Comparing Freddie Swain’s 40 Time To Eagles Slot WRs

The Philadelphia Eagles recently acquired wide receiver Freddie Swain after he was cut by the Miami Dolphins in training camp.

Swain will join the Eagles roster ahead of the team’s final preseason tilt versus the Indianapolis Colts. 

The former sixth-round pick was surprisingly productive during his time in Seattle, catching 38 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons. During his time with the Seahawks, Swain played alongside both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. 

As a result, he was forced into the slot, often playing the third or fourth wide receiver role in the Seattle offense, but he still found a way to make plays. His best year came in 2021 when he had a knack for making big plays and finding the end zone. 

Swain finished that season with career-highs in catches (25), targets (40), yards (343), and touchdowns (four). 

Last season, Denver signed Swain off of the Dolphins’ practice squad but his reunion with QB Russell Wilson in Denver didn’t work out. He finished with just four catches for 76 yards in limited action.

Comparing Freddie Swain’s 40 Time To Eagles’ Slot WRs

Now that the three-year NFL veteran is wearing an Eagles’ uniform, what exactly does Swain bring to Philadelphia?

Swain is a deep threat and has averaged a healthy 13.7 yards per catch during his NFL career. 

While he isn’t as fast as fellow slot receiver Quez Watkins, who was measured with a 40-time of 4.35 seconds at the NFL Combine, Swain still offers excellent speed down the seams. 

The former Florida product was measured with an unofficial 40-time of 4.46 seconds at the 2020 NFL Combine, and at 6 feet tall, he offers a bit more size in the slot than Olamide Zaccheaus (5-foot-8). 

Compare all three receivers 40 times using the chart below.

Freddie Swain NFL Combine Results

Eagles fans can get a more complete picture of Freddie Swain’s athleticism by taking a look back at his NFL Combine results. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Swain produced an overall athleticism score of 67, which ranked 26th among all WR prospects in 2020.

Check out Swain’s 40-time and more below.

What NFL Scouts Were Saying About Freddie Swain?

Here is what NFL.com scout Lance Zierlein had to say about Swain coming out of Florida.

Intriguing height-weight-speed slot prospect with potential to challenge the field on all three levels. Swain is a freestyle route runner with a lack of attention to detail and an addiction to a skip-stutter that is both predictable and inefficient. He needs to play faster underneath and with more physicality to improve his contested catch percentage. He has some suddenness that is waiting to be unlocked with more focused route-running. When his punt-return talent is added to the mix, there are enough checkmarks to believe Swain has a shot to be a Day 3 selection and a player who can win a roster spot at some point.

Strengths

• Good combination of size and speed at slot
• Early burst creates advantage for receiver screens
• Quick stop-and-open to snap off drive routes
• Reliable hands over last two seasons
• Quick pluck-and-tuck technique after catch
• Drops, cradles and rescues underthrown passes
• Shows ability to access additional speed when needed
• Slick with his footwork
• Controlled gather-and-cut to elude tacklers in open field
• Quality punt-return option

Weaknesses

• Body catching could turn off some teams
• Needs to show better fight inside the route against physical coverage
• Route-running is more free-style than focused
• Uses same, predictable hop-step into breaks
• Salesmanship to stem coverage off-balance is missing
• Too much drift and coast out of his breaks
• Allows easier intrusion into passing lane for coverage
• Poor job of boxing out defender and finishing contested catches