#89Nico Ragaini

WR·Iowa·2023

Nico Ragaini is a Slot Specialist WR for Iowa. Nico's 2023 season produced 11.9 total EPA across 44 plays.

What projects, and what doesn't · WRs · held out 2019-2025

How well one season predicts the next, measured on seasons the model never trained on. 1.00 would be perfectly predictable; 0.00 means last year told us nothing.

Usage share (volume)0.47
Beats guessing the WR average by 16%. n=6,302 WR seasons
EPA per play (efficiency)0.09
Not projectable — we do not forecast this. n=5,767 WR seasons
Total EPA (value)0.45
Beats guessing the WR average by 12%. n=5,767 WR seasons

Across all positions, usage carries year to year at 0.47 and efficiency at 0.07. So Nico Ragaini's projection is a projection of opportunity — how much of the offense he runs through. How well he converts it is something this model does not claim to know a year in advance, and the number above is why.

2023 Production

Receiving

31 Receptions255 Rec yards0 Rec TD8.2 Yards/rec

Performance Analysis · 2023 · vs WR peers

Efficiency80
Volume18
Explosiveness8
Consistency58
Pass-Down100

Player type

Slot Specialist WR

The offense's primary passing-down weapon — routes, separation, and reliability on 3rd down define this role.

3rd-down converterRoute technicianHigh passing-down share

Peer percentiles

Opponent-adjusted EPA (WEPA/play)80th %ile · above avg

Game-to-game consistency58th %ile · average

Key findings

▸Above-average efficiency for the WR position (80th percentile).
▸Limited usage share suggests a rotational or specialist role.
▸5 high-impact games (EPA/play > 0.4) this season — elite ceiling.
▸Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
▸Peak game: 2.04 EPA/play in Wk 1 vs Utah State (SP+ -11).

NIL Market Tier· 2023

On3 valuation ↗

Star

Top-10 nationally. Multiple mid-to-large collective deals expected.

Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.

Historical Comparables · WR · efficiency + volume + value

Players from 2013–2025 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.

Player	Team	Yr	Plays	WEPA/play	Line val	Total EPA
Tyler Buchner	Notre Dame	2021	51	0.250	0.3	12.8
Samajie Grant	Arizona	2016	62	0.250	0.3	15.5
Justin Lynch	Temple	2021	63	0.240	0.3	15.1
Nick Nash	San José State	2021	45	0.310	0.5	14.0
Keytaon Thompson	Virginia	2020	39	0.320	0.4	12.5

Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.

Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week

EPA per play · x-axis: weekabove 0 = added points · below = lost

Wk	Opponent	Result	Opp SP+	Rec	Rec Yds	Avg	Long	EPA/play
1	vsUtah State	W24-14	-10.9	2	36	18.0	29	2.04
2	@Iowa State	W20-13	7.5	2	8	4.0	8	0.23
3	vsWestern Michigan	W41-10	-15.9	1	4	4.0	4	-0.02
4	@Penn State	L0-31	23.5	1	4	4.0	4	-0.11
5	vsMichigan State	W26-16	-6.8	2	18	9.0	14	0.43
7	@Wisconsin	W15-6	9.4	2	13	6.5	7	-0.04
8	vsMinnesota	L10-12	0.4	4	28	7.0	11	0.65
10	vsNorthwestern	W10-7	-1.3	1	8	8.0	8	0.97
11	vsRutgers	W22-0	3.5	4	48	12.0	17	0.34
12	vsIllinois	W15-13	-2.5	5	46	9.2	13	1.05
13	@Nebraska	W13-10	0.3	2	14	7.0	8	-0.26
14	vsMichigan	L0-26	31.3	3	25	8.3	12	0.09
20	vsTennessee	L0-35	16.2	2	3	1.5	4	—

Usage & Situational · Pro

Snap-share proxy

Overall

6.3%

Passing plays

13.3%

Rushing plays

0.7%

Standard downs

4.9%

Passing downs

9.2%

EPA by down type

Standard downs: -0.12
Passing downs: 0.66
Pass / Rush EPA: 0.36 / -0.95

Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).