Aaron Anderson Scouting Report
Aaron Anderson is a versatile offensive weapon who makes electric plays using his explosiveness, vision, and crafty route running.
Draft Grade: Round 3 – Adequate Starter
Strengths:
Quick Accelerator: Anderson reaches top speed quickly, allowing him to separate from defenders.
Route Running: From the slot, Anderson does a good job of running detailed and precise routes to get open.
RAC: With the ball in his hands, Anderson shows off his elusiveness and quickness. He makes defenders miss and quickly accelerates to create big plays.
Toughness: Anderson is willing to make difficult catches in traffic, absorbing big hits. He will also fight to pick up extra yardage.
Concerns:
Role-Specific: Anderson has limited size, which may relegate him to only being a slot receiver in the NFL.
Concentration Drops: Anderson needs to work to reduce untimely drops. Anderson appears to take his eyes off the football and begin his run-after-catch process before actually fully securing the football.
Aaron Anderson Summary/Projection:
Aaron Anderson is a fourth-year prospect who made a reputation for himself as one of the nation’s most electric players following a breakout 2024 season—his most productive yet. He hauled in 61 catches for 884 yards and five touchdowns. Anderson is a receiver who primarily aligns in the slot and utilizes his explosiveness, quickness, and natural instincts to get open and create plays offensively. He can also be a high-level special teams contributor as both a kick returner and punt returner.
Evaluating Anderson, there are many elements of his game to like. Pre-snap, he can be deployed as a traditional slot receiver or used in motion to execute jet sweeps, orbit motions, and other movement-based concepts that help throw the defense off and add a layer of pre-snap creativity to an offense. From the slot, Anderson executes many facets of the position at a high level. From pre-snap to post-snap, he appears to be a high-IQ player who uses the information available to him to his advantage. At the snap, Anderson can vary his tempo based on defensive coverages—either exploding off the ball or slowing his pace to manipulate defenders.
As a route runner, Anderson is precise, with the ability to accelerate and decelerate instantly. He can effectively run the full route tree, showing exceptional quickness in the short to intermediate areas of the field. He understands leverage and uses proper stemming techniques on deeper routes. Anderson also attacks angles and uses head fakes to put defenders in difficult positions.
After the catch is another standout trait. With the ball in his hands, Anderson has an array of elusive lateral cuts to make defenders miss. His explosiveness and acceleration make him a tough tackle. He also has a compact frame, which helps him run through contact, and he displays good overall contact balance. Anderson has excellent vision and consistently finds daylight, weaving through defenders and creating his own opportunities. He’s the type of player offensive coordinators should design touches for in space—because when he gets the ball, explosive plays can follow.
The main area of concern for Anderson is his size. As an undersized receiver, he may be limited to playing primarily in the slot at the next level. His smaller frame also reduces his catch radius and may make quarterbacks hesitant to target him on contested 50/50 throws with confidence.