Name: D’Wayne Eskridge

School: Western Michigan

Year: rSR

Position: Wide Receiver

Measurements: Height 5’9 ⅛”, Weight 188 pounds

Stats

General Info

Eskridge was a three star prospect out of Indiana, and the no. 23 overall prospect in Indiana in 2015 out of high school. He was Bluffton High School’s all time leader in touchdowns. Eskridge was a 2015 All-State honorable mention by AP, running for 1,020 and 16 TDs. He won the 100m, 200m, and long jump at Marion boys track regional in 2015 and 2016.

In 2020, named a preseason first team All-MAC by Phil Steele. Eskridge was a member of the Paul Hornung Award watch list. He was invited to and participated in the 2021 Senior Bowl.

Positional Skills

Strengths

Dynamic is the best word to describe Western Michigan wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge. He’s the type of player teams will covet in a league built on explosive plays. Eskridge is quick off the line of scrimmage with his releases, often using a well-timed jab step to sell inside or outside and work the other way into his stem. He has great acceleration into his stem, making him a vertical threat at all times. Eskridge has very good short area quickness and agility, and he works efficiently in and out of his breaks. As a route runner, he can work to all three levels. Eskridge can create separation quickly with his burst and agility, and he separates with speed down the field. He sinks his hips well to change direction and works back to the football well. 

When it comes to catching the football, Eskridge is as reliable as they come. He’s always a hands-catcher, and never lets the football into his frame, always plucking it out of the air. His catch radius is impressive for his size, and he high points the football extremely well. While he doesn’t have the biggest frame as mentioned, he’s still comfortable working over the middle of the field and catching through contact.

Eskridge’s acceleration and long speed make him dangerous after the catch, and he can turn any play into a score. His cognitive ability to set up defenders and make them miss in space is impressive. Eskridge has the competitive toughness to be effective at the next level, especially after the catch and as a blocker.

Let’s not forget about his contribution on special teams. His long speed, burst, and experience make him a threat on special teams at the next level as well.

Weaknesses

Eskridge doesn’t have a ton of weaknesses on film, but he won’t ever be the receiver to consistently win in contested spots. Bigger, longer corners will make that difficult for him. He also is a little inconsistent separating against press coverage, which may limit his role to the slot. Eskridge could also work on tracking the football more consistently when working vertically.

Fit with the Packers:

The Green Bay Packers look pretty set on their receiving core on the boundary, but Eskridge would fit very well in the slot for Green Bay at the start of his career. He has experience at running back as well, and his ability to be a home run threat after the catch and separate quickly would make him a star in Matt LaFleur’s offense. Eskridge could fit into the slot role, get reps in the backfield, and fit into the “Tyler Ervin” role. As he continues to build up his release package, he can take more and more snaps on the perimeter and become a WR2 in the offense.