Javon Baker, the highly-touted wide receiver from the University of Central Florida, has significantly bolstered his chance of being picked high at the NFL Draft following a solid showing at the NFL Scouting Combine last week.
Corry Kinnan of Yahoo Sports mentioned Baker among wide receivers who upped their draft stocks after his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.
While Baker’s 4.54-second effort on the 40-yard dash isn’t going to beat the record-setting blitz by Texas’ Xavier Worthy at 4.21 seconds, the former Knight wideout did dispel what scouts initially thought the most obvious obstacle in his transition to the NFL game.
The 22-year-old receiver did turn out to be a terrific athlete with tools to play on the next level. However, he also impressed scouts by showing off his ability to run the routes not featured in any offense at UCF.
“Baker displayed excellent hip sink to get in and out of his breaks on speed outs, comebacks, and digs over the middle. This was one of the bigger question marks of his game.
While he did test about as expected, a slightly above-average athlete, and will have his limitations at the next level, Baker checked a box for NFL teams that his tape did not,” writes Kinnan, who regularly publishes articles that break down potential draft targets for the Cleveland Browns.
Coming off an eventful Scouting Combine, Baker will focus on moving up on the draft board as he looks to do well in workouts with several teams leading up to the NFL Draft on April 25-27. Among teams that could potentially pick Baker in the middle rounds are: the Browns, the Buffalo Bills, and the New York Giants.
Baker spent his first two seasons at Alabama before transferring to UCF where he flourished as a lethal wide receiver for the Knights.
In his final college football season, Baker led the Big 12 in receptions (52) and receiving yards (1,139 yards) with seven touchdowns.
