Jalen Royals is an explosive and dynamic playmaker and is projected to be picked in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Where did Royals go to school? How did he climb draft boards? Here’s everything you need to know about the star prospect and his journey to the NFL.
How Tall Is Jalen Royals?
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Royals measured exactly 6’0″.. For comparison, the average NFL wide receiver in the 2024 season stood at 6 feet, 0.528 inches.
The tallest active receiver in the league is Johnny Wilson of the Philadelphia Eagles at 6’6 “, while the shortest is Deonte Harty at 5’6”.
How Much Does Royals Weigh?
Royals weighed in at 205 pounds — slightly above the average for NFL receivers, which is approximately 200 pounds. He brings excellent speed, quickness, and burst to the table, along with the ability to elevate above defenders.
How Old Is Royals?
Born on Feb. 18, 2003, Royals is 22 years old. In a draft class trending older, he sits on the younger side of the spectrum.
Who Are Royals’ Parents?
Royals was born to DeAndre and Tiombe Royals. While not much is publicly known about his mother, his father, DeAndre, attended Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and has worked with the Remarkable Youth Project. According to his LinkedIn profile, he currently serves as a Judicial Expeditor for Fulton County Superior Court.
What School Did Royals Go To?
A native of Powder Springs, Georgia, Royals attended Hillgrove High School, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track and field. Despite his versatility, he wasn’t heavily recruited coming out of high school.
As a senior, Royals recorded 26 catches for 455 yards and four touchdowns. He went on to enroll at Georgia Military College for the 2021 season.
Revisiting Royals’ College Career
At Georgia Military, Royals logged just seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. However, his performance at a Utah State camp earned him a scholarship offer, and he joined the program the following season.
He appeared in 12 games his first year with Utah State but had a limited role offensively.
That changed in 2023. Royals broke out with 1,080 receiving yards and set a school record with 15 receiving touchdowns.
In his final college season, Royals was on pace for another big year before a midseason foot injury shortened his campaign. He still finished with 834 yards and six touchdowns.
How Fast Was Royals’ 40-Yard Dash?
Royals posted an impressive 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His 10-yard split came in at 1.49 seconds.
Royals’ NFL Outlook and Scouting Report
Here’s what PFSN’s Brentley Weissman wrote in his scouting report on Royals:
“Royals is a dynamic playmaker whom NFL teams will surely covet in this year’s NFL Draft. He is just a two-year starter at the collegiate level, but he made the most of his two seasons and was prolific as a junior, leading all FBS players in receiving touchdowns.
“Royals was primarily an outside receiver at Utah State but was moved around the formation to create favorable match-up opportunities to get the ball into his hands.
“A highly explosive athlete, Royals is at his best when he is working vertically down the field or when he has the ball in his hands. He offers excellent speed, quickness, and burst, and he also has the ability to leap and elevate himself above the defenders. He has just average size but really good play strength.
“Royals has excellent straight-line speed and acceleration. He fires off the line of scrimmage and attacks the defensive back and eats up cushion in a hurry. One of my favorite things about Royals is how aggressive he is through the stem and how he is able to make the corner respect the vertical threat with every rep. This allows Royals to then quickly cut off his route and break in or out and leave the corner in his pedal, creating easy separation.
“He routinely won vertically down the field and showed the ability to locate and play the ball over his shoulder. Royals is an above-average overall route runner and can create separation both vertically and laterally. There are times when he rounds his route at the break point and will need to be more concise at the next level.
“A true playmaker, Royals is outstanding with the ball in his hands and a threat to score whenever he touches the football. He is a highly instinctual player who has a good feel for space and where defenders are on the field. This allows him to naturally evade defenders in the open field and run to daylight. He is a densely built player who can bounce off contact and doesn’t allow defenders to work through him back to the football.
“Utah State would often use him on quick hitters such as tunnel screens and quick slants just to get the ball in his hands and let him create. He has very good quickness and lateral agility and can make defenders miss with ease. He is one of the few players who can create a big play when one isn’t there,, and defensive coordinators will be up late worrying about the Royals” ability to turn nothing into something.
“Overall, Royals projects as a number two receiver who can play outside or in the slot. Creative offensive coordinators will love his ability to win at all levels of the field and will certainly want to get the ball into his hands early and often.“
