New Orleans Saints wide receivers coach Kodi Burns was spotted at Iowa State’s pro day on Tuesday, per Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline. Most of the attention was directed towards Cyclones pass rusher Will McDonald IV, but the Saints were looking out for wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson. He’s leaving Iowa State with the school record for career receptions (254), ranking third in all-time receiving yardage behind Allen Lazard (3,360) and former Saints undrafted free agent Todd Blythe (3,096).
It’s easy to see what caught their eye; Hutchinson shares a lot of similarities with Jarvis Landry though he’s bigger (6-foot-1 7/8 and 203 pounds, with 31 3/8-inch arms and a 74 7/8-inch wingspan) and faster (having timed the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, with an impressive 10-yard split at 1.58 seconds). But like Landry, Hutchinson does his best work underneath coverage making tough, physical catches with defenders crashing down on him.
Per Pro Football Focus charting, Hutchinson has caught 31 of his 64 contested targets the last three years, which has been a point of emphasis by Saints head coach Dennis Allen in reflecting on what the offense missed last season. Hutchinson has a great catch rate at 70.9% but he doesn’t offer much of a vertical threat, having an average depth of target at just 9.2 yards. He’s converted a first down on 57.1% of his receptions.
For comparison, last year Chris Olave caught 63.2% of his targets at an average depth of 14.9 yards, converting a first down on 66.7% of his looks. Stylistically they’ve seen very different usage for their teams. Now contrast that with Landry’s stats with the Saints last season, who was admittedly slowed by injury: a catch rate of 67.6% and an average depth of target at 9.6 yards, with a first-down conversion rate of 48%. There’s a clear role for Hutchinson in the New Orleans offense.
We’ll see if he’s available on draft day. Right now Hutchinson is projected to be picked in the third or fourth round, where the Saints are scheduled to pick at Nos. 71 and 115, respectively. We’ll keep an eye out for any more contact between Hutchinson and New Orleans in the weeks leading up to the 2023 NFL draft.
