Cowboys draft 2024: WR Ryan Flournoy scouting report

We continue our 2024 NFL Draft scouting reports, now reviewing players in the Dallas Cowboys rookie draft class. Today we look at sixth-round selection Ryan Flournoy from Southeast Missouri State.
Ryan Flournoy
WR
Southeast Missouri State RedHawks
Senior
6’1”
202 lbs
Hand size- 10 1/8” (81%)
Arm Length- 31 5/8” (43%)
Wingspan- 76 1/8” (44%)

History:
Ryan Flournoy was a zero-star recruit and had very little interest coming out of high school. He enrolled at Central Missouri in 2018 and redshirted his first year. The next year he registered 17 receptions for 170 yards and missed time due to an ACL injury.

In 2020, Flournoy transferred to Iowa Western Community College. In 2021, he led the team with 545 yards, five touchdowns and 38 receptions. The next year, Flournoy transferred again, this time to Southeast Missouri State. He led the Redhawks with 1,016 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 62 receptions.

In Flournoy’s final season he was named as team captain. He recorded 59 receptions for 825 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while playing in nine games. He also had four carries for 62 yards and a touchdown. He missed time due to a hand injury.

2023 Statistics:
545 Offensive snaps
96 Targets
59 Receptions
887 Yards
440 YAC
8 TDs
14.7 YPC
1 Drop
5 Penalties

NFL Combine/Pro Day:
10 Yard Split- 1.53s (67%)
40 Yard Dash- 4.44s (75%)
Vertical- 39½” (89%)
Broad- 132” (94%)
Bench- 19 reps (83%)

Awards:
First-team All-OVC (2023)
First-team All-OVC (2022)

Scorecard:
Overall- 68.1
Speed- 79
Acceleration- 82
Agility- 89
Strength- 80
Catching- 79
Route Running- 79
Deep Threat- 88
YAC- 78
Blocking- 71
Discipline- 94

THE GOOD:

• Has the size and build of a modern-day prototypical outside wide receiver
• Unbelievable athlete who has speed, power, strength and explosiveness rarely seen combined
• Excellent ability at high-pointing the ball
• Excellent versatility playing out wide, from the slot and even in the backfield and on jet-sweeps
• Good and reliable hands and is able to make the concentration catches with good consistency
• Shows elite ball tracking skills and ability to come back for the ball

THE BAD:

• Not a good route runner
• Not a lot of sharpness in his routes and rounds them off way too often
• Footwork is sloppy and doesn’t come out of breaks with good explosiveness
• Can get blanketed in press coverage easily
• Played at a low level of competition and never really got heavily challenged
• Steep learning curve entering the NFL
• Will be 25 later this season

THE FIT:
Ryan Flournoy is a dynamic and versatile receiver with a very enticing ceiling. He’s physical with good upper and lower body strength that he uses to manhandle defensive backs. His obvious athleticism jumps right out of the screen the moment you begin watching his tape. His speed and power is seen not just as a receiver, but also as a blocker and in the running game. He makes all the catches thrown across the middle and is not afraid to give himself up to make catches. His ability to jump high and play above the rim is also good and in open field he has the speed to breakaway and go for huge chunk plays.

Route running is Flournoy’s biggest weakness and it is a major flaw. He lacks any pop and explosiveness coming out of his breaks and this is mostly due to the fact he’s never needed to learn to do it as he’s able to use his athleticism to out physical the competition. By rounding off at the top off routes he’s not able to create clean separation and in the NFL where the defenders are much more athletic, this could become a serious issue. The level of competition he’s played also raises questions on how Flournoy can handle the pace and the steep learning curve he now faces to become a player trying to get on the active roster.

Overall, Flournoy is best suited as an X-type receiver in the NFL with designed plays drawn in to take advantage of his abilities to play in the backfield or on short routes. He has great ball tracking and speed to play deep downfield and is better than most in contested catch situations. He’s not going to be the highlight of any offense, but with some coaching points on route running he could easily improve to become an outside rotational receiver and be adequately productive.

COMPARISON:-
Nelson Agholor, Baltimore Ravens

GRADE:
Sixth-round grade

CONSENSUS RANKING:
207th
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services)