Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 220 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.6 seconds
Vertical Jump: 36 inches
Broad Jump: 127 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.33 seconds
Earlier in our Rookie Profile Series, I mentioned Darrynton Evans as a “small school” player that could come out of nowhere and surprise people…I probably should have reserved my “small school” claim for this player here.
Antonio Gandy-Golden is a WR prospect out of Liberty University, which is a Division 1 FBS school.
Coming out of high school, Gandy-Golden was a 2-star prospect (per Rivals.com) and graduated at 6’4/195. He was barely recruited and chose to play at Liberty, which was going to give him the opportunity to find playing time. Since then, AGG has put on 25 pounds and has become one of the most dominant WRs at the college level…not just in the FBS.
Will AGG’s play style translate to the NFL? What’s his potential for fantasy football?
Those questions are answered here in my detailed scouting report on Antonio Gandy-Golden (ratings out of five stars):
Size/Versatility
It’s going to be hard to find players who are bigger at the WR position. Due to his size, AGG was able to absolutely dominate his competition routinely and make it look easy. When scouting players at the smaller school level, it’s important to see them dominate their competition in order to gauge how effectively they’ll jump to the NFL level. Suffice it to say, AGG did just that week in and week out…he’s purely a X-receiver at the next level though. He’s not the shiftiest player, so he’ll be asked to play on the boundaries of the formation.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Guys who are 6'4"/220 should not be able to move as well as Antonio Gandy-Golden does…
I've found my 2020 player who I will stand on the table for and he's out of Liberty University.
I'm all in. pic.twitter.com/buTvrZ28u6
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) December 14, 2019
Route Running/Ability to Separate
AGG certainly shows the promise and upside of being a great route-runner in the NFL. While he is 6’4/220, he moves so fluidly for a player of that size. This allows him to sink his hips and get in and out breaks easily and keep defenders on their toes. He’s certainly not going to be limited to just a Red Zone role, but he’s also not going to be the type of player that gets open on every single play like other WRs in this class. He shows the potential to expound on his route-running knowledge and ability, which is a good sign for his potential once he gets into the NFL.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
Biggest reason why bigger WR struggle transitioning from college to the NFL is that they lack the body twitch to beat press-man and create separation at the top of routes. @LibertyFootball WR Antonio Gandy-Golden (6035v, 222 lbs) won’t have those issues!#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/PG8BNLybDJ
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 31, 2020
Speed
Due to being 220 pounds, AGG just simply isn’t going to be the fastest man on the football field. However, as mentioned before, he carries his weight extremely well and is a very fluid athlete. He ran much better than I anticipated at the NFL Combine, but it’s simply not going to be how he wins routinely in the NFL. With that being said, he does have the necessary speed to succeed at the next level.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
Do not…
I repeat…do not forget about Antonio Gandy-Golden.@gandygolden11 is still one of my favorite receivers in this class. For reasons like this here…check out this route. pic.twitter.com/I0UKmzEVvf
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) January 20, 2020
Hands
AGG might have the best hands in this class that no one is talking about. His pure receiving ability is astonishing and some of his highlight reel catches will make your jaw drop. When watching his tape, I didn’t see a single dropped pass and instead saw several catches that the best-of-the-best NFL WRs make. AGG may not be able to separate like an Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, etc. but he can make up for it with his contested catch ability and outstanding hands.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Don’t forget about Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-Golden in this loaded WR class. He’s having a heck of a year. pic.twitter.com/w2PZJ8Lv6Z
— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) October 19, 2019
Ball-Tracking/Awareness
AGG receives another high rating for me in this category. While he can be used in the intermediate passing game as a way to help move the chains, AGG’s at his best when he’s able to be used downfield. His ability to track the ball deep is outstanding and will allow a NFL team to put him on the field week one and have him affect the game that way.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We told you to remember his name. Now, you can remember this catch by Antonio Gandy-Golden! ?
(Via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/QxoEqXPvmp
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) October 26, 2019
After the Catch
At 220 pounds, you wouldn’t expect AGG to be a great after the catch threat, but he possesses more quickness than you may realize. The play below illustrates that ability against decent competition, too.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
Antonio Gandy-Golden ?
He's not playing around.
(@gandygolden11) pic.twitter.com/cuYjGbKWQJ
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) December 14, 2019
Projected Draft Spot
At this point, the only thing holding back AGG from being a top-fledged WR prospect is the concerns over his lack of refined route-running and the competition jump. However, I personally wouldn’t be surprised to see AGG go in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He flashes tremendous upside and there are going to be plenty of teams that will covet his skillset. Depending on where he ends up, I would be on board with taking AGG in the mid-2nd of your Dynasty rookie drafts. This is one of my favorite players in this class.
NFL Comparison
As I’ve mentioned before in previous articles, I try to steer clear of true comparisons. Each prospect is their own individual player and the situation that they land in plays a huge role in the type of player that they become. With that being said, I came away from watching AGG’s film with thoughts of what it has been like watching A.J. Green. Green is 6’4/210 and ran a 4.5 40-yard dash at the Combine, while AGG is 6’4/220 and ran a 4.6. Green may be slightly more explosive, but Gandy-Golden’s ability to make the highlight reel catch is eerily similar. It’s hard to project AGG to have the same type of impact that Green has had in the NFL and I’m not going there just yet. But this should show how special of a player AGG can be and the upside that he brings to your Dynasty roster.
Click here for our complete list of NFL Draft prospect profiles.
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Kyle Yates is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Kyle, check out his archive and follow him @KyleYNFL.
