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The Cleveland Browns selected Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman with the 74th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Here's what you need to know about how his Fantasy stock in both season-long and Dynasty formats is affected by his landing spot.  

Tillman's Fantasy fit with Browns

When Deshaun Watson was at his best with the Texans, he took advantage of opposing defenses on the vertical plane with throws down the field. That's what I love most about Cleveland grabbing Tillman, one of the few receivers in this class with an actual frame to play the X receiver role, which will allow the Browns to keep Eli Moore in the slot.

Tillman is much faster on game tape than his 4.53 speed shows; his stride length is a big reason why. If you throw on his 2021 game film, he was the alpha dog in that offense and then he tried playing through an injury in 2022 so the production came way down. Tillman displays the ability to extend away from his frame and catch passes and to win on the vertical plane. Because he comes from that Josh Heupel system and his route tree is limited, his redraft value might be limited in Year 1. He's likely to be more of an in-season waiver wire scoop if Moore or Amari Cooper gets hurt.

Dynasty outlook

In our pre-draft rookie-only two-round SuperFlex mock draft led by Heath Cummings, Tillman came off the board with the fifth pick in Round 2 -- four picks before his teammate Jalin Hyatt. After landing with the Browns, his stock should be moving up, even if slightly so. Watson has a track record of winning in the vertical passing game and that's where Tillman wins too. His size also gives him upside in the red zone.

Cedric Tillman: What to know

Tillman has in some ways become the forgotten Tennessee wide receiver in this draft class, but just because he hasn't picked up all that much mainstream buzz yet doesn't mean NFL teams aren't more interested behind the scenes in the days leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft. They are interested. And they're interested because Tillman offers something that is a bit unique to this specific rookie draft class that features a lot of smaller, shifter, speedier receiver types -- he offers size and the ability to win at the catch point above the rim and outside of his frame. Those traits are going to be coveted in a class like this, and those traits can lead to immediate Fantasy Football success in the red zone and as a chain mover between the 20s.

Tillman's draft stock has been in part deflated due to the fact that he played through an injury during the 2022 season. During the 2021 season, Tillman was the guy in Tennessee and Hyatt played more of a Robin role to his Batman. That flipped in 2022, but was at least in part due to Tillman's injury. Tillman played through the injury and clearly wasn't the same version of himself we saw in 2021, but his presence on the field certainly helped propel Hyatt's draft stock.

Regardless of where his stock stands now, Tillman is a very intriguing wide receiver prospect in this draft class and his skill set will attract NFL teams likely starting early on Day 2 of the actual draft. It should attract Fantasy Football managers as well. We've already received the important news -- Tillman is now fully healthy.

Age as of Week 1: 22 | Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 213 | 40-time: 4.54

Comparable body-type to: Courtland Sutton

We're breaking down everything you need to know about Addison from a Fantasy manager perspective, including best fits, Dynasty outlook, measurables, scouting report, key stats and an NFL comparison.

Scouting report

Strengths

  • Tillman might be the best away-from-frame receiver in this entire draft class. If you throw the ball anywhere near his frame, he has that natural-looking ability to extend away from his frame and snatch it out of the air.
  • Physicality is my favorite part of Tillman's game. He knows how to use subtle push-offs that won't be flagged for OPI to create separation and he is strong both at the catch point and before it.
  • Massive hands (10 inches puts him in the 86th percentile among wide receivers) and they are incredibly strong at the catch point. If Tillman gets his hands on it, the pass is typically secured.
  • Wide catch radius. Tillman has 72nd percentile arm length and 81st percentile height.
  • Despite being a bigger-bodied receiver, Tillman is an explosive athlete who tested in the 86th percentile broad jump and he can also go above the rim to snag a ball with a 70th percentile vertical jump.
  • Fluid athlete for his size.
  • Tillman can sink his hips better than you'd expect from an athlete his size and that helps him get in and out of breaks on dig routes and other in and out-breaking routes.
  • Fluid in the hips and you can see this when he's breaking back to the quarterback on stick and curl routes. Tillman does a great job presenting his frame to the quarterback, and at that point it becomes very difficult for a cornerback to get in front and break up the pass.
  • Stride length is long and this helps him create separation on the vertical plane.
  • Tracking on the vertical plane is definitely a plus. Tillman is not the fastest straight-line athlete (though he's plenty fast for his size), but he does a great job winning vertically anyway in part because he can track the ball so well in the air.
  • Active and aggressive as a blocker. With his god-given frame and coaching at the NFL level, Tillman could evolve into one of the better blocking receivers in the NFL. That will help an NFL team more than your Fantasy roster, specifically in developing their outside zone or any kind of perimeter run game.
  • No one can question Tillman's toughness after playing the 2022 season through a high ankle sprain.

Concerns

  • Limited in the routes he ran after playing in the Tennessee offensive system.
  • Not the most sudden athlete by any means. We've seen bigger-bodied receivers struggle to get off press coverage at the NFL level after dominating collegiate defensive backs before (Laquon Treadwell, N'Keal Harry, Bryan Edwards).
  • Tillman comes from an offensive system that has its roots in the Art Briles system -- receivers have NOT translated to the NFL level from this system. 
  • Tillman is a projection not only because of his limited route tree and the system he played in, but also because he essentially only played on the right outside receiver role in college. Can he play the X? Can he win in the slot? These are projections.
  • Can he beat press man coverage? He faced so few snaps of press man at the collegiate level, and this will be the big question he needs to answer at the next level.

Stats


GRecReYdsAvgTD
2022113741711.33
Career24109162214.917

Other stats to know

  • 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns during his last healthy season in 2021.
  • 16.9 yards per reception in 2021.

NFL comparison

The NFL comparison that stands out for me when I watch Tillman is the same as who he compares to from a physical frame standpoint -- Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Just like Sutton, Tillman enters the NFL with a limited route tree and most of what we saw them do at the collegiate level was win with physicality, away-from-frame catches and on the vertical plane. Sutton has developed into more of a complete route runner at the NFL level and there's no reason to suggest Tillman can't do the same.