NFL Draft 2021: Wide Receiver World

Once the dust settles from the QB frenzy, the Bengals should be sitting pretty at five ready to take the first or second  non quarterback off the board. The Chase vs. Sewell debate is raging throughout the fan base as everyone tries to weigh the best draft strategy based on team needs. OT, WR, G? WR, OT, G? Throw a DT or DE in there?  Here's a list of WR prospects to keep an eye out for throughout the draft wherever Cincy decides to take a receiver. 

Applications Pending for Superstar Club

1. Ja'Marr Chase, LSU

Not the biggest or the fastest, but he's a 6'1" ball of muscle that chews up a CB's cushion like it's candy and then tortures the defender trying to cover him with his strength.  If he gets downfield in man coverage, forget about it.  Facing press coverage, he's a little slow getting off the line of scrimmage at times, but he does this thing where he locks arms with the DB and then rag dolls the defender and accelerates down the field in a flash to wreak havoc on the defense that just had it's flank dismantled. He was a 2020 opt out.  In general, players that take a year off scare me because they never seem to come back at quite the same level  as when they left.  Another way to look at it: as a 19 year old sophomore he was a force of nature that played on the same unit as Justin Jefferson. He looked a little raw but Chase was clearly the superior player to Jefferson, a guy who just lit up the league as a rookie.  Now, Chase has been training for a year.. sculpting, grinding, fine tuning.  He was strong.  What if he's stronger now?  He was fast.  What if he's faster now?  He was raw.  What if he's more polished?  He is a ferocious velociraptor that's been caged and kept in the dark for a year.  And now they are letting him out. 

2. DeVonta Smith, Alabama 

Smith is not fluid.  He is fluid in motion.  I love this type of receiver more than almost anything in sports. With out of this world body control, quick burst speed, and top-grade football intelligence he could get open in his sleep.  Once he gets the ball watch out.  He flows through defenses with ease and once he sees a small opening he has that elite extra gear to jet to the edge and turn up field.  He posted one of the greatest WR college football careers of all time and was the first WR to win the Heisman since 1991.  Why is he not considered a surefire top 10 pick?  Age is one concern. Some evaluators hang their hats on age of breakout season and a guy that stayed in school through his senior season that comes into draft day at 22 years old gives them pause.  But the real concern is his weight.  Note, I didn't say size.  At 6'1" with long lanky arms, Smith has all the length he needs, but his skinny frame is where he comes up short.  He has yet to allow himself to be weighed during draft season (or maybe he did finally, I lost track).  Reportedly, he claims he's at 170, but some speculate his playing weight is more like 160.  You do see him get rag dolled a few times in the rare instances when defenders get their hands on him.  It's a concern for sure, but I don't think it will keep him from having a successful career. His movement skills negate the risk.  I’m getting Marvin Harrison vibes.. you know, without the creepy scary off the field buzz.   

Supercharged  WR2 with WR1 Upside:

3. Jaylen Waddle, Alabama

Waddle Was right there with DeVonta Smith as 1a, 1b targets for Alabama this year before an ankle injury more or less ended his season.  Electric speed to go with smooth rout running, Waddle burning DB's on double moves was a thing of beauty. He isn’t a big guy, but oddly he doesn’t get dinged for his size as much as Smith.  Pair him with an intermediate target hog and it could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

End of Day 1 Watch List:

4. Kadarius Toney, Florida

Electric feet. Smaller WR that carries a surprising amount of pop.  Sometimes sacrifices a little too much play speed to set up his cuts. It feels like draft analysts are selling him a little short. They think he’s undisciplined and freelances too much. They question why he didn’t produce significantly until his senior season. Fine.  If you want a polished technician look elsewhere, but last time I checked players that are dynamic with the ball in their hands were still a hot commodity.

5. Rashod Bateman, Minnesota 

Draft media darling.  He's everybody's favorite to go in the mid to late first round and take the league by storm.  I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at with Bateman.  The way he bursts off the line of scrimmage and flashes game breaking run after catch ability, he looks like he has WR1 potential.  Yet he just can't seem to execute like he's on that level.  I'm not sure if his QB is holding him back, his coaches, or if it's just him. It sounds like there’s some weird COVID, partial season, coaches decided to use him differently stuff going on here.  Most people say to throw out 2020 and focus on 2019 tape to see what he really can do. I think it's likely he'll be a WR2/3 that teases us now and then with higher end production.  In the right situation though, someone might be able to harness his potential into monster value. I’d be afraid to let him slip out of the first round.

6. Terrace Marshall Jr., LSU

B+ all around: Size, speed, quickness, rout running in short, deep, red zone areas. There  has been some talk he wasn’t all in on a weird 2020 season where LSU’s roster was decimated by the draft and COVID opt outs. It doesn’t scare me away but it Nudges him into day 2.  I don't know of any specific injuries in his past, but reportedly he has some serious medical red flags.  

Day 2 Darlings:

7. D'Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan       

This feels like the year of the 5'9" jitterbugs.  Blistering speed.  Return weapon that can threaten the field as a short and deep receiver.  Eskridge separates himself a little from the other mighty mites in this class with his ability to make plays lining up inside and outside and he can go up and get a ball if he has to. Okay hands, but limited catch radius. 

8. Rondale Moore, Purdue

Probably too small to be a number 1.  Operates mostly in the short to intermediate range. He hasn’t really been given the opportunity to do otherwise but at 5’7” it’s probably justified. The fact that he has a limited skill set, everyone knows it and he’s still a legit day 1/ day 2 prospect as an offensive weapon speaks to what kind of athlete he is.  He is a fast little ball of power. Just run him back and forth across the field laterally within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage and he can wreak havoc. Injury risk with streaky hands. Probably slips into round 2.

9. Dyami Brown, North Carolina

Not elite, but enough speed and rout running prowess to keep defenses honest as the second or third option in an offense. 

Day 3 Hype with Day 2 Talent:

10. Cade Johnson, South Dakota St.

Smooth off the line of scrimmage.  Gets off press coverage when he has to.  Capable of threatening deep even when given a cushion. Good hands.  We'll see how he handles the jump in competition, but he looked good at Senior Bowl practices from what I saw.

11. Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Iowa 

Kind of gets lost in Iowa's smorgasboard offense.  Not electric with the ball in his hands, but he’s solid enough and has return skills. He gets open and should be a reliable slot receiver in the league with some outside versatility.

WR Depth with WR2 Upside:

12. Amari Rodgers, Clemson  

Another 5’9” guy but  he plays bigger than he measures. Not a burner, but has enough speed to make plays downfield.  Crisp fluid routs but sometimes slows down a little.  Solid playmaker with the ball in his hands.  He’s not going to be a constant threat to break for a monster gain, but he usually makes one man miss and consistently breaks tackles. Think of him more as a guy that turns a two yard gain into a 12 yard gain regularly.

13. Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC      

Probably won't ever be a primary weapon but solid all around. Smooth in cuts and vacuum cleaner hands make him a reliable target in the short to intermediate range.  Not a deep threat.  

14. Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State

Mid sized contested catch receiver.  Excels at out leaping defenders.  College fast.  Modest RAC ability.  

15. Dez Fitzpatrick, Louisville   

Fitzpatrick got a bit lost in Louisville's offensive scheme, but he looks like an NFL wide receiver to me.  He has size.  He can threaten downfield when he needs to.  He can challenge for contested catches.  He can get open on short to intermediate routs.  He can makes plays after the catch.  Let people ignore him as an older prospect without a ton of production.   That was Louisville's fault.  Draft him on day three and reap the benefits.  With a little luck, you end up with a capable WR2 for next to nothing.  The Senior Bowl practice footage is the only thing keeping me from really going out on a limb and bumping him up. He looked like he was having a little trouble separating there.

16. Elijah Moore, Mississippi 

I have to put in a disclaimer here. I am about ten slots lower on Moore than most people.  He’s a speedy 5’9” receiver with good hands and production all over the field.  I just don’t think his college production is going to translate. He made a lot of big plays, but I didn’t get  the feeling he was doing the heavy lifting most of the time. When I saw him catch the ball I felt either the defense cracked and he was going to capitalize or he was going to get tackled. He doesn’t look like he plays as fast as his 40 time.   He oversells most of his cuts with this weird exaggerated head fake that is going to be a tell more than anything against better defenders.

Moore is in the back of this tier for me of WR3/4’s with WR2 upside and all of the guys ahead of him have one skill that sets them apart. Fitzpatrick it’s size and physicality. Wallace it’s contested catch ability. St. Brown it’s smooth polished rout running. Rodgers it’s toughness after the catch. With Moore, the Steve Smith comp is way rich. To be top 40 WR pick, I’m hoping for at least a little WR 1 upside and I don’t see it.

17. Frank Darby, Arizona St.

 Has some fire in his belly.  Muscular physical receiver. I would have guessed he was 2" taller and 25 lbs. heavier than he's listed. He fights for the ball and wins. His RPMS rev up there, but he doesn't seem to have an extra gear. Time will tell if his athleticism is enough to hit WR2 territory.

Day 3 Dudes with a Glimmer of Hope:

18. Marlon Williams, Central Florida

Totally bizarre watching Williams. At  6'0" 222 lbs. he looks like a linebacker lining up, but he moves like a receiver.  Good fluid routs.  Doesn't have blazing speed, but moves well enough to make a living at the next level. Adds value as an extra blocker lined up wide.  More than once I saw a play flow to the side where Williams was out in a rout.  The safety came flying in trying to rally to the ball and Williams steps in and stops him in his tracks.  This guy has special teams ace written all over him.    

19. Sage Surratt, Wake Forest

Looked like a lean smooth rout runner with speed in game footage, but pre-draft workouts have told a different story including a slow 40 time in the 4.6's. It was startling how he looked in Senior Bowl 1:1's-  Rigid, couldn't fight off press coverage.

20. Whop Philyor, Indiana

Return man that can be a WR4 in an offense.  Gets open, but needs space to create after the catch.

21. Cornell Powell, Clemson

Frame looks bigger than he is.. Listed at 6', I would have guessed 6'4" watching him.  Slow acceleration off the snap.  Sluggish rout running on short to intermediate routs.   Flashes long speed on deep routs when he can really open up the governor.  Excellent at contested catches.  He has mastered the slight push off: too subtle to draw a flag, but just enough to create space for the catch. 

22. Tamorrion Terry, Florida State

Twilight zone prospect.  I'm not sure whether he actually exists.  Tantalizing size and athleticism combination.  Flashed as a big play threat catching the ball short and deep.. Yet a website I trust ranks over 300 prospects and he isn't even listed.  Did something happen to where he's not eligible?  He's listed on other sites.  It's weird.  He showed enough in previous seasons that he warrants a pick in the late rounds.  He's not particularly disciplined or refined.  There's a huge range of outcomes for his career.  I would believe hearing he was out of the league within a year or that he leveraged his big play ability into a monster second contract as a top weapon of a team. 

23. Simi Fehoko, Stanford

Big frame with speed.  He uses his body well at times but needs to be a little more fluid on his routs.  A little rigid.  Doesn't have natural ball skills. Could develop. 

24. Seth Williams, Auburn

Big frame possession receivers feel like a dinosaur-aged commodity that have become more scarce each year but NFL rosters still need these types of guys. Williams isn't as tall as he looks, but 6'2" in this class feels giant.  He'll present a big target for somebody and he can move a little bit to go with it.  I expect he'll go day three or UDFA and stick on somebody's roster for a little while anyway.   

7th Round Flyers:

25. Dazz Newsome, North Carolina

Mid sized receiver that mostly lines up in the slot.  Operates mostly in short range.  He has the ability to elude tackles, but won't threaten the defense too much.

26. Chatarius Atwell, Louisville

Short, light and speedy.  He doesn't make a ton of plays in the short game despite his skill set. He can threaten downfield, but his size really limits his versatility as a target. 

27. Nico Collins, Michigan

Something wasn't right with that Michigan offense.  He might be better than he looks.  Has ability to cut and get open, but often lacks crispness in his routs. 

 28. Demetric Felton, UCLA 

Lined up mostly at RB.  Fluid with the ball and without.  Not enough power or elusiveness to be a consistent weapon. 

29. Jonathan Adams Jr., Arkansas St.

Confusing watch. Within small school competition, he looks physically dominant, but he doesn't blow anyone away with speed. Bullies his way into high pointing catches and struggles to make contested catches… within the course of a single game.  Some of it is his quarterback, but some of it isn't.  Plays with an edge that he doesn't always seem to actually have.  

30. Jaelon Darden, North Texas

Deep speed, not going to catch every ball.  Potent in the open field against lower competition. 

31. Marquez Stevenson, Houston

A lot of guys on this list measure small, but look bigger. Stevenson is the opposite.  I was sure he was 5'9" watching him, but he's actually closer to 6'.  He's another speed slot man return guy.  The market on these guys is going to be flooded.  It feels like there are 50 of them in this year's class alone.  

32. Anthony Schwartz, Auburn

A bit of a hybrid.  Not short and shifty but he posted a blazing sub 4.3 40 time.  Not big and powerful, but has some height.  Flashes some twitch and rout running prowess, but ultimately isn't consistent enough catching the ball or making plays. 

UDFA Targets

33. Austin Watkins, UAB

To be fair to Watkins, I didn't find much on him other than clips of him running free into a soft zone defenses.  Watkins has decent size, but seems to only have one speed (and not a particularly fast one). 

34. Trevon Grimes, Florida

Big body receiver.  Flashes movement scales every now and then, but not enough to make me curious. 

35. Dax Milne, BYU

Not too big, not too fast, not too elusive.  I'm not sure he sticks on a roster for very long. 

36. Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois

When you can't find much full game footage and have to resort to watching highlight reels and you're still left shrugging your shoulders, the guy probably isn't going to make it in the league.  Boxes out well with his big body, but just doesn't have enough athleticism.