Ht – 5’11” Wt – 196lb Class – SR Age – 22
Career Statistics
2021 Stats – 77 Rec, 1117 Yds, 7 TD (12 Games Played)
Career Stats – 208 Rec, 2878 Yds, 20 TD (43 Games Played)
Attribute Breakdown
Hands & Ball Skills – Amazing ball skills, Shakir is practically a walking highlight reel. His ability to adjust in the air to errant passes is unmatched. He came down with many one-handers, and there is no pass in his vicinity he can’t come down with. As such, his hands are sticky and reliable.
Contested Catch – Just as good as his ball skills, if not better. Among his ridiculous highlight reel are a few “mosses” and catches in double-coverage, so he is more than capable.
Size & Speed – Shakir plays much bigger than his actual size. This could be because he was a senior, which makes the translation of his play-style to the NFL a difficult and unlikely projection. He doesn’t play with blazing speed, but he has the requisite speed for the position.
Release – Not very twitchy or quick. Shakir doesn’t have quick feet, and while he has great body control, a strong press can eliminate him from plays.
Routes & Separation – Shakir isn’t a sharp route runner, and he lacks suddenness in his route breaks. Once breaking, he has the requisite speed to maintain any separation created. However, it doesn’t seem that he will be a consistent separator against NFL Corners.
YAC – Outstanding field vision helps him navigate blocks and defenders with precision and perfection. He is also a punt returner, so his open-field abilities are very good. Still, he isn’t shifty or quick, and he won’t break many NFL tackles.
Football IQ – As a senior, it’s clear Shakir has a great feel for the game. He was a natural at finding the zone soft spots, and he has a deep understanding of the position.
Versatility – Shakir played primarily in the slot for the Boise State Broncos, and I assume that’s where he will fit best at the next level. His inability to run routes and handle press will be even more of an issue when lined out wide. He will need the benefit of the spacing in the slot.
Combine – Shakir turned some heads at the Combine. Although he didn’t play with great twitch or speed, he ran a great 4.43 40, and a 4.21 Shuttle. On the other hand, his 7.28 3-Cone drill was unimpressive, as expected.
Overall
Khalil Shakir is a very hard player to evaluate. When only watching his highlights, he looks like the best Wide Receiver in this class, by a wide margin. His ability to contort his body and make ridiculous catches is unmatched. Whether it’s one-handers, mossing, or catching in double coverage, Shakir made all the spectacular catches.
Additionally, he is a master of the game, and it’s clear he has a great understanding of the position. He is a natural football player, and he won many routes by using precision and technique, rather than athleticism.
On the other hand, the reason for that is due to his lack of athleticism. He isn’t twitchy, a good route runner or separator, and he doesn’t have the size or play speed to excel at the NFL level.
If Khalil Shakir wants to succeed, he will need to rely heavily on his football IQ and his ball skills. Unfortunately, those are usually not cornerstone benchmarks for successful Wide Receiver play in the NFL.
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