2023 NFL draft: 10 biggest offensive standouts from 2023 East-West Shrine & Senior Bowl events

#4. Demario Douglas, Liberty (WR)

Liberty v Arkansas

A two-star recruit in 2019, Demario Douglas increased his production every single year with the Liberty Flames. He went for 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns on 84 touches this past season, which earned him first-team All-Independent accolades.

Liberty’s season saw a disappointing finish, losing their final four games after an 8-1 start, but their top receiver excelled throughout the year (and nearly had as many yards through the air as the next four players combined).

The first line I wrote about Douglas, when I started watching the practice was: “This guy is explosive for sure." When he sticks his foot in the ground after hesitating off the line, he can leave people behind in the dust. He showed that on some out routes, where he got two or three yards on them on multiple occasions, at the moment he caught the ball.

On the first day, you see him make some dramatic cuts and separate from defensive backs as he re-accelerated out of those. You saw DBs starting to just sit back on him from the second day on, because they’d rather gave up a completion underneath than get burnt over the top. If they did try to put hands on him, Douglas threw a little chicken-wing once on a deep out route and created enough of a window for the ball to arrive.

Douglas made a great over-the-shoulder grab to the outside on a slot fade route in one-on-one’s of day two, quickly bringing it in and not allowing the raking hands of the corner to knock it loose. The moment of the period, however, was the former Flames standout completely shaking another poor guy. He made him trip over his own feet as he pushed upfield before bending it to the post later.

Douglas also had a great grab high-pointing a ball thrown behind him on a deep crosser during team portion. You saw Douglas’ speed show up big-time on a reverse during the team portion of the first practice, beating everybody to the opposite sideline.

With a potential first-rounder in Boston College’s Zay Flowers only taking part in one practice, the receiver group for the West side was lacking some star power. But Douglas more than just filled that void and was voted the WR of the Week for that side.