ToughJ.Riggins
Hall of Famer
The 5 year draft average for WRs is 32. The Undrafted Free Agent (training camp) trend for WRs is 78. So all in all; I would say around 45-50 rookie WRs will get a practice squad or roster contract at some point during their first season.
This is a deep WR class; with lots of guys who worked out well this year. In a fair world these are the WRs I think who should be drafted; somewhere near this order.
Here are my top 36 WRs that should be drafted:
1. Jeremy Maclin
(A true game breaker w/ top production)
2. Percy Harvin
(Versatile & fast; ran a 4.41, can also run the ball)
3. Michael Crabtree
(A similar prospect to Collie in most ways but a little bigger)
4. Darius Hayward-Bey
(Insane 4.30 40; produced fairly well.)
5. Austin Collie
(Notes for white WRs at bottom of post)
6. Kenny Britt
(Good Combine #s for size w/ great stats, average hands)
7. Hakeeem Nicks
(Doesn't have great speed; physical agile and productive)
8. Brian Robiskie
(Great Combine showing like Hartline #s dropped w/ Pryor)
9. Louis Murphy
(Great Size speed combo; pretty good production)
10. Brian Hartline
(Notes for white WRs at bottom of post)
11. Juaquin Iglesias
(Isn't a burner, but a productive and great slot target)
12. Eric Peterman (white)
(dwid's Youtube video blew me away.)
13. Mohamed Massaquoi
(not a burner, but a great possession WR)
14. Jarrett Dillard
(An underrated WR which is very rare if you're black)
15. Andrew Means
(Notes for white WRs at bottom)
16. Quan Cosby
17. Mike Thomas
18. Ramses Barden
19. Derrick Williams
(Avg. stats; very agile, had flu days before bad Combine)
20. Andy Brodell (white)
21. Brandon Gibson
22. John Matthews (white)
23. Mike Wallace
24. Kenny McKinley
25. Aaron Kelly
26. Kole Heckendorf (white)
27. Patrick Turner
28. Nate Swift (white)
29. Deon Butler
30. Dicky Lyons (white)
31. Vinny Perretta (white)
32. Johnny Knox
33. Demetrius Byrd
34. Charly Martin (white)
35. Matt Simon (white)
36. Eric Morris (white)
Here I will indicate all white WRs draft stock in my top 50:
Austin Collie: Rank 5th: Early 2nd round:
(Only a solid performance at Combine; His now official 40 time of 4.56 was close to what I expected. Did impress, but didn't blow you away with agility workout numbers at the Combine. Still a quality receiver who, if fair, would make a GREAT starting Flanker or Slot man; a great route runner with great on field agility. He has game-speed and can separate out of his breaks. Has great hands and is pretty physical and he had a better Pro Day showing than Combine.)
Brian Hartline: Rank 10th: Late 2nd/ Early 3rd: (Excellent all-round Combine performance, just like Robiskie; really stood out in agility drills. Can't really blame him for drop in production; he had a freshman run-happy QB in Pryor, but Pryor did play great for a freshman. Hartline has the versatility to play any one of the 3 WR roles X-Z. He is great at separation out of his breaks.)
Eric Peterman: Rank 12th: 3rd round: (As I admitted I hadn't seen him play much in his career; only saw him once last season in the Michigan game and once the year before and didn't know enough about Northwestern's offense. I had seen his Rivals' H.S highlights a while back, however dwid's quality Youtube footage of him blew me away. Peterman is EXTREMELY AGILE and has amazing game speed. He ran a 4.45 at his Pro-Day. This guy can play; his game speed may actually be in the 4.3 range! Good work dwid!)
Andrew Means: Rank: 15th: Late 3rd round: (Good Combine showing and outstanding Pro Day showing: A possible Slot WR type with the speed to also play Split-End, he models his game after friend Anthony Gonzalez. Says he wants to try playing both baseball and football professionally if possible; production pretty good, not great.)
Andy Brodell: Rank 20th: Late 4th/ Early 5th: (Found a Quality '08 highlight film of him on Youtube; He appears to have his game-speed back that made him so good in the '06 season and his career day in the '07 Alamo Bowl; he still looked good; very agile, but not quite as agile as Peterman. His stats were hurt in Iowa's run happy offense; which may cause me to still under-rank him some along with the fact that he had a few too many drops last year. Versatile enough to play X-Z WR spots.)
John Matthews: Rank 22nd: (small schooler): 5th round: I wasn't able to find footage of Matthews. I only could base my ranking here on what I read on NFLdraftscout, his athletic measurements and great production in the lower level. I read some very positive reviews of him in the NFLdraftscout newswire from scouts and coaches.
Kole Heckendorf: Rank 26th: (small schooler): 6th round: (This guy is what you'd call a blazer; 4.44 speed. He's only a solid route runner from what I've read, but he displays good hands. Should have been playing in the FBS. Appears to be a natural Split-End. I may be ranking Kole a bit low, but he is a bit raw in a few areas as of right now.)
Nate Swift: Rank 28th: 6th round (Underperformed at Combine, even in agility drills. Game-film pretty good, but not spectacular. Could make an impact as 4th WR right away and maybe work his way up to a starting Flanker role eventually for a team desperate for a solid WR. Does not have ideal agility or size for the Slot, but he's a big physical target who runs routes pretty well and displays good hands and toughness. More importantly is that this guy just knows how to play.)
Dicky Lyons: Rank 30th: Late 6th/ Early 7th: (Ranked much lower due to serious injury concerns; his recovery is coming along well, but he is still too much of a risk to be taken high. This guy could make a great Flanker or Slot Man for a team; sort of like Brian Hartline in playing style and workout measurements. Lyons is a very elusive player and could be a very high reward pick for some team.)
Vinny Perretta: Rank 31st: 7th round: (This guy can stretch the field with his 4.43 speed and gets good separation out of his breaks. He is only 5'9 though and wasn't too productive at Boise State. Perretta also shows great change of direction ability while running routes and possesses impressive hands. He could play Slot or possibly even Split-End in the NFL.
Charly Martin: Rank 34th: (small schooler): 7th round: (Read above: same situation here as with Matthews. These guys could very well be better than I've ranked them.)
Matt Simon: Rank 35th: 7th round/ FA: (I haven't seen this guy play and only read about him, but he appears to be a solid WR from what I've read and recently ran a 4.48 40.)
Eric Morris: Rank 36th: 7th round/ FA: (A natural slot man, with some speed to go with it. This guy changes direction well and is tough with good hands. He is only 5'8 though. He was pretty productive in Texas Tech's pass happy offense. Morris supposedly runs around a 4.5 40.
Tyler Grisham: Rank range 38-43: Priority FA: (A natural slot man; reminds a bit of Devone Bess or Danny Amendola, but not as productive in college as those guys. Best case scenario, Grisham could turn into a "poor man's" Wes Welker (not as athletic as Welker). Grisham didn't have a good 40 time at his Pro Day and his 10 yard dash (for his size) wasn't good either. He was also a let down in the bench press. However this guy is a good route runner, is pretty agile for a prospect and is tough with good hands.)
Darren Mougey: Rank Range 41-46: Medium interest FA:
This guy is a big physical specimen that could also be a wildcat QB. He has both thrown and caught the ball in college. Practice squad?
Jon Davis: Rank Range 45-50 (small schooler): Medium interest FA: Practice Squad? (I never saw this guy play and only base my ranking on what I read, his production and athletic measurables.
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So all together I have 16 white WRs in my top 50 draft prospects and 13 getting drafted out of my 36 projected draftees. This is an NFL position that should be about 70% white IMO; so this is very disturbing that their are so few white FBS guys getting a shot to shine. Lots of these white WRs are more talented than their ranking indicates. They either weren't thrown to enough, or had a run happy offense to work with (Hartline, Brodell). Also you have to rank the small schoolers lower due to level of competition.
Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins
This is a deep WR class; with lots of guys who worked out well this year. In a fair world these are the WRs I think who should be drafted; somewhere near this order.
Here are my top 36 WRs that should be drafted:
1. Jeremy Maclin
(A true game breaker w/ top production)
2. Percy Harvin
(Versatile & fast; ran a 4.41, can also run the ball)
3. Michael Crabtree
(A similar prospect to Collie in most ways but a little bigger)
4. Darius Hayward-Bey
(Insane 4.30 40; produced fairly well.)
5. Austin Collie
(Notes for white WRs at bottom of post)
6. Kenny Britt
(Good Combine #s for size w/ great stats, average hands)
7. Hakeeem Nicks
(Doesn't have great speed; physical agile and productive)
8. Brian Robiskie
(Great Combine showing like Hartline #s dropped w/ Pryor)
9. Louis Murphy
(Great Size speed combo; pretty good production)
10. Brian Hartline
(Notes for white WRs at bottom of post)
11. Juaquin Iglesias
(Isn't a burner, but a productive and great slot target)
12. Eric Peterman (white)
(dwid's Youtube video blew me away.)
13. Mohamed Massaquoi
(not a burner, but a great possession WR)
14. Jarrett Dillard
(An underrated WR which is very rare if you're black)
15. Andrew Means
(Notes for white WRs at bottom)
16. Quan Cosby
17. Mike Thomas
18. Ramses Barden
19. Derrick Williams
(Avg. stats; very agile, had flu days before bad Combine)
20. Andy Brodell (white)
21. Brandon Gibson
22. John Matthews (white)
23. Mike Wallace
24. Kenny McKinley
25. Aaron Kelly
26. Kole Heckendorf (white)
27. Patrick Turner
28. Nate Swift (white)
29. Deon Butler
30. Dicky Lyons (white)
31. Vinny Perretta (white)
32. Johnny Knox
33. Demetrius Byrd
34. Charly Martin (white)
35. Matt Simon (white)
36. Eric Morris (white)
Here I will indicate all white WRs draft stock in my top 50:
Austin Collie: Rank 5th: Early 2nd round:
(Only a solid performance at Combine; His now official 40 time of 4.56 was close to what I expected. Did impress, but didn't blow you away with agility workout numbers at the Combine. Still a quality receiver who, if fair, would make a GREAT starting Flanker or Slot man; a great route runner with great on field agility. He has game-speed and can separate out of his breaks. Has great hands and is pretty physical and he had a better Pro Day showing than Combine.)
Brian Hartline: Rank 10th: Late 2nd/ Early 3rd: (Excellent all-round Combine performance, just like Robiskie; really stood out in agility drills. Can't really blame him for drop in production; he had a freshman run-happy QB in Pryor, but Pryor did play great for a freshman. Hartline has the versatility to play any one of the 3 WR roles X-Z. He is great at separation out of his breaks.)
Eric Peterman: Rank 12th: 3rd round: (As I admitted I hadn't seen him play much in his career; only saw him once last season in the Michigan game and once the year before and didn't know enough about Northwestern's offense. I had seen his Rivals' H.S highlights a while back, however dwid's quality Youtube footage of him blew me away. Peterman is EXTREMELY AGILE and has amazing game speed. He ran a 4.45 at his Pro-Day. This guy can play; his game speed may actually be in the 4.3 range! Good work dwid!)
Andrew Means: Rank: 15th: Late 3rd round: (Good Combine showing and outstanding Pro Day showing: A possible Slot WR type with the speed to also play Split-End, he models his game after friend Anthony Gonzalez. Says he wants to try playing both baseball and football professionally if possible; production pretty good, not great.)
Andy Brodell: Rank 20th: Late 4th/ Early 5th: (Found a Quality '08 highlight film of him on Youtube; He appears to have his game-speed back that made him so good in the '06 season and his career day in the '07 Alamo Bowl; he still looked good; very agile, but not quite as agile as Peterman. His stats were hurt in Iowa's run happy offense; which may cause me to still under-rank him some along with the fact that he had a few too many drops last year. Versatile enough to play X-Z WR spots.)
John Matthews: Rank 22nd: (small schooler): 5th round: I wasn't able to find footage of Matthews. I only could base my ranking here on what I read on NFLdraftscout, his athletic measurements and great production in the lower level. I read some very positive reviews of him in the NFLdraftscout newswire from scouts and coaches.
Kole Heckendorf: Rank 26th: (small schooler): 6th round: (This guy is what you'd call a blazer; 4.44 speed. He's only a solid route runner from what I've read, but he displays good hands. Should have been playing in the FBS. Appears to be a natural Split-End. I may be ranking Kole a bit low, but he is a bit raw in a few areas as of right now.)
Nate Swift: Rank 28th: 6th round (Underperformed at Combine, even in agility drills. Game-film pretty good, but not spectacular. Could make an impact as 4th WR right away and maybe work his way up to a starting Flanker role eventually for a team desperate for a solid WR. Does not have ideal agility or size for the Slot, but he's a big physical target who runs routes pretty well and displays good hands and toughness. More importantly is that this guy just knows how to play.)
Dicky Lyons: Rank 30th: Late 6th/ Early 7th: (Ranked much lower due to serious injury concerns; his recovery is coming along well, but he is still too much of a risk to be taken high. This guy could make a great Flanker or Slot Man for a team; sort of like Brian Hartline in playing style and workout measurements. Lyons is a very elusive player and could be a very high reward pick for some team.)
Vinny Perretta: Rank 31st: 7th round: (This guy can stretch the field with his 4.43 speed and gets good separation out of his breaks. He is only 5'9 though and wasn't too productive at Boise State. Perretta also shows great change of direction ability while running routes and possesses impressive hands. He could play Slot or possibly even Split-End in the NFL.
Charly Martin: Rank 34th: (small schooler): 7th round: (Read above: same situation here as with Matthews. These guys could very well be better than I've ranked them.)
Matt Simon: Rank 35th: 7th round/ FA: (I haven't seen this guy play and only read about him, but he appears to be a solid WR from what I've read and recently ran a 4.48 40.)
Eric Morris: Rank 36th: 7th round/ FA: (A natural slot man, with some speed to go with it. This guy changes direction well and is tough with good hands. He is only 5'8 though. He was pretty productive in Texas Tech's pass happy offense. Morris supposedly runs around a 4.5 40.
Tyler Grisham: Rank range 38-43: Priority FA: (A natural slot man; reminds a bit of Devone Bess or Danny Amendola, but not as productive in college as those guys. Best case scenario, Grisham could turn into a "poor man's" Wes Welker (not as athletic as Welker). Grisham didn't have a good 40 time at his Pro Day and his 10 yard dash (for his size) wasn't good either. He was also a let down in the bench press. However this guy is a good route runner, is pretty agile for a prospect and is tough with good hands.)
Darren Mougey: Rank Range 41-46: Medium interest FA:
This guy is a big physical specimen that could also be a wildcat QB. He has both thrown and caught the ball in college. Practice squad?
Jon Davis: Rank Range 45-50 (small schooler): Medium interest FA: Practice Squad? (I never saw this guy play and only base my ranking on what I read, his production and athletic measurables.
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So all together I have 16 white WRs in my top 50 draft prospects and 13 getting drafted out of my 36 projected draftees. This is an NFL position that should be about 70% white IMO; so this is very disturbing that their are so few white FBS guys getting a shot to shine. Lots of these white WRs are more talented than their ranking indicates. They either weren't thrown to enough, or had a run happy offense to work with (Hartline, Brodell). Also you have to rank the small schoolers lower due to level of competition.
Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins