On the draft board: UTSA WR Joshua Cephus offers great routes and smart decisions

This productive wide receiver was one of the first draft prospects linked to Kansas City during the offseason.

Despite the team’s Super Bowl victory, the Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receivers largely underachieved in 2023. Although deep threat Marquise “Hollywood” Brown has been acquired in free agency, the Chiefs still need more talent. In addition, the legal situation surrounding Rashee Rice — Kansas City’s most productive wideout last season — increases the odds the team will take multiple swings at the position.

In January, we learned from a report from Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler that the Chiefs had met with University of Texas-San Antonio wide receiver Joshua Cephus at the Hula Bowl.

Here’s everything to know about Cephus.

Background

A two-star recruit out of Dekaney High School in the Houston suburb of Spring, Texas, Cephus committed to UTSA after weighing five offers. In San Antonio, he outproduced recruiters’ expectations, catching 247 passes for 2,955 yards (and 22 touchdowns) during his final three seasons with the Roadrunners.

Following his redshirt senior season, Cephus played in the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he explained to me why he was below the recruiting radar after high school.

“I would say it was probably because of me playing quarterback so long,” he recalled. “Maybe they didn’t trust that I would come in eager to learn — and be the best receiver that I could be. Really, making that transition probably made them a little nervous.”

Cephus did not put up eye-popping numbers at UTSA’s Pro Day last month. A 4.62-second 40-yard dash would normally render a wide receiver prospect undraftable. Cephus’ disappointing overall time, however, is paired with an elite 1.52-second 10-yard split. The wideout’s film suggests that a smart NFL coaching staff could find a way to use his quick burst.

Film evaluation

No one will consider Cephus a high-ceiling starter, but he is a reliable short and intermediate target — and once the ball is in his hands, he knows what to do.

This play from last season’s matchup with the University of Houston reminds us of how the Chiefs made Rice effective with solid runs after quick passes during his rookie season.

While it wasn’t usually a problem against the competition he faced at UTSA, Cephus’ lack of long speed will undoubtedly be an issue in the NFL. In his rookie season, the Chiefs sometimes deployed Rice as a gadget player — even though he had a bigger body and more solid running ability than the smaller, speedier players used in that role during previous seasons. Cephus can also fill that role — although he has less upside to develop into a complete wideout.

Still, Cephus’s poise as a pass catcher was on display during Shrine Bowl practices. He can reel in almost any pass he can get his hands on — and sometimes, it’s spectacular.

While the merits of postseason collegiate All-Star games can be debated, the Shrine Bowl gave Cephus a chance to show an almost instant knack for improvised plays.

On the first day of practice, he made a sliding catch. During the game itself, he fooled the defense on this two-point conversion attempt. He runs all the way across the end zone — allowing Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to extend the play.

How he fits the Chiefs

His underwhelming athletic testing — paired with poor collegiate competition — makes Cephus an easy prospect to discount. But last season, the NFL’s most productive rookie wideout — Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams — demonstrated that disappointing workout numbers might not tell the whole story about smart players who accounted for large proportions of their college offense’s production. Cephus’ game logs are also encouragingly consistent: there’s no noticeable drop-off against stronger competition.

Still, Cephus does not offer otherworldly speed he can use to take the top off a defense — and NFL tacklers will prove more difficult to elude than those he faced in college. He does, however, offer smart route running and decision making — and reliable hands. Per Dane Brugler of The Athletic, he posted a drop rate of just 2.8%.

And at the Shrine Bowl, Cephus acknowledged to me that what he offers as a pass blocker will be a key for landing an NFL roster spot.

“We really take blocking to a high level at UTSA,” he explained. “[Associate head coach Joe Price III] really emphasizes the blocking part. I think that goes with a culture that we have — which is selfless: just pouring into your teammates and just doing what you’re supposed to do for your teammates.”

While he may never be an NFL star, Cephus’ reliability, quick burst and ability to be in the right place at the right time give him a reasonable chance of sticking as a backup receiver at the next level. He will not singlehandedly solve Kansas City’s pass-catching woes, but he could help solidify the depth chart — especially if paired with a higher-ceiling prospect selected in the earlier rounds.

There is, however, an off-the-field issue: Cephus was cited for driving while intoxicated after a car crash in San Antonio in December of 2022. Last November, he was sentenced to 15 months of probation for the incident. With Rice’s situation fresh on their minds, the Chiefs may be less willing to look at Cephus — even as a late-round selection or undrafted free agent. But if he remains on Kansas City’s draft board, he could carve out a role — possibly even as a rookie.