Ian Strong
California#127 overallDraft Movement
Down 4 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Ian Strong is a talented but raw boundary X-receiver out of Rutgers who Locked On NFL Draft's Damian Parson grades as a 6.8 fourth-round prospect (overall No. 130, WR17) with a Kelvin Benjamin pro comparison. A former three-star recruit and 247Sports' top-ranked player in New York, the Long Island native arrived in Piscataway as a versatile safety-receiver hybrid and steadily ascended. After 16 catches for 230 yards and 2 scores as a true freshman in 2023, he broke out as a sophomore with 43 grabs for 676 yards and five touchdowns, every one of them in the red zone, earning Rutgers Sophomore of the Year and honorable mention All-Big Ten. His junior campaign landed him on the Biletnikoff watch list after he torched defenses for 400-plus yards in four games, including a 151-yard demolition of Iowa's secondary, before an early-season injury slowed him. At 6'3" and 211 pounds he is one of the best ball-winners in college football, plucking passes with violent hands and boxing out smaller corners on back-shoulder fades using his full 75-inch frame. He plays faster than his timed speed with long, ground-eating strides and runs through contact with the physicality of his defensive-back background. The questions are his average burst off the line (a projected 4.6 forty), an underdeveloped route tree that leans on verticals, trouble detaching from sticky press coverage, and fluctuating run-blocking effort. He profiles as a developmental possession X with red-zone and third-down value.
Strengths
- One of the best contested-catch ball-winners in college football, plucks with violent hands
- Boxes out and high-points like a basketball player using all 75 inches of his frame
- Plays faster than his timed speed with long, ground-eating strides to stack defenders
- Elite catch radius and extension that frustrates smaller corners on back-shoulder fades
- NFL-caliber strength at the catch point, runs through contact after the catch
- Red-zone weapon, all five 2024 touchdowns came in scoring territory
- Tracks the deep ball well and adjusts to underthrown passes without losing speed
- Clutch gene, delivered 151 yards vs Iowa and late heroics vs Virginia Tech and Minnesota
Weaknesses
- Average burst and acceleration off the line, a leggy athlete who needs space to build speed
- Projected 4.6 forty suggests he can struggle against press coverage initially
- Route tree underdeveloped beyond verticals
- intermediate breaks lack precision and suddenness
- Gets stuck with defensive backs in his hip pocket and struggles to detach from sticky coverage
- Run-blocking effort fluctuates, fights to a stalemate against much smaller defenders
- Concentration lapses on routine catches when he peeks upfield before securing
- Limited special-teams and return value to boost his stock
NFL Comparison
Kelvin Benjamin (B/R pro comp, oversized contested-catch X who wins jump balls); Brenden Rice (B/R comparable-grade boundary receiver with size and ball skills); Johnny Wilson (B/R comparable grade, big-framed possession X with separation questions)
College Stats
Rutgers: 2023 (Fr.) 16 rec, 230 yds, 2 TD; 2024 (So.) 43 rec, 676 yds, 5 TD (all red zone); 2025 (Jr.) 400-plus yds in 4 games before injury, 151 vs Iowa. NFL Draft Buzz current: 52 rec, 762 yds, 5 TD, 14.7 avg.
Measurables
Awards & Honors
Locked On NFL Draft grade 6.8, overall No. 130, WR17 (4th round); 2025 Biletnikoff Award watch list; Rutgers Sophomore of the Year (2024); Academic All-Big Ten and honorable mention All-Big Ten (2024); 247Sports No. 1 recruit in New York (2023)