Seattle Person
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7 for 7 Series: Wide Receivers!
OpinionThis is the pièce de résistance of the draft. The best group and the deepest group. This class of WRs offers any and all kinds of body types and versatility. If you need an X WR then there is someone. Flanker? There are some really good ones. Same thing for big inside WRs. Slots are a plenty in this group. I can't name just one per round. There will be plenty of names here.
1st Round
Brian Thomas Jr. : 6'3, 209 lbs, 9.75'' hands, 32.75'' arms, 4.33 (40-Yard), 38.5'' (Vertical), 126'' (Broad), 11 Reps (Bench): He'll be 22 in his rookie season. Although he didn't run the whole route tree, Thomas is very talented. Tall and explosive. I think he is more of a Flanker (Z) right now because if you get him in motion and off press then he can work his speed and suddenness. I think he'll be very dangerous as a pre-snap motion guy. Him with a head of steam is scary. I don't think he can beat press consistently but if he can develop that part of his game then he can probably be an X in the future. He's still raw and needs to go the WR Masters' program. We know the big 3 in Harrison Jr, Nabers, and Odunze but Brian Thomas Jr and AD Mitchell are in the 2nd tier that might go in the first round.
2nd Round
Ladd McConkey: 6'0, 186 lbs, 3.25'' arms, 8.675'' hands, 4.39 (40-yard), 36'' (Vertical), 124'' (Broad), 13 Reps (Bench): He'll be 23 in his rookie season. McConkey is a very advanced route runner. He possibly runs the best out-breaking routes in the whole draft. Short out routes and deeper comebacks is his bread and butter. I think he has the savvy to play slot and the speed to play Z. I think he has the upside to be a very good WR2 on a team. Very polished WR that should help a contender right away. He was nicked up during his time at Georgia so injuries might become a thing in the league. Xavier Legette is another dude can probably develop into more a X type of receiver along with Keon Coleman. However, the list of possible Z type of WRs are more vast. You have Xavier Worthy, Jermaine Burton, Ricky Pearsell, and Troy Franklin.
3rd Round
Ja'Lynn Polk: 6'1, 203 lbs, 9.75'' Hands, 31.75'' arms, 4.52 (40-yard), 37.5'' (Vertical), 129'' (Broad): He'll be 22 in his rookie year. He's a very straight to the fact type of WR. Tough minded and physical. He loves contested catches. Hands catcher and can high point any pass. He's not the fastest dude but he does pretty much everything well except speed and separation in press. He loves sitting down in zone. Is a very willing blocker. He will be able to start right away as a Z WR and probably as a bigger inside WR. I also think he can eventually develop into a true X WR too. I think he reminds me a lot of Robert Woods when he was with the Rams but with less speed. Other options can be Brenden Rice, Roman Wilson, Javon Baker, Tez Walker. Slot WRs: Jalen McMillian, Malik Washington, Malachi Corley.
4th Round
Luke McCaffrey: 6'2, 198 lbs, 9.625'' Hands, 30.175'' arms, 4.46 (40-yard), 6.70 (3 Cone), 4.02 (Shuttle), 36'' (Vertical), 121'' (Broad): He'll be 23 in his rookie season. The other McCaffrey in the family. Luke McCaffrey is really athletic and he's bigger than what most people think. He's more physical as well. He comes from great pedigree and he knows what it means to be a pro athlete. He's still new to the WR position. He was a QB prior to playing receiver but is already progressing really well. He does mostly everything well. He has speed and quickness and uses them really well. I'm not sure he's a starter right away but he can contribute as a WR 3 or WR 4. I think the best thing about McCaffrey is he wins a lot at the catch point. Even though his body is twisted in all sorts of positions, he always seem to come down with the ball. He's a good athlete but not a great athlete. I think he still needs polish to his game but a lot to like. This round has a bunch of smaller dudes that can be Z WRs but also probably can thrive in the slot: Jabari Thrash. Slot WRs: Anthony Gould, Jacob Cowing, Tahj Washington,
5th Round
Ainias Smith: 5'9, 190 lbs, 8.5'' Hands, 29'' arms, 4.48 (40-yard), 6.86 (3 Cone), 4.27 (Shuttle), 21 Reps (Bench): He'll be 23 in his rookie season. I love Smith. He's a forgotten man in this WR class. He started as a RB at Texas A&M and then got coverted to a WR. If Malachi Corley is the Diet Coke version of Deebo then Smith can be the Coke Zero version. Smith rarely dropped passes in college. He ran a 3% drop rate his last year. He's super dangerous as a returner and in the open field. He's fast and explosive. Smith lined up primarily in the slot in college but I think he can also develop into a Z WR. He wasn't asked to catch balls where he had to track the ball a la Tyler Lockett. Most of his routes are within 5-15 yards. I think there's so much more to his game because of his strong hands. Still developing as a route runner but a lot to like as well. Smith does not care about his body at all. He'll throw himself and tries to run over bigger tacklers at times.
6th Round
Ryan Flournoy: 6'1, 202 lbs, 10.125'' Hands, 31.625'' arms, 4.44 (40-yard), 39.5'' (Vertical), 132'' (Broad), 19 Reps (Bench): He'll be 25 in his rookie season. He's an older prospect but he has a great story. He took the extra long route to the NFL. Flournoy showed out during the Senior Bowl. He ran good routes and was beating defenders during one on ones. Small school player with good traits and a hunger to succeed. I think he's one that might shoot up the draft boards and he might go much higher than this.
7th Round
Jalen Coker: 6'1, 208 lbs, 9.875'' Hands, 32.875'' arms, 4.57 (40-yard), 42.5'' (Vertical), 128'' (Broad): He'll be 23 in his rookie season. Coker is one of the most explosive players in this draft class. He played at a smaller school but has plenty of traits to get drafted. I think teams will give him a chance to secure him on their roster. He doesn't have the best agility but he already is winning with technique. His route running is pretty advanced for a smaller school guy. He has good hands and but plays above the rim. Coker is very physical after the catch. Not many CBs are going to love tackling him. He reminds me a little of Miles Austin back in the day. A potential YAC monster if he develops correctly.
UDFA
Cole Burgess: 6'0, 192 lbs, 9.125'' hands, 30.5'' arms, 4.45 (40-yard), 1.43 (10-yard), 4.23 (Shuttle), 6.72 (3 Cone), 41.5 (Vertical), 137'' (Broach), 21 Reps (Bench): He'll be 24 in his rookie season. I think he's pretty slept on. Insane athlete that played a DIII school. There is limited information on him but his best attribute is his ability to track and control his body. Great body control and is able to make contested catches. He'll be a lot of fun to root for and he may surprise some folks. I think he has a decent shot to get drafted but he might be a priority UDFA.
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