His team was trailing by 22 points, but the competitive fire for Houston wide receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell remained.
Dell’s athletic prowess and intuition, despite his size, will set him up to stand out in the NFL. The 2021 American Athletic Conference championship was proof.
Cincinnati was well on its way to defeating the Cougars, and the situation looked even more dire as Houston was facing a third and 14 on its own 39-yard line.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
The Cougars drew up a quick pass to Dell out in the perimeter. For a moment, it appeared he couldn’t be stopped.
He stutter-stepped in front of one opponent, evading that tackle. Then he spun away from a second defender. Then he juked out another, finding clearance in the middle of the field.
He was finally pushed out of bounds at the opposite 8-yard line. The 53-yard gain set Houston up for its final score of the contest.
Dell can make people miss with ease. He can make contested catches over the middle. And he can flat-out burn cornerbacks down the field.
Tank Dell Stats and Highlights
Dell caught 211 passes for 2,904 yards and 28 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Cougars. He also returned nine punts for 153 yards and a score in 2022.
Last season, he was named a second-team All-American by several outlets and was a first-team All-AAC choice. He led the country with 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns while ranking second with 109 catches.
In the Independence Bowl, his final game with Houston, he caught two touchdowns against Louisiana, including a go-ahead score with 20 seconds to go.
Tank Dell’s Height Point of Concern
Dell was measured at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds at the NFL Combine. But his skill he’s displayed on tape should prevent him from dropping beyond the third round.
How Dell would handle press coverage against bigger, more physical cornerbacks is a major concern related to his size. There’s some truth to that.
In college, many corners were so worried about Dell burning them deep that they didn’t line up in his face at the line of scrimmage. That won’t be the case in the NFL.
However, Dell’s footwork was so fast yet deliberate in college that pressing him was tough.
In the 2021 AAC title game, Houston was looking at a fourth and 3 on Cincinnati’s 32 early in the second quarter. Sauce Gardner, now one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL after his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign, was across from him.
Dell ran from the left side of the formation to the right on an underneath route, and Gardner couldn’t catch up. Dell found a space in the opposite flat, caught the short pass and ran for a first down.
Dell won’t be the fastest athlete on an NFL field. His 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the combine was middle-of-the-pack among wide receivers.
But he might be among the quickest off the line of scrimmage. His 10-yard split of 1.49 seconds was the third-fastest at the combine.
He showcased that agility and an uncanny instinct often, like when he made multiple defenders whiff in a cramped space on his punt return for a touchdown in 2022.
According to Pro Football Focus, Dell was ninth in the country with 530 yards after catch. He was also tied for 11th with 19 missed tackles forced after reception.
Dell plays with a larger catch radius than his height would indicate. He tracks down the ball well, and his impressive change-of-direction skills help him adjust when the ball is in the air.
He also ran all sorts of routes – underneath, outs to the sidelines and streaks – and was willing to go up for catches over the middle.
In a game against UTSA, Houston had just scored and was going for a two-point conversion in double overtime. Dell proved how devastating he can be in the red zone.
From the slot, he hesitated for a split second after the snap. Before a defender could put a hand on him, Dell broke to the outside. The ball was already on the way at this point.
With two opponents around him, Dell hauled in the pass and kept one foot inbounds.
Dell may be 5-8, but he can be a versatile asset for several NFL offenses.
