Antonio Gandy-Golden was a two-star recruit coming out of Paulding County High School, where he totaled 1,083 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a senior and finished with six school records. He received offers from Elon, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Mercer, and Samford. He committed to Liberty and was involved in the offense immediately, catching 21 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns. His role increased significantly as a sophomore when he experienced his breakout season at age 19.4, 81st-percentile among qualified wide receivers, with 69 receptions for 1,066 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Antonio Gandy-Golden Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile w/ College Stats
The Flames moved from the FCS to the FBS level in 2018, playing as an independent. Gandy-Golden led the team that year with 71 receptions for 1,037 yards and 10 touchdowns. His best season came in 2019, when he ranked No. 5 in the nation with 1,396 receiving yards on 79 receptions, adding 10 more touchdowns. That included seven games with at least 100 yards. AGG was responsible for 3.10 yards per team pass attempt while averaging 2.95 yards per route and 6.1 receptions per game. His 17.7 yards per reception ranked in the top-10 among FBS wide receivers with 60 or more catches, and his 16.6 average for his career lands in the 74th-percentile. Gandy-Golden’s 27 receptions of 20 yards or more between 2018-2019 were the second most in college football. His 78 deep targets were nine more than any other receiver, according to PFF.
Check out Antonio Gandy-Golden on PlayerProfiler’s Updated Rookie Rankings:
Gandy-Golden underwhelmed during Senior Bowl week, catching one pass for five yards and a touchdown on game day. After weighing in at 6-4, 223-pounds at the NFL Combine, he ran a 4.60 (30th-percentile) 40-yard dash, translating to a 103.7 (80th-percentile) Speed Score. He recorded a 124.7 (70th-percentile) Burst Score with jumps of 36-inches and 127-inches in the Vertical and Broad jumps, respectively. His less impressive performance in the agility drills resulted in a poor 11.88 (4th-percentile) Agility Score. Using this information, the PlayerProfiler Data Analysis Tool reveals that he’s a nearly identical prospect to Philadelphia Eagles bust J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who couldn’t produce despite an injury-ravaged wide receiver depth chart in 2019. That’s not to say Gandy-Golden will follow the same fate, but it’s worth noting that archetype is far from a lock to translate to NFL success. Especially in today’s league, where the big-bodied alpha is a dying breed.
From a route running and nuances of the position perspective, Gandy-Golden is still a work in progress. His production profile, including a 40.5-percent (82nd-percentile) College Dominator Rating, is promising, but we have to account for the fact that he did it playing at Liberty. He displayed good hands with a 2.2-percent Drop Rate in 2019. Though he’s not dynamic whatsoever, with zero career rush attempts or kick/punt returns, and is a limited threat after the catch. AGG will be a complimentary player with limited upside as a red zone/contested catch specialist at the next level. With likely Day 3 draft capital, he is a low ceiling-low floor third-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
