Clemson WR Joseph Ngata signs deal following NFL Draft
Former Clemson wide receiver Joseph Ngata is joining the lineage of Tigers at the position in the NFL: DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams, Sammy Watkins and Hunter Renfrow. And now the next stop of his football journey will be with the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft, On3’s Matt Zenitz reported on Saturday evening.
After a strong showing as a freshman — 13 games, 17 catches for 240 yards and three touchdowns — Ngata struggled to stay healthy his sophomore and junior year. He played 12 total games across those two seasons. He made his way back to full health in 2022 and played 14 games for the Tigers, catching 41 passes for 526 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
He was on the 2019 Clemson team that played in the national championship loss to LSU, though Ngata didn’t record a reception in that game while facing a defense chock full of NFL talent.
While he ultimately struggled to produce consistently in the Clemson offense, Ngata possesses size and movement skills not a lot of receivers have.
A four-star prospect in the 2019 class, the 6-foot-3 Ngata was the No. 40 overall player according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the No. 4 prospect from California in the cycle and the No. 9 rated wide receiver.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Ngata
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein sees how Ngata can win jump balls and use his size to his advantage, but doesn’t see an NFL starter. In all likelihood, he will be a practice squad or fringe roster player who contributes on special teams, according to Zierlein.
“Former five-star prospect with quality size, speed and length but an inability to separate from press-man coverage. Ngata is a smooth pass-catcher and has decent ball skills, but it takes him too long to elude press. When he gets into the route, it will be tough for him to uncover against NFL quickness and coverage talent,” Zierlein said.
Noting the positives in Ngata’s game, Zierlein focused on how Ngata uses his above-average size to win: He keeps clingy corners off him, can reach out and pluck the ball from the air with length and has “above-average hand-eye coordination working into the middle.“
The injuries that plagued Ngata in 2020 and 2021 were concerns for Zierlein, as is Ngata’s lackluster route running and separation ability. Without much explosiveness off the line or at the top of his routes, Ngata doesn’t create much separation, Zierlein noted. As such, he is likely to struggle against quicker, stronger NFL defenders who can press him at the line and blanket him down the field.