The final article in our Rookie Review series. Thank you for sticking with me as this was my first time researching them in prep for the upcoming season. Check out the other reviews for QBs, TEs and RBs.
37 WRs were drafted this year and 17 of them were taken in the first 3 rounds. If you thought the RB class was deep, the WR class is stacked. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years this one is compared to that historic 2014 draft.
Henry Ruggs III 1.12 The Raiders take Ruggs with a first round pick, and boy is he fast, like 4.27 fast. He has all the personality and swagger for the new Las Vegas Raiders. There is concern that he is a one trick pony with only his speed. To address this, he has been working with Randy Moss to help his game. If he can learn how to actually be a WR then he could easily be the next Tyreek Hill. My main concern is the Raiders took 2 other WRs in the draft, and already have Williams and Waller there as well.
Jerry Jeudy 1.15 The Broncos are obsessed with WRs. They added 2 in this draft which brings the total to 13. Jeudy is the bigger version of Ruggs. He’s also the better route runner, and overall talent in my opinion. He does have issues with some drops, as well as he may not be used to getting pressed by better defenders. My concern is, with all these options for DEN, what kind of workload can we expect? At Bama, Jeudy played in the slot frequently, which would lead me to believe Sutton and Hamler will be on the outside. Once we see things shake out it should become clear what kind of workload we can expect.
Ceedee Lamb 1.17 When the Cowboys drafted Lamb I audibly went, nu-uhh!! Lamb has the right to be considered one of the best WRs of this class. He has all the assets and speed to be a quality starter quickly. Most of his weaknesses center around the fact that he played in a weak conference, so he’ll need time to adjust to the pro level of play. It’s interesting the Cowboys took him as they re-signed Cooper to a big extension, and Gallup is a pretty good WR himself. I expect Lamb to be able to pass Gallup to the 2nd spot, but I’m curious to see how McCarthy and Moore roll out these WR sets.
Jalen Reagor 1.21 The Eagles seem to be in a full overhaul mode. They’ve gotten a new QB and an electric WR in the early rounds. Reagor is a playmaker, no doubt about it. He’s fast, fluid, and is more of a raw talent than a technician. He’s landed on a good team to work on his weaknesses. He needs to work on fighting through DBs and needs to work on his ball skills. With Jeffery being consistently hurt, and DJax as well, it’s no wonder they want someone to help. I expect Reagor to be able to fight to be the WR2 on the team, and should do well with Wentz and eventually Hurt.
Justin Jefferson 1.22 Looks like the Vikings just wanted a WR. They get this first round pick from the Bills and immediately find themselves a replacement. He’s great at going up and getting the ball with that ridiculous catch radius and agility. However, he does lack top end speed to separate deep, as well as getting separation in general. I see him as a big red zone weapon for the Vikings. Theilen will maintain his dominance inside at slot, but that’s what Jefferson played as well. This is the style of player Kubiak likes, so maybe we could see something comparable to Andre Johnson or Demarius Thomas.
Brandon Aiyuk 1.25 The 49ers needed to replace Sanders and I think they may have found someone to do just that. Aiyuk is an all around good WR. He’s a YAC master, with a record setting catch radius at his height. Most criticisms center around learning to use his body better to shield off DBs or creating separation. With Samuel being his only real contender for starting, I would expect him to start the season. Considering this team loves to run, though, I’m concerned he’ll be limited in his overall production. He’ll probably be a good WR3/flex unless things change in SF.
Tee Higgins 2.01 Once again a team is getting their star player’s backup ready to go. Higgins is big, currently the biggest in the class. He’s aware of his size and uses it when he can. He did play all 3 roles at WR so he has some flexibility. What he does need to work on is his route tree and his physicality, which should help on his press release. His direct competition is A.J. Green, so it’s pretty obvious what he’s being brought in to do. This current year will be difficult with Green, Boyd and Ross in the way. Next year will look great as Green and Ross will be gone.
Michael Pittman 2.02 The Colts have been missing that big body receiver for a while. Pittman is even bigger than Higgins and probably a tab bit better on the routes, and is definitely more physical. He’s also touted as a good run blocker, which explains why he would have been prioritized for the Colts. He needs to work on his delay off of press coverages, as well as some agility issues. Since Funchess and Ebron have left town, this should give Pittman the chance to be the big body possession guy while they have TY and Campbell for the speed and gadget work. It’ll take a year or two before we see him blossom, especially since Rivers won’t be there forever.
Laviska Shenault Jr. 2.10 With the pick the Jags decide to go with a pure talent, multi-use WR. Shenault can pretty much play anything including wildcat if needed. His main assets are that he is a raw talent that can go up, get the ball and turn the corner. His main issue is going to be durability as he’s had injury history and runs with reckless abandon. Considering JAX has brought in Gruden to be the OC, it’s no wonder he’s shaking things up. I look for him to be a reverse Tarik Cohen. He can be used anywhere and will have games where it looks like you can start him, but then he’ll disappear if the game script goes south. He’s also behind Chark and Westbrook, but should beat out Westbrook to be the two.
K.J. Hamler 2.14 The Broncos go and secure themselves another WR in this year's draft. First up was the slot machine Jeudy, now it’s the playmaker Hamler. Hamler is very fast, can get separation, and is very impressive at YAC. I am very concerned about his injury history including some in 2019, and a hamstring issue that kept him from doing most things in the combine. Considering the talent pool he just landed in, it’s going to be hard to see him as more than just a gadget player.
Chase Claypool 2.17 This was a solid pick by the Steelers since they’ve been let down by their other receivers outside of JuJu. Claypool is the biggest WR in the class, at 6’4, 238 lbs. Still, he can also run a 4.45, which is crazy. He’s a natural big body who knows how to box out and an incredible run blocker, but he may need to cut some weight as he’s a little off balance. He’s also not a natural catching technician. However, those are things the Steelers can fix. If he’s got the work ethic I think he does, then he should easily beat out Johnson and Washington for the second role.
Van Jefferson 2.25 Looks like the Rams are also replacing a lot of their offense this year. This pick was only a few behind the Aker’s pick. Jefferson is a technician. His father was a long time NFL WR and is currently a WR coach for the Jets. He’s very good at all the little details, like foot placement and routes. What he does need to work on is his speed and explosiveness. In terms of the Rams who like to have 4 WR sets by using a TE, he should fit in nicely, but will be far down on the pecking order in terms of targets. Jefferson’s long term outlook is much higher than his short term.
Denzel Mims 2.27 Out with the old and in with the new. After releasing Anderson the Jets go and immediately find his replacement. Mims is very fast and is rather thin for his size. This is probably why he gets pushed around a lot by DBs. He also has a huge catch radius. There are many comments about his work ethic coming off the line, running his routes and overall competitiveness. Hopefully Jefferson’s dad can fix these issues. In terms of his place on the team, he should be more talented than everyone there, but I guess we’ll have to see if he’s willing to fight his way past Crowder and Enunwa.
Antonio Gibson 3.02 Gibson is a fast and multi-use player. In college he played WR, RB, and did some kick returning. He is also rather big which makes him a strong runner who can dominate the hole and shed off angle tacklers. It seems that he only had 1 year of relevant collegiate football. This makes me concerned that his weaknesses will be a larger issue. He is raw and will need coaching on routes, and being patient and fluid. I’m curious to see how WAS uses him as he is also listed as an RB. I would expect him to be moved around to whatever is needed. He could be relevant if Rivera is able to turn around Haskins and make him usable.
Lynn Bowden 3.16 Bowden is another player like Gibson who can play a ton of different positions. He’s played WR, RB, Punt and Kick returner, and a QB. That’s right; he played 8 games as a QB and ran for 1400 yds. He is well sized, quick, and a natural talent. He will need a ton of coaching as he hasn’t had time to learn a single position well. The Raiders are clearly going to use him as a weapon piece. They are now overloaded with talent and I don’t expect Bowden to make a splash unless it’s deep flex play.
Bryan Edwards 3.17 Edwards is my underrated WR. I just don’t like the team he landed on; too crowded. Edwards is a big body, consistent X receiver. At SC he was able to consistently score despite the team play. He used his big body to work off defenders and is rather quick. He did break his foot in draft prep training. This may put him behind his fellow rookie team mates. He will also need to work his route running and continue to develop his size to his advantage.
Devin Duvernay 3.28 I really like this pick by the Ravens. Besides having a cool name to say, Duvernay is a well built, hard running WR/RB. He loves to hit people and has some very solid raw talent. Considering the Ravens are set at RB, if he wants to remain a WR he’ll need to start running like one. I think the Ravens can coach him up well enough to start making an impact. I wasn’t impressed by Miles Boykin so there’s no reason Duvernay can’t be the slot WR and wreak havoc for the Ravens.