Devy Profile: Allen Lazard, WR Iowa State
Allen Lazard may not be a household name like Calvin Ridley, Equanimeous St. Brown, or Courtland Sutton, but he could end up being one of the hidden gems of the 2018 wide receiver class. Not playing for one of the top collegiate programs has probably kept Lazard off of many people’s radars. He is not one of the flashiest receivers in the game, but he does possess exceptional size and underrated mobility. He has steadily improved each year at Iowa State and could end up becoming a serviceable NFL receiver.
Age
Lazard just began his senior year at Iowa State. He will be 22 years old by the time the NFL draft rolls around next April, just like some of the top receivers in this past draft, including Corey Davis and Mike Williams. Even though Lazard is set to play four years of college ball, his age is not concerning.
As a Recruit
According to 247sports, Lazard was a four-star recruit, ranking as the 11th-best wide receiver and 83rd overall prospect coming out of high school. He received offers from some respectable programs, including Notre Dame and Stanford, but ultimately chose Iowa State.
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Freshman Season
Lazard was a major contributor for Iowa State immediately after stepping on the field as a freshman. Even at a young age, he was very involved in the passing game. He caught a ball in every game he played in that year. He posted the second most receptions (45) and receiving yards (593) on his team and also tacked on three touchdowns. He even had back-to-back games against Toledo and Texas in which he caught eight balls and one touchdown. Lazard displayed consistency throughout the entire year, especially for a freshman. It was an impressive beginning to his college career.
Stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
Sophomore Season
He made strides his sophomore season, increasing his catch and yardage totals while doubling his touchdowns from the previous year. He started each game he played in and led his team in receptions (56), receiving yards (808), and touchdown catches (six). He even returned some punts. He became even more consistent during his sophomore season, catching at least three passes in every game. He also had at least 100 yards receiving in two games, against TCU and Oklahoma. His strong year earned him Second-Team All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press.
Stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
Junior Season
Lazard improved once again during his junior season, leading his team in receptions (69), receiving yards (1,018), and touchdown catches (seven). He recorded at least 100 yards receiving in half of his games, including four of his last five. His strong play earned him First-Team All-Big 12 honors by the Coaches and ESPN. He was also added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list.
Stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
The consistent improvement he has displayed each season bodes well for his future outlook. Some players flash for one season only to never be heard of again. Lazard has produced throughout his entire college career and has demonstrated steady improvement each year.
He was contemplating entering the NFL draft after his junior season, but decided to return to school after his coach Matt Campbell spoke to NFL officials and found out Lazard might have been selected as high as the fifth round or not at all this past draft. Instead of taking a chance on not being picked, Lazard decided to use his upcoming senior season to continue to develop his game and prepare his body for a future in the NFL. I am looking for him to take another step forward during his final season at Iowa State.
Athletic Profile
Lazard towers over defenders, standing at 6’5’’ and weighing 222 pounds. While most NFL defenders are bigger and faster than those in college, Lazard would still be one of the tallest receivers in the NFL. As you can see in the chart below, his size profiles similarly to some of the tallest active NFL receivers.
Coming out of high school, Lazard’s vertical was measured at 36.2 inches and his 40-yard dash was recorded at 4.65 seconds. His leaping ability is impressive, especially combined with his tall frame. His speed is nothing to write home about, but I expect him to have better measurements at the NFL combine as his body continues to develop and mature.
Although he is not the fastest receiver, Lazard does have a fluid running motion and showcased agility and quickness for a player his size.
Route Running
He ran many types of routes in the two games I charted. His most common pattern run was the nine, followed by the slant, screen, and curl.
He also lined up on both sides of the field, including in the slot. He was even sent in motion on a few plays I watched. These are all encouraging signs for his development at the NFL level. Many receivers struggle to learn different patterns and formations, but Lazard demonstrated a relatively advanced route tree compared to other college receivers. I did not see him run some of the most advanced routes, including outs and digs, so I am hoping he can showcase his ability to run them during his senior season. In addition, I would like to see him clean up the routes he runs near the sidelines. He was able to create separation on in-breaking routes like slants but had a more difficult time doing so on out-breaking routes.
Lazard also demonstrated quickness in and out of his breaks and cuts, especially for someone his size. Like most college receivers, he can still improve his route-running, but he did flash potential in this area. I would like to see him use his large frame to shield off defenders better on curls and comebacks.
He also demonstrated some nice moves after the catch. In the clip below, he was able to turn a short slant into a 12 yard gain by maintaining his balance while breaking a couple of tackles.
Iowa St. WR Allen Lazard moves very well for a 6’5” receiver. pic.twitter.com/zdclKSqWdM
— Kyle Holden (@TheDevyDude) August 30, 2017
Lazard also utilized his size well when blocking for teammates. This attribute can help him get on the field at the NFL level.
Ball Skills
He demonstrated commendable ball skills in the two games I charted. He often caught the ball with his hands instead of relying on his body. Lazard also flashed a superb catch radius on a few balls thrown away from him. In addition, he was able to use his strong hands and large frame to make a few contested catches with the defender close by. One example of this can be seen in the clip below.
Strong hands with defender draped all over him here. pic.twitter.com/zhHj8YvM0A
— Kyle Holden (@TheDevyDude) August 30, 2017
He did not always receive many targets, but when he did he made them count. As you can see in the chart below, Lazard caught a majority of the balls thrown his way in the two games I charted. There were only 18 chartable throws, but these numbers are encouraging.
However, Lazard did have a few occasional drops, possibly due to a lack of concentration at times. While this can be cleaned up through practice and repetition, he is going to need to improve in this area in order to succeed at the next level.
NFL Comparison
The way Lazard moves for his size reminds me of Mike Evans. However, style of play and actual production are two very different things. I am not saying Lazard is anywhere near the same level of talent as Evans, but he does run fluidly for a big receiver. He also uses his size to win jump balls while still having the mobility to break tackles and pick up yards after the catch.
Summary
Lazard is probably not near the top of anyone’s devy rankings, but he is someone to keep an eye on as he plays his senior season at Iowa State. As mentioned above, playing there has allowed him to fly under the radar more than he might have if he played at one of the top collegiate programs. However, this does not mean you should overlook him as well. I am eager to see if he can improve on his route-running and learn to run some more advanced patterns in his senior season. If he does so, he could slowly start to move up my board as I look ahead to next year’s NFL draft.
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- Devy Roundup: Week 14 - November 26, 2019
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- Devy Roundup: Week 12 - November 12, 2019
