Name: Troy Franklin

School: Oregon

Year: Junior

Position: Wide Receiver

Measurables: 6’2”, 176 lbs.

Combine: ARM: 31 7/8". HAND: 8 3/4". VERTICAL: 39”. BROAD: 10’4”. BENCH: --

40-YD DASH: 4.41s. 10-YD SPLIT: 1.61s. 20-YD SHUTTLE: 4.31s

Stats:

Courtesy of Sports-Reference.com

General Info:

Troy Franklin was a consensus four-star receiver and highly sought-after recruit from Menlo-Atherton High School in Palo Alto, California. As a running back and wide receiver, Franklin led his team to a state championship as a sophomore. He took home a number of accolades during his junior season, finishing with 43 receptions, 674 yards, and nine touchdowns while playing both safety and lining up as their primary return man. Franklin’s senior season was canceled due to COVID, but he was able to build off his early high school success the moment he stepped on the field at the University of Oregon.

As a freshman, Franklin played in every game as a rotational piece. He finished the season with 18 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns. His best game came against Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl, where he recorded four catches for 65 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown reception.

During his sophomore season, Franklin received a new quarterback and was able to start showing why he was so highly recruited. Bo Nix transferred from Auburn University and immediately set the Pac-12 on fire. Franklin was a big reason why. He started all 13 games and led Oregon in all major receiving categories. He finished with nearly 900 yards and double-digit touchdowns. The Associated Press voted him all-Pac-12 second-team. He made one of the biggest plays in a 28-27 comeback win against North Carolina in the 2022 Holiday Bowl when he caught a touchdown late in the fourth to get the Ducks back in the game.

This past year, Franklin set most of the major receiving records at Oregon. He set the single-season receiving yards record with 1,383, set the bar with 14 receiving touchdowns, and also became the all-time leader in receiving touchdowns at Oregon with 25. Considering Oregon's offensive prowess as a program, Franklin’s marks are truly extraordinary. He took home a gluttony of awards including all-Pac-12 first-team and second-team all-American while being the number one receiver for Heisman finalist Bo Nix. He was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award given to the nation’s top WR.

Positional Skills:

Strengths

Franklin is tall, fast, and productive. Oregon’s offense is built for the explosive play, but it would not have been as well-oiled without Franklin stressing opposing defenses. He excels at creating space with his long, smooth strides. He has plenty of speed to get over the top, winning most of his deep routes on posts or corners against off-coverage. After the catch, Franklin drifts through the secondary, gliding and sliding past would-be tacklers with ease.

Perhaps his most impressive ability is at the line of scrimmage and out of breaks. Franklin was king of the comeback route for the Ducks. He excelled at pushing the defender upfield before cutting back to open an easy lane for Nix. Franklin shows a natural feel for the game and has worked on his body positioning to wall off defenders at the catch point. Franklin should be viewed as an instant WR2 compliment with the upside for more.

Weaknesses

Franklin posted absurd numbers in his final year at Oregon, but there are concerns with his technique and physique. Faster than quick, Franklin really needs to build up speed to break off explosive plays. In the Oregon offense, he was able to find a lot of space, so he had less contested catch opportunities than many other top prospects. Although his long frame allowed him to create separation from defenders, Franklin could work on making more hand catches away from his body. He showed good positioning when open downfield, but tracking the deep ball could be an issue as a speedster at the next level.

Although Franklin is tall with a large catch radius, he may struggle with the physicality of NFL cornerbacks. He will certainly face more press coverage than he did at Oregon. Corners will have the ability to disrupt his build-up speed. He lacks the lower body strength to fight through tackles, typically running away from defenders rather than through them.

Fit with the Packers:

You could ask ten different Packers’ fans and get ten different answers for how they view the receiver depth on this team. Some are clamoring for an aggressive Tee Higgins trade. Others want to avoid the position this year to keep developing the chemistry with the current core. I believe Brian Gutekunst lies somewhere in between.

After years of begging the Packers front office to take a receiver in the first round (still a bit shocked about Jaxon Smith-Njigba from last year), many fans have come around on believing in this young group of wide receivers. Franklin is projected to come off the board on day two. The Packers have other needs but also a plethora of draft capital, especially in rounds two and three. Why stop what has been working? Let’s continue taking shots in the middle rounds to ensure Jordan Love has a stable group that can withstand injury and provide more versatility.

Franklin looks like a Packer to me. He’s definitely on the leaner side, but his combination of length and explosiveness should be very intriguing. Franklin specializes in deep crossers over the middle of the field and quick routes off the line of scrimmage. He would be a great fit for Lafleur's offense. If he can add some weight to compliment his frame, Franklin could challenge for playing time in year one. He may be a bit redundant for the current skill sets on the roster, but Franklin has the fluidity, production, and athleticism to become the next in a long line of day two wide receivers.

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