Wildly Different Views of the WR Prospects

It’s Wide Receiver time! By far, my two favorite articles to write every year are my official RB rankings and my official WR rankings. But there’s something very different about the WRs who are coming out in the 2019 NFL Draft. I’ve never had opinions that differ so dramatically from the consensus like I do this draft season. It’s nuts. I’m going to get hammered by the draft community for these takes.

But just because they’re unpopular doesn’t mean I should change them.

And I will let them inform my mock draft contest entries, but I definitely won’t blindly follow them. I want to win, and to win we have to predict what others think. Not double down on what I think. Are you entered into any mock draft pools yet? Get in there!

I don’t want to say that the draft is 500% more fun when you’re in a mock draft pool… but I have to. It’s the truth. The draft is more fun when you have a rooting interest in every pick.

Back to the WRs! I really REALLY like this year’s class— especially some who are expected to go on Days 2 and 3. I think a lot of people are looking forward to 2020’s high-potential WR class, but whoever just sits by and waits will be missing out on a ton of great receiver prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft.

But before I get started, let me remind everyone again that I am assessing on-field play only. These WR rankings have nothing to with where I think these players will be drafted or where he should be in mock drafts. And for his NFL Comp, I am definitely not saying this player will have a career similar to the NFL player, but that his playing style and physical traits are similar to said player.

Also, I’m a fan. Not a scout. So take my words for what they are…

…the absolute 100% truth.

The Top-20 WRs in the 2019 NFL Draft

1) Hakeem Butler, WR Iowa State

I’m as surprised as you are! I came into this article assuming I would have Metcalf alone at the top of the rankings, like everyone else. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Butler is my favorite prospect in this year’s WR class, and it’s not even close. He has an ideal, giant frame at 6’6″ 225. He adjusts to off-target throws with his insane catch radius. A strong, easy hands catcher, who bullies DBs after the catch. He has a mean stuff arm, using his length perfectly. But he also does the little things well. He’s a great form catcher on seam routes, turning his body back to the ball, hands splayed wide, while his hips and legs remain pointing upfield, always moving forward. He’s just amazing, the way he snatches the ball out of the air. He’s a good route runner who sets up CBs with his stutter step, and fast enough to outrun those CBs on a slant. He’s not only my WR1 this year, he would be my WR1 from the last 3 drafts as well.

NFL Comp: Julio Jones

2) Kelvin Harmon, WR NC State

There is a big gap between Butler and WR2 for me, but I still like Harmon quite a bit as a prospect. He is pretty sudden and explosive for his size. He sometimes rounds his routes out, but can also juke a CB like smaller WRs usually do. Harmon is very savvy early in his route, setting up defenders and using his big body to deny them the chance to get back in position. He adjusts well to off-target throws and has reliable hands. What I like best about him is his ability to use his hands to create a small cushion off his defender, never give up that cushion, and make the tight catch. Oh, he’s also a back-shoulder catcher extraordinaire.

NFL Comp: Michael Thomas

3) Mecole Hardman, WR Georgia

What? Hardman as WR3??? I almost didn’t even include him in the list of prospects I was going to look at, and my goodness am I glad I did. Hardman is… explosive. Explosive. He tracks the ball well and catches with a smooth motion. He is great at weaving through traffic and has excellent speed. This guy is going to destroy the combine. He is a weapon who needs the ball in his hands. Oh, and he likes to talk, huh? He is dynamite, before and after the catch, and I don’t know why he isn’t being talked up as the premiere home run threat in this year’s draft class.

NFL Comp: Emmanuel Sanders

4) Deebo Samuel, WR South Carolina

Samuel is highly athletic, with great hand-eye coordination. He is an electric runner in the open field. Strong, balanced, and fast. He’s good at getting open, but his best trait is what he does after the catch, with the ball in his hands. He’s a RAC machine. Deebo comes down with the ball ready to run. He could have better awareness, and move to help out a scrambling QB better, but he is a strong, fast WR who holds onto the ball through contact.

NFL Comp: Sammy Watkins

5) N’Keal Harry, WR Arizona State

Harry has good, but not elite, athleticism. He never seems to have much separation on his defender, either through an inability to earn it on his own or through being used almost exclusively on short/intermediate routes. He does come down with contested catches on a regular basis, and is a great runner after the catch. He has very good hands, plucking the ball from the air rather than waiting for it to come to him. He isn’t super fast, so I worry his elusiveness might not translate at the next level. He brings down those back shoulder passes easily, and is smooth and instinctual.

NFL Comp: JuJu Smith-Schuster

6) Marquise Brown, WR Oklahoma

However Hollywood Brown ends up testing at the combine, there is no denying his on-field gamebreaking speed. I personally think Hardman plays even faster than Brown does, but it’s super close. But for Brown and all his speed, he is ridiculously undersized. This isn’t as big a deal as some might make it out to be though, as his low center of gravity actually helps him break arm tackles and stay upright through contact. He’s pretty good at catching the ball, but lets it get into his body a bit too much. I think the obvious Tyreek Hill comps hold true, because of his elite speed and suddenness, combined with savvy route running. If he goes to a team with a strong-armed QB with good deep accuracy… good night.

NFL Comp: Tyreek Hill

7) Riley Ridley, WR Georgia

I am a big fan of Ridley’s route running, and how he sets up CBs with hesitations and pace changes early in his route. I have definite concerns about his long speed and his run after the catch ability, as he is more of a glider than a runner. He’s not very sudden, and I don’t see him testing well at the combine. There’s no explosion to his game. He is more of a fluid athlete, with good body control and great soft hands. He is a crafty route runner who is good at the intricacies of the position, and will end up as a QBs preferred security blanket, despite not being the best athlete.

NFL Comp: Keenan Allen

8) KeeSean Johnson, WR Fresno State

KeeSean has the best hands in the draft. He catches anything thrown near him, and so fluidly. Seems to have an innate understanding of the WR position. He has active hands against Corners as he makes his way down the field. Good agility and decent route running, though his long speed leaves something to be desired. He plays edgy. Shifts from a slant to heading upfield right as the ball hits him. He has decent size, but doesn’t really use it very well. He is as reliable as WRs can come, even if he isn’t the most athletic player.

NFL Comp: Adam Thielen

9) Anthony Ratliff-Williams, WR UNC

Either I’m totally missing something here, or Ratliff-Williams is the biggest combine snub of the year. He hasn’t shown great long speed, but his easy athleticism jumps off the screen. It would have been really nice to see him work in drills, since he has hands that almost rival KeeSean Johnson. He also uses his hands well to keep defenders off his frame, and is good enough at running routes. What makes him excellent is his coordination with the ball in the air. He is a dominant jump ball winner, despite only being 6’1″ (in the mold of OBJ). He has that same swagger and total concentration as well. I’d like to see better tracking over his shoulder, but when he is facing the ball, he’s excellent. A late round gem!

NFL Comp: Chris Godwin

10) A.J. Brown, WR Ole Miss

Brown was the #1 WR on many boards prior to the start of the season (of course, the elephant in this article holds that spot now) but he is still considered by most to be one of the top-5 WRs in the class. I personally don’t see it. There are WRs who bring one special trait more than Brown (like Mecole or Hollywood) and WRs who are more well-rounded (like Ridley and KeeSean) but Brown is constantly mocked ahead of all those guys. He does have good hands, and tracks the ball over his shoulder well. He only needs a little space to make a catch. Boxes out well. He is decent up the seam. I just don’t see a special player here. He doesn’t have much speed, doesn’t get much separation. He’s fine.

NFL Comp: Michael Crabtree

11) David Sills V, WR WVU

I honestly thought I was going to like Sills V way more than this. And don’t get me wrong. I do like him a lot! I just think this is a very strong WR class. In most classes, he’d probably be my WR6 or so. But diving into his game a little bit, I was left wanting more. He does have that easy, smooth athleticism that I like so much. But he is not strong at all. He’ll really need to add some muscle. He has adequate speed and reliable hands. His greatest strength is catching the ball over his shoulder and winning on vertical routes. Get him in a vertical passing offense, and he’ll fit in nicely. He isn’t dynamic after the catch in any way. He has physical intelligence, setting up CBs well. Clearly, he’s earned his QBs trust.

NFL Comp: Marvin Jones

12) D.K. Metcalf, WR Ole Miss

Heeeeeere we go. I really didn’t want it to be this way. I love writing this article, and love focusing on the players I like or dislike a little more than the consensus. But never have I been so far off from the consensus as I am now with Metcalf. And I fear that is all the discussion around this article will be about. I truly hope that is not the case. But that said… let’s dig in. First! The good. Metcalf’s huge frame allows him to box out well. He’s able to extend outside his body. He doesn’t have great long speed, galloping more than blazing. he has strong hands (a DB will not knock the ball out of there) but not soft hands. A WR needs both. He is incredibly physical in his routes, using his hands to keep CBs off him. But he’s just too damn big. He sacrifices athleticism for strength. He’s a bully with the ball in his hands, but he misses too many catches. He often struggles in 50/50 shots far more than someone like Ratliff-Williams, because those require athleticism and coordination more than just size and strength. We’ve all seen the picture. There’s a reason successful WRs don’t look like that.

NFL Comp: David Njoku

13) Terry Godwin, WR Georgia

Now we get to the point where the WRs are just “fine”, and don’t excite me as much. Godwin is fine. He has good athleticism and good enough speed, but he’s not very explosive. He is an instinctive route runner who picks his way through traffic well. Occasionally has trouble hanging on to the ball. He’s well rounded, and runs diverse routes. He’s coordinated enough to snag some back shoulder throws. He has a decent game, but needs some polish.

NFL Comp: Tyler Lockett

14) Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR Texas

L.J. is really good at winning contested catches, and is strong with the ball in his hands. I think he might struggle at testing, as he fails to gain much separation from CBs either with his speed or route running. He is pretty athletic in the air though. Adds good yards after the catch. Fun in the open field. He adjusts to poor throws well, and is able to run upfield smoothly when the ball is placed where it should be.

NFL Comp: Cordarelle Patterson

15) Gary Jennings, WR WVU

Has really good concentration. Catches the ball outside of his frame. He doesn’t have the best get-off from the line of scrimmage. He shows good, strong hands, and holds onto the ball through contact. He seems to be a very reliable, if unspectacular, WR. I don’t think he has the athleticism or speed to be a true threat after the catch.

NFL Comp: Eric Decker

16) JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR Stanford

JJAW has a very particular set of skills, and it’s gotten him far in the college game. I don’t need to spend too many words on it. If you’re a QB, you throw up a jump ball, and you know JJAW will come down with it. He boxes out perfectly, elevates at just the right time, uses his height and soft hands, and makes the catch. He makes so many catches with a defender in his hop pocket, you wonder… why is there always a defender in his hip pocket? He doesn’t consistently show the ability to separate from coverage. He feels lazy in a lot of his routes, where he seems to drift upfield rather than shake, plant, and go. He’s not really a threat after the catch. He is simply a great jump ball artist. But we’ve seen this prospect before…

NFL Comp: Josh Doctson

17) Terry McLaurin, WR Ohio State

Scary Terry adjusts well to the ball in the air, stretches the seam route very well, and makes good plays on the ball. Decent speed. He doesn’t really seem to have the frame or strength to box out, or the athleticism to be a consistent back-shoulder target. he is just a good, solid set of hands who does his best work going vertical. Similar to Sills V, but less of a natural athlete.

NFL Comp: Allen Hurns

18) Parris Campbell, WR Ohio State

Parris is actually a really good complimentary WR to Terry. Where Terry would go vertical on his seam routes, Campbell was much better on quick slants, bubble screens, quick outs, etc. Very dynamic with the ball in his hands, and clearly explosive enough for Ohio State to find ways to manufacture touches for him. He could probably win vertically with his speed as well, but doesn’t do very well tracking the ball over his shoulder. He’s like a RB you try to get out in space, and can be effective in a limited role in the right system.

NFL Comp: Shane Vereen

19) Andy Isabella, WR UMass

I had heard a lot about AI’s speed before watching him, and yes. The dude is fast. But he might have more track speed than field speed, because he didn’t really show the same kind of field stretching dynamism that Hollywood Brown or Mecole Hardman showed me. I don’t think he will test as well (I’ve heard rumors of a 4.2 40) as people are expecting. He played outside surprisingly well, but I don’t think he can hang at his size in the pros. Body catcher rather than hands catcher. Not many crossing or in-breaking routes deeper than 10 yards. I worry about how his athleticism and route running limitations will translate to the next level.

NFL Comp: Travis Benjamin

20) DaMarkus Lodge, WR Ole Miss

He has a good long gait and displays deceptive, easy speed. He should test well in the 40 and jumps, but the agility drills? I’m not so sure. He doesn’t have good play strength, and seems passive on a lot of his routes and catches. I don’t trust his ability in traffic, or holding up against contact. He is exclusively a deep boundary WR. He can stretch a D to help other WRs, but won’t ever be a featured option.

NFL Comp: Jaron Brown