Let’s be honest with ourselves: Statistics matter. They aren’t irrelevant. Analytics matter. They aren’t irrelevant. Physical measurements matter. They aren’t irrelevant. Clock times in speed races matter. Speed is not irrelevant.

So many measurables and tangible components are important in evaluating an NFL Draft prospect. Scouts, executives and coaches do need to look at players in order to have a better idea of what they want — and don’t want — for their teams in the coming season. They need to be able to see for themselves if a player is so good that a team’s specific needs matter less than grabbing a transcendent talent. They need to see if a player’s unique skill set can best enhance their roster for the coming year and beyond.

The stats, the measurements, the clock times, the weights, the 3-cone drills, the vertical jumps, the hand sizes — they’re not irrelevant. Of course they matter.

Yet: They don’t represent — or tell — the full story.

An important part of any player’s overall profile is the way his opponents — more precisely, the players who competed against him in one-on-one matchups — assess his quality.

Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah fought Wisconsin’s Quintez Cephus one-on-one when the Buckeyes played the Badgers this past season. Keep in mind that Okudah played against Michigan and Penn State. Keep in mind that he played against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, and went head-to-head against Tee Higgins, who is a sensational wide receiver known for making ridiculous acrobatic catches.

Okudah has played in big-boy games against elite talent… and this is what he had to say about Quintez Cephus at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis:

OSU CB Jeff Okudah says Wisconsin's Quintez Cephus was the best WR he faced in college.#NFLCombine — Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) February 28, 2020

Okudah is regarded by Higgins — who has his own bright NFL future — as a top-five-caliber draft pick. Okudah, being the best of the best among cornerbacks in this 2020 draft class, puts Cephus at the top of his list of college wide receivers he has played against. WHOA!

That’s the kind of evaluation which has to be factored in, alongside the measurements and clock times and other numbers. Yes, the “measurables” have their place. They matter.

So does the opinion of a stud such as Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah.

That might be the biggest and best endorsement of Quintez Cephus for any NFL general manager or coach who is contemplating a pick on the Badger wide receiver.