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Much of the discussion regarding the 2019 NFL draft has centered around either the quarterbacks (because of course it has) or a ridiculously deep crop of edge-rushers and defensive linemen. A wide receiver class short on elite talent has been relegated to second-class status—many mock drafts don't have a single receiver being taken in the first half of Round 1.

However, what the class of 2019 lacks in can't-miss studs, it makes up for in depth. There are a number of Day 2 prospects at wide receiver who have a good shot at becoming quality starters.

Stanford's J.J. Arcega-Whiteside won't be the first wideout selected on Day 2. But with a tantalizing combination of size, strength, speed and the best high-pointing skills of any receiver in this draft, Arcega-Whiteside could wind up being the best wide receiver selected outside the first round in 2019.

As a matter of fact, the 6'2", 225-pounder may wind up the best wideout from this class, period.

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Arcega-Whiteside was a highly productive pass-catcher at Stanford last year, hauling in 63 balls for 1,059 yards. Over his three seasons with the Cardinal, Arcega-Whiteside reeled in 28 touchdowns—including 14 in 2018 alone. Per Pro Football Focus, Arcega-Whiteside's 16.8 yards per catch in 2018 ranked ninth in the draft class. His passer rating when targeted was 135.6—second among the class.

However, despite that impressive production, Arcega-Whiteside is flying somewhat under the radar. He isn't getting the same predraft run as other big-bodied wideouts such as D.K. Metcalf (6'3", 228 lbs) of Ole Miss or Hakeem Butler (6'5", 227 lbs) of Iowa State.

Pop in tape of Arcega-Whiteside, and it doesn't take long to see that if there's one thing he does even better than flying under the radar, it's going up to get the rock in the red zone:

To say that he excels at making catches in traffic is an understatement. The son of professional basketball players, Arcega-Whiteside is a master at using his size and 33¼-inch arms to make contested grabs. Arcega-Whiteside didn't just lead the nation with 19 such receptions in 2018—he had nearly twice as many as the next-closest receiver, per PFF.

As Justin Melo reported for SB Nation, Arcega-Whiteside believes he's as good at running past corners as he is at going over them:

"I know what I'm good at and I try to maximize that to my benefit. I definitely have a unique skill set. My coaches always told me that if you ever want to be good at something, be good at something that you can't teach. Well, I'm really good at running past corners downfield. It's not something that can be coached up. I'm very thankful to put that on tape and to go out there and do it on a regular basis. At the same time, I don't wanna be known for just that. I wanna be known as an all-around complete receiver."

However, despite his robust per-catch average, there's a perception that Arcega-Whiteside isn't especially fast, and that's caused him to be undervalued in the eyes of at least one NFC scout.

"He's going to be a Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) pick, and I think he's an outside receiver," the scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. He's going to run faster than people think, and he's smart enough to learn all the tricks to get open as a pro. I hear people underestimate him all the time. We have some in our own building."

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To his credit, Arcega-Whiteside backed up that notion in workouts. After electing not to run at the scouting combine, Arcega-Whiteside peeled off a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at Stanford's pro day. It wasn't the blazing speed that Metcalf showed off in Indy (4.33 seconds), but he wasn't running in mud either—his time was comparable to Butler's 4.48.

Arcega-Whiteside is also one of the more polished route-runners in this year's class—an ability he attributed, at least in part, to learning all the facets of his position. He told Matt Parrino of New York Upstate.com:



"Originally when I first started playing, the coach told me, 'Hey, you want to get on the field, you have to learn every single position.' So I took that to heart and learned every single spot, X, F, Y, Z. I ended up playing slot because our slot receiver went down. That increased my value to the team to be able to run every single spot, and I carried that all the way through my senior year. I definitely intend to do that at the next level, learn every single spot to increase the value I bring."

Arcega-Whiteside's a big, physical, relatively fast receiver who runs good routes and is an absolute terror in traffic. He's also one of the better blockers at his position in the class. And yet he ranks outside the top 10 in the predraft wideout rankings of some draftniks—essentially because he doesn't run a sub-4.4 40, and his short-area quickness isn't great.

The thing is, it doesn't have to be. Arcega-Whiteside might not have great burst off the line or when making cuts. But he more than compensates for both with consistently excellent technique. There's rarely any wasted movement or bad angles.

So far as the concerns about his straight-line speed go, they're overblown. There are ways to get open over the top that don't involve just going full Roadrunner (meep-meep). At the 2014 combine, Mike Evans' official 40 time was 4.53 seconds. A.J. Green ran a 4.50 in 2011.

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Those guys appear to have done all right for themselves.

This isn't to say Arcega-Whiteside is a surefire bet to become the high-end No. 1 wide receiver Evans and Green are. But his game features a lot more strengths than weaknesses. Just about every box is checked. The tools are all there for Arcega-Whiteside to become a productive NFL weapon.

I can write with a fair amount of confidence that Arcega-Whiteside will be a better NFL wideout than Metcalf, who will all but certainly be drafted well before him.

Metcalf may be a physical anomaly, but he didn't have 40 catches or 650 yards in a season at Ole Miss. His production hasn't come close to his potential—and it's possible it never will. Arcega-Whiteside, on the other hand, has already demonstrated a willingness and ability to put his physical gifts to their best possible use, whether that's by running crisp routes or his uncanny knack for attacking the ball at the optimal time to make the catch.

The team that burns a Day 2 pick on the Stanford standout is going to get a steal.