Troy Franklin Scouting Report  

Troy Franklin looks like one of the best big-play threats in the 2024 WR class.

He averaged a big 17.1 yards per catch at Oregon last year and then clocked a 4.41-second 40 time at the Combine.

The biggest concern with Franklin is his wiry frame.

How big a limiting factor will that frame be at the next level?

Let's dig into Franklin's projected dynasty value after landing in Denver.

Troy Franklin Draft Profile

Troy Franklin Combine Results

Percentiles vs Combine WRs since 1999, per MockDraftable

Troy Franklin College Stats

Franklin was a consensus four-star recruit and a top-10 WR in his class coming out of Menlo-Atherton High School in California. That came despite his entire senior season being canceled due to COVID.

Franklin chose Oregon over 20+ other offers, including Alabama, Florida, LSU, Texas, and USC.

Franklin Flashed as Freshman

Franklin played in all 14 games as a true freshman, registering a 32% snap share and 31% route rate.

He ranked fifth on that Ducks team in catches and receiving yards, and tied for second in receiving scores.

Franklin closed his freshman campaign with a season-best 4-65-1 line in the Alamo Bowl.

He Broke Out as Sophomore

Franklin emerged as Oregon’s No. 1 WR in 2022, leading the team in all major receiving categories.

He drew a 19.2% target share and accounted for:

• 19.8% of the team’s receptions
• 24.1% of the receiving yards
• 30.0% of the receiving TDs

Franklin averaged a big 14.6 yards per catch on a 12.6-yard average target depth. 

He was awesome working deep, catching nine of 15 targets 20+ yards downfield for 359 yards and 3 TDs. All other Ducks combined for 15 catches and 562 yards on deep passes.

Franklin’s 2.34 yards per route run led the team’s WRs and ranked 59th among 286 WRs in the country with 50+ targets.

Career-Best Comes in 2023

Last season brought new career highs across the board for Franklin. He ranked sixth in the nation in receiving yards and tied for third in receiving scores, despite opting out of the team’s bowl game.

Franklin did not lead Oregon in receptions last year. That honor went to WR Tez Johnson, a redshirt junior transfer from Troy who caught 86 balls for 1,182 yards and 10 scores.

But Franklin did lead the Ducks in receiving yards and TDs. And he registered new personal bests with:

• 22.2% target share
• 20.4% reception share
• 28.5% receiving-yards share

Franklin also accounted for 28.6% of the team’s receiving TDs.

He was again a big-play machine, averaging 17.1 yards per catch.

Franklin ranked top-10 among all WRs in catches (14), receiving yards (558), and TDs (7) on targets 20+ yards downfield.

His 3.32 yards per route for the season ranked sixth among 286 WRs with 50+ targets, although Tez Johnson (3.45) was one of the five guys who beat Franklin.

Franklin’s 87.3 Pro Football Focus receiving grade was also a personal best and ranked 15th among those 286 WRs.

He was named:

• first-team All-Pac 12
• second-team All-America
• Biletnikoff Award semifinalist

Franklin left Oregon as the school’s all-time leader in career receiving TDs (25). He didn’t miss a single game due to injury across his three seasons.         

Troy Franklin Highlights

Games watched: North Carolina (2022), Washington, Utah, USC

Franklin’s Game Built on Speed

That speed shows up most notably on deep balls. He regularly ran by DBs in man coverage and defeated angles vs. zone coverage.

Here, Franklin zips by a dropping safety in two-deep coverage.

Route-Running Good Enough

Franklin did not run a wide variety of routes in Oregon’s offense and certainly isn’t an expert route runner.

But he was regularly able to create separation on in-breaking routes because defenders were forced to respect his deep speed.

Franklin attacks his defender vertically here before breaking across his face for a big gain.

Strong After-Catch Ability

Franklin’s speed is also a weapon after the catch. Give him a runway and you’re not gonna get to him.

Franklin isn’t much of a tackle breaker. But he does possess a nice combination of agility and burst with the ball in his hands.

Here's Franklin dodging a would-be tackler and then quickly getting upfield for a first down.

Are Hands a Problem?

Franklin was charged with nine drops and a 10% drop rate last year. The four games I watched included one ugly focus drop on a comeback and this drop on a deep ball: 

That turned out to be a tough grab over his outside shoulder, although Franklin could have done a better job tracking the ball and adjusting his route.

But there are also flashes of strong tracking, adjusting, and hands.

Franklin halts his momentum, contorts his body, and makes a tough hands catch for this TD.

Franklin displays impressive concentration and body control to haul in this back-shoulder throw.

Overcoming Size Limitations

Franklin has a wiry 6'2 frame and is especially lean in the lower half.

He didn't face a ton of press coverage in college but was usually able to defeat it when he did.

And, although he'll never be dominant in contested situations, he showed the ability to make grabs in traffic.

Troy Franklin Team Fit: Denver Broncos

Franklin falling to Round 4 was one of the bigger surprises of the 2024 NFL Draft. It's certainly a signal that we need to pay attention to. Consider this: Over the past five years, there have only been eight WRs drafted in Round 4 or later to score 200+ PPR points in a season.

Franklin landed in a nice spot, though. Courtland Sutton is the most established WR on the Broncos' roster. But he's not a dominant player and is only signed through 2025. Marvin Mims remains an intriguing prospect but struggled to find playing time and targets as a rookie. Josh Reynolds is a candidate for playing time this season but isn't a significant roadblock.

Franklin also reunites with college QB Bo Nix in Denver, which can't hurt his chances of earning targets early on.