And while that has played a part in career-lows in a few advanced PFF metrics, it still didnt stop him from tying for 10th in PFF WAR generated at the position in that span. Lets break down Brooks latest rankings of the top five wide receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft: 5. Dotson was arguably the most impressive rookie receiver in Week 1, as two of his five targets went for touchdowns. Still, theres no denying that the 10th-year pro is one of the NFLs best when healthy. 1,000-yard season with 7 receiving touchdowns, 1,058 receiving yards with 12 receiving touchdowns, 1,104 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. Boyd is one of the most underappreciated players in the NFL. What Else Will the Carolina Panthers Do After Selecting Bryce Young No. The addition of Brown has helped Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense reach new heights, as Hurts has a league-high nine TD passes on go routes this season with Brown being responsible for an NFL-best five of them. OK, so maybe there is a quarterback issue in New York that will affect Wilsons short- and long-term prospects. Share this article 200 shares share tweet text this a deep wide receiver class where the Bears can find an Moore who was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 24th overall pick. The first receiver off the board was D.J. Cooks saw his second-lowest single-season average depth of target for his career (11.1), catching the most passes of his career coming less than nine yards downfield (63). On the ground, Samuel picked up 14 explosive runs of 10-plus yards and broke 28 tackles on 86 carries. He has also generated 1.43 PFF Wins Above Replacement (WAR) since 2020, the most by a wide receiver over that span my more than a quarter of a win. Kansas City Chiefs: "Williams wouldn't have to get rushed back as the Chiefs have Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to hold down the fort as downfield threats. The former Ohio State star broke out in a big way in Cleveland last weekend, showcasing the field-tilting speed and route-running chops that made him Danny Kellys top receiver heading into the 2022 draft. is the biggest boom-or-bust receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. Receivers with Olaves athletic profilehis vertical jump and height ranked in the 12th and 35th percentiles, respectively, in MockDraftables databasecant be expected to regularly win jump-ball opportunities, especially with a quarterback who cant deliver the ball on-point. Once he does get acclimated, he'll have a great shot to thrive because Andy Reid has proven over and over that he knows how to get guys open downfield. His route-running, speed and on-field experience and savvy are ready for the NFL, but his body and ability to become a do-it-all playmaker hold him back at this point. 1 wide receiver size, but he's extremely fast (4.38 40-yard dash) and put up big numbers at one of the best programs in the country. Its clear the Saints want to throw it deep to the 6-foot speedster, whom the Saints wanted to draft so badly that they essentially traded five picks for the opportunity to select him in Aprils draft. His 83.3% contested catch rate (15-of-18) in regular-season play was over 10 percentage points higher than anyone else in the NFL. The Cowboys are 6-1 with an NFL-leading average of 35.7 points per game since Dak Prescott returned from injury in Week 7. Their Run Is Just Beginning. With Sean Payton no longer spearheading the offense and Winston playing hurt, the rookie out of Ohio State may not have the instant impact Mickey Loomis and Co. were hoping for when they moved heaven and earth to acquire him. 1? Since entering the league in 2019, Metcalf has racked up the second-most receiving touchdowns (11) and third-most contested catches (12) from passes thrown over 20 yards downfield. There's one word to describe the 2022 NFL Draft class for wide receivers: Loaded. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Friday, March 4th: Running backs, offensive line and special teams. Through two games with the Falcons, its clear London is more than a jump-ball threat with limited speed. Instead of taking a step back, Hill has elevated an entire offense and been the key to third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's breakout season. He is also surprisingly effective on quick in-breaking routes. The second-year wideout has been the Lions focal point in high-leverage situations, gaining a first down on 15.2 percent of his routes on third and fourth down this season (third-highest rate, min. He averaged an NFL-leading 10.8 yards after the catch per reception while shedding 27 tackles. Miami will be able to use Hill in various ways, but expect an increase in schemed touches to get the ball in his hands and let him work in space. Smith was heavily utilized downfield over that span, generating the fifth-highest average depth of target, and he held up his end of the bargain. The score is calculated by scaling each metric to a percentile (from 0 to 100) relative to all wide receivers who have played at least 150 offensive snaps through Week 14 of the 2022 season. The 6-foot-2, 191-pound receiver also attacks the catch point well and is strong after the catch. Brown -- who is also the NFL's leader with 2,299 yards on in-breaking routes since being drafted in 2019 -- is among the biggest factors in Philly becoming the NFLs first team to clinch a playoff spot this season. The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft saw five receivers drafted for the second straight year. It was somewhat of a surprise to see Drake London as the first receiver off the board. Godwin has still been at a WR1 level, ranking 21st in PFF WAR since 2020, but his 0.60 mark in that metric over those two years is less than what he accrued in 2019 alone. Awareness is a question mark Below-average run-blocking technique with usually negative results. R2-P50 | Patriots, 11) George Pickens, Georgia The first receiver off the board was D.J. In yesterday's edition of the FFT newsletter, we got to know the top running back prospects for the 2022 draft class, and today, we have scouting reports from Dave Richard, Heath Cummings, and Dan Schneier on the top wide receiversfrom our Dynasty offseason coverage. ", Strengths "Experienced! R2-P44 | Texans, 10) Tyquan Thornton, Baylor The Packers were rumored to be interested in drafting receiver prospect Lavishka Shenault a couple cycles ago and Burks can offer them a lot of what they were going to get with Shenault -- but with a higher ceiling." ", Weaknesses "Can he improve his physicality and play strength? Hes the definition of a big-play threat and someone who could rise into Tier 1 to dethrone some of the veterans up top. Techie with an interesting slant on player evaluation? Kansas City Chiefs: "This is an obvious landing spot. 6) Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama Mobile, Alabama. An extension of Saban on the field, the coaches gradually added to his plate, and he was always up to the task, finishing the 2022 season as the only FBS player with Of course, they weren't the only difference-makers from their classes -- Jaylen Waddle and CeeDee Lamb stepped on the field as must-start WRs, and Tee Higgins, Chase Claypool, Brandon Aiyuk, Devonta Smith, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Elijah Moore (among others) had their moments as rookies, too. The Raiders have faced Cover 6 at an outlier rate this season (17 percent, the only team over 13 percent), as defenses "cloud" Adams' side of the field, drawing a safety farther away from the ball. Jefferson has been incredibly productive against press-man, averaging 3.55 yards per route run (second) and 21 explosive receptions of 15 or more yards (tied for first). The 2022 NFL offseason featured several blockbuster moves, including the trade of wide receiver A.J. With Coopers PFF grade and per-route production declining each year he was in Dallas, the Cowboys brass dealt him to Cleveland for a fifth-round pick to free up cap space. He finished his career at Ohio State with 2,213 receiving yards and 23 receiving touchdowns. Unfortunately, Kupps season was cut short by injury. -- Mike Band, Keegan Abdoo and Cole Jacobson contributed to this piece. Intriguingly, despite the flurry of activity on Day 1, that is tied for the lowest number of receivers Needless to say, hes been doing whatever he can to deal with a bad quarterback situation. Last month, the former LSU star surpassed another legendary Vikings receiver -- none other than Hall of Famer Randy Moss -- for the most receiving yards in a player's first three seasons, and he has only added to that total over the last couple weeks. He is smooth with great hands and will likely become a quality pro outside receiver. This is the fourth of 11 positional breakdowns leading up to the NFL Draft (April 27-29). Which wide receivers round out our top 10 rankings for the 2022 NFL Draft? Williams can still generate value for the Chargers' offense, as he has done by finishing top 25 in PFF WAR generated at the position in three of the past four years. A true WR1 can be a difference-maker for any team. But while San Francisco may not be the team that will pay him the most money, it is the one that can best utilize his dynamism. Burks was a bully in college, and he's got the kind of size and athletic profile we're looking for from a young WR. While Waddle made the most of those shallow opportunities by earning a top-five grade on targets under 10 yards for the entire season, he is capable of more. ", Strengths "Tall and slender build. Its early, but the 2022 first-round rookie receiver class looks like another special one. Dont be surprised if the Fields-Mooney connection soon morphs into one of the better young tandems in the NFL. Iosivas is a natural leader and was voted team captain at Princeton in 2022. Like his former Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith kept getting better as his rookie campaign progressed. Burks accounted for 37.2% of the Razorbacks' receiving yards over the past two seasons and was used all over the field -- including occasionally out of the backfield. Six wideouts were off the board by the time the Minnesota Vikings had made Afraid of getting beat deep, defenses have played split-safety coverages at the highest rate against the Dolphins (51 percent) and man coverage at the lowest rate (17 percent). Both are big dudes who move well for their size with reliable hands. If its not the strongest position group, its without question one of the NFL Draft Buzz is on the lookout for new contributors who would like a chance showcase their perspectives on the NFL draft. St. Brown has also provided a safety blanket for Goff when teams blitz (which they often do). That said, I wouldnt be surprised if Olave continued to rack up air yards at an exciting rate. No. Check out the below clip from Week 1 against the Saints, when the rookie found the soft spot in the defenses zone and with one cut was 12 yards up the field: London finished the play with a truck stick, but notice that he also had the presence of mind to immediately run back toward the line of scrimmage to give Atlanta a chance at another play before halftime. Where does TCUs Quentin Johnston fit in the first-round wide receiver class? We regard him as the best possession receiver in the 2022 Draft - but to put him in the Aspiring college or profootball journalist? Before the down season, Allen was on a four-year run of producing an 80.0-plus PFF grade, all ranking inside the top 15 at the position. 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