Boise State wide receivers Khalil Shakir did exactly what every NFL draft nominee wants to do at the Senior Bowl: end the week with an amazing workout. In the final Thursday session before Saturday’s game, Shakir was the star of the national team.
Shakir displayed his trademark stop-and-start, quick-twitch route running and was invincible at times. At one point Thursday, Shakir scored three straight touchdowns.
Shakir is making a name for himself as a high quality slot receiver in the NFL. His close-range separation is top-notch, setting him apart from the other receivers in his roster on Thursday.
It’s an encouraging and well-timed outburst for Shakir, who started Senior Bowl week as one of the more disappointing receivers. On Tuesday, Shakir looked surprisingly sluggish and slow. Two days later he was the best skill player on the field.
Shakir finished the 2021 season with 77 catches for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a consistent touchdown scorer at Boise State, finishing his career with 20 points, including 19 in the last three years.
Shakir entered the Senior Bowl as a slightly under-the-radar prospect evaluated by TDN’s Drae Harris in the fifth round. He is also ranked No. 110 in TDN’s current 2022 NFL draft rankings. It’s a fair mark and placement for a player whose low-cut frame and 29-inch arms aren’t considered a premier wide receiver in the NFL, but he’s proven over the past two days of practice that his movie deserves a second to see . Separation is king in the NFL, and Shakir is a wide receiver more than capable of generating much of it.
The Senior Bowl is only part of a player’s NFL draft rating, but for a guy like Shakir, it can matter. He’s gotten better with every practice session and that’s important for coaches and scouts. If he has a big game on Saturday, his stocks will rise sharply, and he could go from being a one-note player on day three to a real third-round target for teams looking to upgrade in the slot.
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