Draft Preview: WR Fehoko intrigues with record-setting pedigree
Apr. 17—Simi Fehoko has always been a record-setter.
In high school, he set Utah state records with 3,571 receiving yards and 41 touchdowns. And, in his final game at Stanford, he set school records with 16 catches and 230 yards — and the game-winning touchdown — in a 48-47 overtime thriller against UCLA.
So it should come as little surprise NFL scouts project success for the 6-foot-4, 222-pound wide receiver at the next level as well.
"They say that my skillset really fits in with a lot of their offenses that they're running," Fehoko told reporters after the Cardinal's pro day March 18. "No one in particular that I could just name off the top of my head, but they said with my size and speed I could fit in with any offense."
Fehoko put that speed on display with a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and exhibited elite agility for his size with a 6.79-second three-cone drill.
He comes from a football family. Fehoko's father, Simon, played college football at Dixie State and three cousins — Breiden, V.J. and Sam — played at Texas Tech, with Breiden later transferring to LSU.
He's also spent time this offseason working with former NFL wide receiver Ricky Proehl to refine his route running and add to his already burgeoning toolbox. Watching film, he realized dropping his weight and getting in and out breaks was a weakness in his overall game.
It's a self-aware move that will sit well with professional evaluators, who want to see a player's willingness to work at areas of improvement and not simply play to his strengths.
"I've been working for the past three months with Ricky Proehl, and I would say just for me to improve that, it's just repetition," Fehoko said. "I think the more I get to do it — obviously, my role in Stanford's offense this year was a little more of that deep-ball guy, deep-threat guy, so I didn't have much repetition in those little shorter, intermediate routes. And I'd say just repetition and eventually I'm gonna get that. I already feel like I'm a lot better than I was during the season, and I'm only gonna improve."
Fehoko will face some questions about his ceiling. He took a two-year mission to South Korea after high school before enrolling at Stanford, and he'll enter the NFL as a 24-year-old rookie.
That is sure to be a turn-off for some teams. The Indianapolis Colts and other projected playoff contenders, however, could take it as a sign Fehoko is more prepared to contribute immediately.
That's certainly the angle the receiver himself is emphasizing.
"I'm a hard worker," Fehoko said. "I bring a level of maturity that a lot of these other guys don't have. I am married. I am taking that next step, and I'm providing for my wife. So that brings me to that next step and gives me that edge over a lot of other people."
Fehoko's work ethic brought him 62 receptions for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 career games with the Cardinal. He led the Pac-12 with 574 yards last season and was named first-team all-conference.
Fehoko also has an extensive background in special teams, including a blocked field goal in 2020.
It's difficult to guess how that will ultimately play out during the draft. He's been projected as high as the third round and as low as the seventh.
He views himself as a top-five receiver in this class with a rare blend of size, speed and maturity.
In his eyes, that all came together in his record-setting day against UCLA.
"It showcased everything I could do," Fehoko said. "I knew I could do it. It just gave me that opportunity to (do it) at the next stage, and I really blew up. (Quarterback) Davis (Mills) had a great game and he was helping me out, and we really just took that next step. I was confident in what I could do. It was just the time where I could showcase it to everybody."
