likely drop him to the draft board, despite his athletic ability and versatility. However, teams willing to go beyond Flowers’ size and emphasize what he can do can be rewarded with great value later on the second day of the draft.