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The Kansas City Chiefs signed Florida Gators wide receiver Elijhah Badger after no teams selected him in the 2025 NFL draft. Badger finds himself in an ideal scenario to earn a roster spot and compete for snaps during the regular season.
Badger filled several roles throughout his college career. While at Arizona State from 2021-23, he ran a lot of shallow routes with complementary vertical shots sprinkled in. This allowed the Sun Devils to maximize his value breaking tackles and making defenders miss after the catch while still cashing in on his 4.43 40-yard dash speed.
Badger switched to more of a true vertical threat at Florida in 2024, averaging more than 17 yards of depth per target. He spent about a quarter of his career snaps in the slot and is comfortable operating outside at X or Z. Badger also offers some proven value returning kicks. He led the Pac-12 in kick return yards in 2023 while averaging 28.9 yards per attempt.
Badger possesses the creativity and athletic traits that made Rashee Rice a success during his rookie season. Rice thrived creating on low depth receptions, similar to Badger’s experience at Arizona State. Competition to fill this role could be crowded with Rice returning from injury and rookie fourth round pick Jalen Royals thriving on schemed touches at Utah State.
Even if Rice and Royals dominate the slot touches, Badger’s speed makes him a legitimate threat that defenses must respect downfield. He could serve as a sacrificial X receiver to clear out space underneath and save Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy from running those stamina-consuming downfield routes.
Badger also offers better height and length than Brown and Worthy, making him one of the team’s few options capable of stretching defenses vertically and winning jump balls.
Badger’s most significant limitations come from concerns off the field. The NCAA ruled him academically ineligible in 2020, and he carried some maturity concerns to Florida when he transferred from Arizona State. A back injury Badger suffered in 2023 lingered into 2024 and could have played a large role in his tumble out of the draft.
If Badger proves he’s more mature than in his early college years and his back injury doesn’t resurface, the Chiefs could walk away with this year’s best undrafted free agent signing.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs rookie WR Elijhah Badger ranks among top UDFA signings
Continue reading...
Badger filled several roles throughout his college career. While at Arizona State from 2021-23, he ran a lot of shallow routes with complementary vertical shots sprinkled in. This allowed the Sun Devils to maximize his value breaking tackles and making defenders miss after the catch while still cashing in on his 4.43 40-yard dash speed.
Badger switched to more of a true vertical threat at Florida in 2024, averaging more than 17 yards of depth per target. He spent about a quarter of his career snaps in the slot and is comfortable operating outside at X or Z. Badger also offers some proven value returning kicks. He led the Pac-12 in kick return yards in 2023 while averaging 28.9 yards per attempt.
Badger possesses the creativity and athletic traits that made Rashee Rice a success during his rookie season. Rice thrived creating on low depth receptions, similar to Badger’s experience at Arizona State. Competition to fill this role could be crowded with Rice returning from injury and rookie fourth round pick Jalen Royals thriving on schemed touches at Utah State.
Even if Rice and Royals dominate the slot touches, Badger’s speed makes him a legitimate threat that defenses must respect downfield. He could serve as a sacrificial X receiver to clear out space underneath and save Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy from running those stamina-consuming downfield routes.
Badger also offers better height and length than Brown and Worthy, making him one of the team’s few options capable of stretching defenses vertically and winning jump balls.
Badger’s most significant limitations come from concerns off the field. The NCAA ruled him academically ineligible in 2020, and he carried some maturity concerns to Florida when he transferred from Arizona State. A back injury Badger suffered in 2023 lingered into 2024 and could have played a large role in his tumble out of the draft.
If Badger proves he’s more mature than in his early college years and his back injury doesn’t resurface, the Chiefs could walk away with this year’s best undrafted free agent signing.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs rookie WR Elijhah Badger ranks among top UDFA signings
Continue reading...
