Notre Dame’s Miles Boykins moves far up in the receiving line

Miles Boykin was dazzling at the NFL Combine. darron cummings/AP/Associated Press

Miles Boykin is on the fast track.

The Notre Dame wide receiver was thought by many to be a middle-round project pick in the NFL Draft before rocking it at the Combine.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound Boykin clocked a 4.42 in the 40, registered a 43.5-inch vertical leap, and measured 11 feet 8 inches in the broad jump.

“Those are tremendous numbers,’’ noted ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

“I think Miles Boykin is in my top 100 now,’’ said former Cowboys president of player personnel Gil Brandt, now a SiriusXM NFL analyst. “I think he shocked everybody — I was surprised anyway — by how fast he ran.”

As a result of those stats, Boykin rocketed up the roster of receivers looking to catch NFL eyes. The performance helped fill in a lot of the blanks scouts had after Boykin had just one season of production in South Bend. After collecting just 18 passes in 13 games his first two seasons, Boykin played 13 games in 2018, grabbing 59 passes for a team-high 872 yards and 8 touchdowns.

“I had to fight through a lot of adversity,” Boykin said. “I had a couple of finger injuries that kind of inhibited me from playing early in my career. But after that, I thought I took care of business. I grew as a player on and off the field and now I’m here.’’

“I thought he might be a third- or fourth-round pick coming into Indianapolis,’’ said Kiper. “You could make a case that no one prospect rose higher than Boykin, as he now has a chance to go near the top of Round 2.’’

Brandt believes Boykin is just the type of player that all teams are seeking.

“Everybody is looking for big wide receivers now because they create a mismatch,’’ he said.

Brandt said teams often try to counter big receivers with smaller corners who “can vertical jump 37 inches” but that strategy won’t necessarily work against Boykin.

“When you get a guy like Boykin, well, he can jump 37 vertical inches also,’’ said Brandt. “So, he’s a mismatch. I like him. I think he’s a really good football player and I thought he came alive that senior year.’’

Boykin also came up big in the three-cone drill (6.77 seconds) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.07 seconds) at the Combine. His athleticism is off the charts, according to former Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik, who said those kind of stats are usually reserved for smaller receivers.

“When you start seeing those kind of change-of-direction numbers in the 20-shuttle and certainly the three-cone and you remind yourself of the size of Boykin . . . that’s where you start to get blown away,’’ he said.

Boykin’s decision to leave school with a year of eligibility remaining was met with some skepticism because of his limited body of work, but it seems sensible given his rapid rise.

“When I went to Notre Dame, I had two things I wanted to do, and that was graduate and win a national championship,’’ Boykin said. “We had a chance to win a national championship this year and it didn’t pan out the way we wanted it to.

“We had a great season, though, and I’m graduating in May, so I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish at Notre Dame. I couldn’t ask for anything more.’’

Boykin grew up idolizing another big receiver, ex-Lions star Calvin Johnson, and the two have had conversations about how to excel at the next level.

“He just talked about being a big-bodied receiver,” said Boykin. “The biggest thing is separation at the top of your route. Sometimes we’re not the fastest guys in the world, but we’re definitely going to be able to create separation at the top by being strong and physical.’’

The Patriots were among the teams that noticed Boykins’s breakthrough, as they had officials at his Pro Day and hosted him on a visit to Foxborough. He could be a logical fit as New England reworks its receiving corps. He also could learn from new addition Demaryius Thomas, a veteran pass catcher with similar size and athleticism.

Dominik believes Boykin could continue to build on his strong senior season and impressive Combine if he lands in the right spot.

“It’s the P words, right? It’s potential and production,’’ said Dominik. “Potential’s great, but if it doesn’t ever arrive, it turns into a bust. Production’s great — you know what the floor is but you’ve got to hope that the ceiling’s high.’’

The top wide receivers in the draft

PLAYER	SCHOOL	HT.	WT.	40	RD.
*N'Keal Harry	Arizona State	6-2	228	4.53	1
Flashy pass catcher with a flair for highlight-reel plays. Excellent athleticism and body control. More sudden than fast, and will fight for contested balls. Needs to become a better technical route runner.
*Marquise Brown	Oklahoma	5-9	166	n/a	1
Creates separation in a flash with quick moves and jetliner speed. If he's not mugged at the line, he'll accelerate through a defense and leave everyone in the dust. Antonio Brown's cousin has small hands and a slender frame. Can he take NFL punishment?
*A.J. Brown	Mississippi	6-0	226	4.49	1
Versatile guy who can play inside and on the perimeter, and always appears to be open. Like a running back after the catch, with great open-field vision and moves. Could be a jet sweep demon. Will need to refine those downfield blocking skills.
*D.K. Metcalf	Mississippi	6-3	228	4.33	1
Freakish physical specimen with big muscles and playmaking ability. Great bloodlines, as he follows his father (Terry) and grandfather (Terrence) to the NFL. Teams will love his run-game blocking but he'll have to improve as a route runner.
*Kelvin Harmon	North Carolina St.	6-2	221	4.60	2
Strong-handed player who can chuck cornerbacks and snag all the passes in his zip code. Has the savvy to use his body to shield defenders from the ball and is a more-than-willing blocker downfield. Doesn't have game-breaking speed.
*Riley Ridley	Georgia	6-1	199	4.58	2
Not as big and thick as big brother Calvin, but a reliable possession receiver with great hands and deceptive after-the-catch quickness. While he won't shy away from physicality, he will miss some obvious blocks.
Deebo Samuel	South Carolina	5-11	214	4.48	2-3
Explosive player who can string together multiple moves after the catch and leave defenders grasping (and gasping) for air. Figures to be a slot machine at NFL level. Has the speed and smarts to be a valuable special teamer. Was hurt a lot in college.
*Miles Boykin	Notre Dame	6-3	220	4.42	2-3
Keeps building momentum after a solid senior season and a spectacular Combine. Has the height, strength, and athleticism to box out corners, leaving them defenseless. Will need some coaching up to develop into a more reliable route runner.
Andy Isabella	UMass	5-8	188	4.31	2-3
Looks like a prototypical slot receiver, but this kid is exceptionally athletic and can line up anywhere. Randy Moss's smaller protégé is very quick and flashes excellent acceleration and vision after the catch. He's a willing blocker but his size limits him in that department.
Parris Campbell	Ohio State	5-11	205	4.31	2-3
Speedster steadily improved, going from 13 to 40 to 90 catches over three seasons. Former track star is still a little raw in his route-running but could make an immediate impact with screens and jet sweeps.

Best of the rest: *J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford (6-2, 225, n/a); *Hakeem Butler, Iowa State (6-5, 227, 4.48); *Antoine Wesley, Texas Tech (6-4, 206, n/a); Stanley Morgan Jr., Nebraska (6-0, 202, 4.53); Jalen Hurd, Baylor (6-4, 226, n/a); Hunter Renfrow, Clemson (5-10, 184, 4.59); *Mecole Hardman, Georgia (5-10, 187, 4.33); *Diontae Johnson, Toledo (5-10, 183, 4.53); *Preston Williams, Colorado State (6-4, 211, 4.59); *Darius Slayton, Auburn (6-1, 190, 4.39).

*underclassman

JIM McBRIDE