Arkansas WR Matt Landers impresses scouts at 2023 NFL Combine
The 2023 NFL Combine took place over the weekend in Indianapolis and five former Arkansas Razorbacks were in attendance.
Linebacker Drew Sanders, wide receivers Jadon Haselwood and Matt Landers and offensive linemen Dalton Wagner and Ricky Stromberg all participated in drills over the weekend in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams.
Matt Landers was projected to be a mid-to-late round pick in April’s draft after his lone season at Arkansas, but after this weekend he may have helped his draft stock. Landers turned heads by running the third-fastest 40-yard dash time among wide receivers. He even got a shoutout from the NFL’s official Twitter account after his second attempt.
.@RazorbackFB WR Matt Landers with a 4.37u…
And looks like he didn't even break a sweat. 😅
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/WsGbxBBG6e— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2023
In his only season with the Razorbacks, Landers became a favorite target for quarterback KJ Jefferson and finished the year with 47 receptions for 901 yards and eight touchdowns. With his 6-foot-4 frame and blazing quick speed, it’s hard to see a team not taking a chance on Landers much earlier than expected.
Here’s all of his official results from the 2023 NFL Combine over the weekend. NOTE: Landers did not participate in the 3-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle or bench press
Measurables
(Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski – USA TODAY Sports)
Height: 6′ 4″
Weight: 200 lbs
Arm: 32 1/2″
Hand: 9 1/4″
40-yard dash
(Photo by Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports)
Official Time: 4.37
Not only does Landers have impressive size for a wide receiver, but he showed that he has the speed to go with it. His 40-yard dash time was the third fastest among receivers and the ninth best time in the enter combine.
The fastest time by a receiver belonged to Trey Palmer from Nebraska, who was officially recorded at 4.33 seconds. As for the fastest time overall, that belonged to Michigan defensive back DJ Turner II, who was clocked at an impressive 4.26 seconds.
10-yard split
(Photo by Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports)
Official split time: 1.51
Despite having the third fastest time among receivers, Landers was a little further back when it came to the first 10 yards of his 40-yard dash. This measurement is supposed to be a more accurate representation of “football speed.” Landers was tied with six other receivers for the eighth fastest split times among the position group. Some notable names that Landers was tied with included Trey Palmer from Nebraska and Tyler Scott from Cincinnati.
The fastest split time among receivers went to TCU’s Derius Davis, whose 1.46 seconds was the fastest overall as well.
Vertical jump
(Photo by Stacy Revere – Getty Images)
Official record: 37″
The vertical jump was more a struggle for Landers compared to the 40-yard dash. His recorded jump tied for just 15th among receivers. He actually tied with his Arkansas teammate Jadon Haselwood along with Cedric Tillman of Tennessee and Michael Jefferson from Louisiana.
West Virginia’s Bryce Ford-Wheaton and SMU’s Rashee Rice both recorded 41″ jumps which were the best among receivers. Safety Jartavius Martin of Illinois recorded the best overall vertical jump at 44″.
Broad jump
(Photo by Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports)
Official distance: 10′ 10″
The broad jump went a little bit better for Landers than the vertical jump. His distance was good enough to be tied for ninth among receivers. He was tied with Dontayvion Wick of Virginia and Jalen Brooks of South Carolina.
Landers finished with a jump that was one inch further than Ole Miss receiver Jonahtan Mingo and Oklahoma’s Marvin Mims. Kansas State defensive back Julius Brents recorded the best broad jump overall at 11′ 6″ officially.
NFL Combine Grade
(Photo by Stacy Revere – Getty Images)
NFL Combine Grade: 5.87
While Landers is gifted athletically with the size and speed that it takes to be successful in the NFL, it’s other things that will hold him back. Scouts said that he showed that he can make big plays at Arkansas, but he also had issues with drops due to an unorthodox catching style and sometimes sloppy route-running. He also doesn’t have great lower body strength which leads to him being easily rerouted by defensive backs and struggling to get run after catch yards.
NFL’s NextGen scoring model uses historical NFL Combine, pro day and college production data to predicts a prospect’s chances of success in the NFL. Like most metrics, it’s not an exact science but it’s useful with the proper context.
Landers’ production score of 65 ranked him at 29th out of all receivers, but his athleticism score of 89 was phenomenal. He ranked third among all receivers in terms of athleticism. His total score was an average of both, 74, meaning his overall ranking was 16th among the receivers in the 2023 draft class. His prospect grade and scoring suggest that Landers is in line to be an average backup or special-teamer in the NFL.
