Colorado wide receiver LaJohntay Wester has flashed with his elite movement skills and return upside, but how does his full NFL scouting report look?
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Overview, Film Analysis, And 2025 Scouting Report Of Colorado WR LaJohntay Wester
Measurables:
5’10”
163 lbs
Player Background:
LaJohntay Wester was an unranked wide receiver prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, enrolling at Florida Atlantic. Surprisingly, he worked his way onto the field in short bursts during the team’s seven games. In those games, he caught 17 passes for just over 115 yards and one touchdown, rushing for 34 yards on eight carries. His role expanded in a big way to begin the 2021 season, amassing 731 total yards on 70 touches and scoring four times.
He produced a similar 2022, elevating his performance in the scoring and rushing category. Wester snagged 62 passes for 719 yards and 8 TDs, rushing 15 times for 106 yards and a touchdown. His best statistical collegiate season came in 2023, totaling over 1,200 all-purpose yards and nine scores. He transferred to Colorado that offseason as a three-star prospect, and put up 931 yards and 10 scores in his lone season there.
Accolades:
Freshman All-Conference USA (2020)
Honorable Mention All-Conference USA (2022)
First Team All-AAC (2023)
AAC Special Teams POTY (2023)
Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
Much of Wester’s strengths are on par with most undersized wideouts with similar profiles. Mainly being nightmare-ish to face start-and-stop abilities and unreal slipperiness. He moves at a million miles a second when in space and can balance sharp lateral cuts while maintaining his downfield momentum. His hips are fluid and flip effortlessly in any direction he wants. His best routes come when cutting to the inside, with twitchy all-around movement and staying within his base.
He never looks uncomfortable in space, either on routes or after the catch, and he is such a clean athlete. Wester has a good zone feel on turn-and-read routes, and he alters his plan to get more space. He won’t tense up when approaching contact on routes and is always ready to adjust and stay active. He changes his momentum easily after the catch and can line up in a few different positions to make defenses work in the short game. His experience in the return game is also notable, offering teams tons of upside on special teams.
Weaknesses/Cons:
In a word, Wester’s all-around game is limited. He can only play in the slot, and physical defense can take him out of plays in an instant. He’s lighter than just about every receiver in the NFL, and it absolutely shows on tape. While he does work well in space, he’ll have to be specifically schemed in a way where he entirely avoids contact, which is not an easy thing to do. Another downside to his size restrictions is that he’s an incredibly short strider and won’t outpace many DBs with long speed.
Wester isn’t without his issues as a route runner. He telegraphs sit-down routes way too much and doesn’t play them with the same burst and quickness. His footwork gets too long-winded on longer releases and tends to throw his body around way too much. He needs to create more on extended or broken plays, often sitting back and watching instead of working open. Contact as a ball carrier is an obvious obstacle, and he goes down very easily. It also goes without saying that he’s a blocking liability in any position.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
There’s a place for Wester in the NFL, but like many short-and-small wideouts, the idea of him is much more desirable than his actual projection. He’s bound to be a fan favorite for his game-breaking skills in the next installment of Madden NFL, but his low level of physicality will severely limit his real-life ceiling. He’s dangerous in space and can fool defenders with his routes, but only in short doses. He doesn’t have the speed of Dallas Cowboys’ All-Pro KaVontae Turpin, but his play style and build could entice teams to recreate him in the aggregate.
Prospect Grade:
Early-to-Mid 6th Round
Film Exposures:
2024 vs. Oklahoma State
2024 vs. Kansas State
2024 vs. Kansas
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images