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USATSI

FORT LAUDERDALE -- Tony Villani and Matt Gates have been training incoming rookies for the NFL Combine for over 20 years. The duo behind XPE Sports in Fort Lauderdale had another impressive group of players this season, including some potential future Fantasy stars like Jordan Addison and Jamhyr Gibbs.

I recently spent some time at XPE Sports with Villani, and we talked about most of the top offensive players he worked with. Here's what Villani had to say about these guys prior to the NFL Draft.

Jordan Addison, WR, USC

Villani on Addison: "One of the smoothest receivers we've ever seen. Everyone wants a receiver to be 4.3 (40-yard dash). He's not a 4.3. He's a 4.4. Those are the best receivers that are 4.4 and in control of their body. That's exactly who he is. He kind of runs routes like an old-school receiver. Even though he's little and has good shiftiness, he gets into his routes fast and gets open fast. He's so efficient in his routes. Jordan has the shiftiness of a new-school receiver, but he gets into his route like an old-school guy and is open. Very quiet demeanor, which is amazing for a small receiver who can score so much. You expect him to be much more demonstrative. He comes in and is quiet and studies and gets his work done. It's kind of amazing to have a receiver who is so quiet in training but so loud on the field."

Jamhyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama

  • 2022 stats: 151 carries, 926 yards, seven touchdowns; 44 catches, 444 yards, three touchdowns
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 2
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Saints, Cowboys, Bengals, Chargers

Villani on Gibbs: "Sometimes we need to fabricate a 4.3 on a guy. We didn't need to fabricate it on him. He almost had it when he showed up. We just made sure he did it at Indy. Where he's special is when he decides to put on his go personality when he does positional drills and runs routes. He just looks extra special when he does that. That's what's hard to be 4.3 in a running back body and also be good at movement. Sometimes those 4.3s in a running back body are too fast as they're in it. He is so fast, so smooth, it's pretty special."  

I also asked Villani what kind of role he envisioned for Gibbs. Villani said, "I think he'll start out as a specialty back, but when those guys start hitting home runs in the NFL, they get them on the field on first and second down. He's definitely a first- and second-down back. But you know every team wants two good running backs. If it's not 1A then he'll be 1B right from the beginning."

Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina

  • 2022 stats: 94 catches, 1,029 yards, 11 touchdowns
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 2
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Titans, Packers, Vikings, Chiefs

Villani on Downs: "He's a power-packed kid. He's going to jump 40 inches, 11 feet, can run a low 4.4, high 4.3. He's a coach's son. He's so genetically gifted and so mentally dialed in, it's a rare combination. I like him a lot. He's top of the top of the genetic testing, besides his height and weight. And he's top of the top of mentality. I'm excited to see him. Jordan Addison isn't surprising people. Nobody is talking about Josh Downs. I think he'll surprise people."

A.T. Perry, WR, Wake Forest

  • 2022 stats: 81 catches, 1,096 yards, 11 touchdowns
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 3
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Ravens, Chargers, Giants, Chiefs

Villani on Perry: "Long, just explosive, faster than they thought receiver with great agility. You can't overlook a guy with that length that can run that fast and explode and have good agility. People have him ranked pretty high, and I think he deserves it. He's as good as any big-time receiver. He catches the ball well. If he mentally grabs a hold of it then I think he can be real good. ... A.T. doesn't even look like he's running fast, and it's a 4.4. In the NFL, his target radius has to be massive."

Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn

  • 2022 stats: 179 carries, 970 yards, 10 touchdowns; 30 catches, 180 yards
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 3
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Cardinals, Eagles, Bengals, Chargers

Villani on Bigsby: "Such a hard worker. You love the kid emotionally because he works so hard. He works so hard for himself, and he honestly works so hard for you. He just wants to be so good. ... He's pretty fast for 210 pounds. He'll be better in the pros than he ever was at Auburn. ... Physical. He'll put his head through a brick wall because he wants to. He's got that look in his eyes where he's looking through you with intensity, but he's also listening to you."

Nathaniel "Tank" Dell, WR, Houston

  • 2022 stats: 109 catches, 1,398 yards, 17 touchdowns
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 4
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Chiefs, Bills, Packers, Titans

Villani on Dell: "Another good one that we love is Tank Dell. Everyone looks at these receivers, and they want them to be 4.3s at this time of year. But 4.4 is fast, and that's what Tank Dell is. He looks like he's a 4.2 because of his breaking and re-acceleration. Now he's a saucy kid. But you think this saucy kid is going to have this arrogant personality, but he's the most humble, hard-working guy there is. ... He's a smaller receiver. He's like a little pitbull."

Chase Brown, RB, Illinois

  • 2022 stats: 328 carries, 1,643 yards, 10 touchdowns; 27 catches, 240 yards, three touchdowns
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 4
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Buccaneers, Bears, Bengals, Falcons

Villani on Brown: "Ninja Turtle. Just muscles all over the place. He's going to run his head through a wall like Bigsby. But he's going to do it with a smile. Chase is kind of like Josh Downs. He's not getting as much credit as he should, but I think he's the top of the top. He's as mentally dialed in as he is physically, and physically he's got it all."

DeWayne McBride, RB, UAB

  • 2022 stats: 223 carries, 1,713 yards, 19 touchdowns; two catches, 10 yards
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 4
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Cowboys, Cardinals, Falcons, Bills

Villani on McBride: "He's a pitbull. He's even like more looking through your eyes than Tank Bigsby. He's the type that just wants to run the effing ball. That's what you get out of him. I like him a lot."

Kenny McIntosh, RB, Georgia

  • 2022 stats: 149 carries, 829 yards, 10 touchdowns; 43 catches, 505 yards, two touchdowns
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 5
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Eagles, Bengals, Commanders, Patriots

Villani on McIntosh: "He's a 4.55 running back or better. For his size, very smooth routes. Just a very smooth moving running back that understands the game."

Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR, West Virginia

  • 2022 stats: 62 catches, 675 yards, seven touchdowns
  • Projected Draft Round: Round 6
  • Best Fantasy Football landing spot: Vikings, Steelers, Texans, Patriots

Villani on Ford-Wheaton: "He had numbers better than DK Metcalf. He is so big and so explosive. I'm just interested to see what he does. I don't know if he can be DK Metcalf special, but he has the physical attributes like DK Metcalf, so we'll see."