KJ Duff
Rutgers#62 overallDraft Movement
Down 5 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Duff is a 6-foot-6, 225-pound mismatch weapon who wins the way few receivers can: at the catch point, above the rim, with the best contested-catch resume in college football. He led the FBS with 22 contested catches in 2025, converting 22 of 36 contested targets, and he treats coverage wins by defensive backs as nothing more than a fair fight. His box-out technique reads like a post player backing down a defender, and his late hands and timing turn tight windows into completions and stalemates into first downs. The production backs the traits. As a true sophomore he led Rutgers with 60 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns, finished third in the Big Ten in receiving yards, and cracked the national top 10 in total receiving yardage. His signature performance came at Purdue: 241 yards on just six catches with a 72-yard score, the second-highest single-game receiving total in school history. His hands are elite and reliable, he catches away from his frame, he makes multiple one-handed grabs a year, and his intermediate work on seams and digs is more refined than his jump-ball reputation suggests. He is also more than a red-zone toy; he was the focal point of every defensive plan Rutgers faced and still produced. The athletic profile is the honest limitation. His long speed is below average for the position, he cannot consistently stack and run past NFL corners, and his run-after-catch is minimal, going down on first contact for most of the season. He rarely broke tackles and does not make defenders miss in open space. Physical press man is his real test, as Illinois showed by forcing seven traffic targets to yield just four wins, and separation still depends on technique rather than burst. His NFL projection is a big-slot or boundary possession starter who owns third downs and the red zone, the kind of size-and-hands target aggressive quarterbacks trust. If the contested dominance holds against another year of Big Ten corners in 2026, he will be drafted earlier
The Tape
Strengths
- Elite 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame with a massive catch radius and length
- best contested-catch profile in college football, leading the FBS with 22 contested catches (22 of 36) in 2025
- elite, reliable hands that rarely drop and catch away from the body, including multiple one-handed grabs
- dominant box-out technique and play strength to shield defenders at the catch point
- tremendous body control and ability to finish through contact and inaccurate throws
- more refined than his jump-ball reputation, working seams and digs on intermediate routes with veteran tempo
- proven high-end production as a focal-point target, 1,084 yards and seven TDs plus a 241-yard game on six catches at Purdue
- red-zone and third-down mismatch who converts contested targets against tight coverage
Weaknesses
- Below-average long speed
- cannot consistently stack and run past corners vertically
- minimal run-after-catch, going down on first contact for most of 2025
- lacks short-area quickness and elusiveness, rarely making defenders miss in open space
- low broken-tackle total on the season
- separation against physical press man is technique-dependent and will tighten versus NFL length
- must prove the box-out and contested game translates once windows shrink at the next level
NFL Comparison
Courtland Sutton (Locked On NFL Draft, Damian Parson); Collin Johnson (Locked On NFL Draft, Damian Parson); Malachi Fields (Locked On NFL Draft, Damian Parson)
College Stats
2024 (Rutgers, Fr): 13 GP, 27 REC, 425 YDS, 1 TD; 2025 (Rutgers, So): 12 GP, 60 REC, 1,084 YDS, 7 TD, 18.1 YPC
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $2.76M on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Rutgers's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
The college fantasy model projects 17.8 PPG (WR2), after 14.9 PPG across 12 games last year.
Every P4 player priced, math public: College players & NIL · Roster spend
Measurables
Awards & Honors
Second Team All-Big Ten (2025); Academic All-Big Ten (2025); Phil Steele Honorable Mention All-American (2025); Biletnikoff Award Watch List (2025); 2023 Rich Reichert Award (Catholic Football League MVP, high school)