Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, WGR will provide profiles on some players that could be a good fit for the Buffalo Bills at positions of need.
As we continue to focus on wide receiver this week, this profile will feature Jaylin Noel, who was part of one of the best wide receiving tandems in college football last season.
Noel and Jayden Higgins, another top wide receiver prospect in this draft, both topped 1,000 yards while playing for the Iowa State Cyclones in 2024.
In the era of the transfer portal, Noel is a rarity, having spent his entire college career with the same program.
The senior from Kansas City improved in each of his four seasons in Ames, Iowa. His best year was last season, where Noel had 80 catches for 1,194 yards and eight touchdowns.
The four-year totals for the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Noel were 244 receptions, 2,851 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was used mostly in the slot in the Cyclones' offense.
In terms of honors, Noel was Second-Team All-Big 12 in 2023.
In addition to his work at wide receiver, Noel also returned kicks and punts. Last season, he was named Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year after averaging 17 yards on kick returns and 15 yards on punt returns.
A co-captain in 2023 and 2024, Noel ended his career with a 46-game catch streak, and left Iowa State second all-time in receptions and fourth in receiving yards, as well as touchdowns.
At the NFL Combine, Noel ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, and had a 41.5-inch vertical jump.
Here is what Joe Marino from the “Locked on Bills” and “Locked on NFL Scouting” podcasts has to say about Noel:
Positives:
Jaylin Noel has that dog in him.
I don't think I've ever seen a slot receiver that wins vertically quite to the degree that Noel did at Iowa State. He was able to work slot fades, work seam shots deep over his go balls, and it provided a very unique vertical element from the slot.
I think he's an extremely diverse route runner, who can run the entire route tree in a variety of ways. A fearless competitor, Noel really gets after people with the ball in his hands, working the middle of the field. He'll go up in a crowd, he knows he's going to take a hit, and will not back down from anything.
Super competitive, very good with the ball in his hands, creative, physical, twitchy as a runner, and he gives you a pretty robust experience as a kick and punt returner.
Concerns:
He's got short arms and small hands, fourth percentile arm length and ninth percentile hand size. Now that hasn't really led to drops in college, but everything's a little tougher in the NFL, and the margin for error is reduced. I think those physical traits are not alarming, but something to be mindful of.
Then, is he a slot only player? 73% of his career snaps have come from the slot. I think he has a profile to win on the outside, but he'll have to prove that he can.
WGR will provide full coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft during all seven rounds, starting Thursday, April 24 and continuing through Saturday, April 26.
Related
