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Wide Receiver's Mentioned
Ricky Pearsall, Javon Baker, Luke McCaffery, Malik Washington, Jacob Cowing, and Ainias Smith.
Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Route Running
Ricky Pearsall is a good route runner in the short to intermediate areas. Pearsall is a little better against zone than man but capable of doing both. I wouldn't call Pearsall's route runnning great or elite, but it is good and pretty consistent. Pearsall is not doing much deep though, he plays slot, wide, and runs a diverse route tree in the short to intermediate areas.
YAC (Yards After the Catch)
Regarding YAC, Pearsall brings almost nothing. Pearsall is very soft on contact and goes down easy. Pearsall tries to juke but fools nobody and he slides out of bounds when the opportunity presents itself. When Pearsall does make a catch in the open field, he hesitates and squanders his time and space.
Hands
Pearsall has good hands on the routine catches and is solid through contact. Sometimes, Pearsall tries to make the tough catches even tougher. Pearsall will use one hand when he can reach with two and attempt an acrobatic leap when he can just run under the ball. Pearsall also shows poor tracking on a rainbow ball that puts him out of position where he has to recover. Pearsall can make an occasional tough catch but misses plenty.
Senior Bowl
Pearsall was the third wide receiver in hype behind Ladd McConkey and Roman Wilson, and he was reported to have good separation and routes.
Overall Thoughts
Pearsall is a solid prospect. Pearsall is a good route runner with solid hands, and sometimes, that is all a wide receiver needs. Pearsall lacks a deep game and YAC ability which are close to non-existent. Sadly Pearsall's ceiling is limited. Pearsall will probably be a PPR floor play if he can earn NFL playing time. The senior bowl hype is always nice to see and a lot of the drilling involved working routes and catching balls, which are his better attributes.
Ricky Pearsall, Florida - Post-combine, Pre-NFL Draft Rank – WR15 (Tier 6)
Javon Baker, UCF
Route Running
Javon Baker runs smooth routes and gains separation consistently. Baker has nice setups and cuts. Baker gets schemed into a lot of go routes, which separation-wise is a weaker part of his route-running game. Route-wise, Baker is not getting a ton of separation on go routes, but he can catch a jump ball or make a back-shoulder catch. Baker's intermediate route running is great, and he gains consistent separation. Baker has no issues in press coverage; he works hard to get or stay open as a play breaks down and works to show for his quarterback.
YAC
Baker is strong, fights through tackles, and is difficult to take down one-on-one. Baker has good agility and solid vision to complement his power. Baker is one of the better YAC wide receivers in this class.
Hands
Baker has fantastic hands and contested catches and contact catches are reliable. Baker can catch well away from his body, go up and get a jump ball or snag a back-shoulder throw. Baker ends up running a lot of go routes because he is so good at jump balls and back-shoulder catches. Baker also has good sideline awareness and body control.
Senior Bowl
Neutral reports
Overall Thoughts
Baker is a very well-rounded prospect. Baker brings a little bit of everything with solid route running, YAC near the top of the class, hands near the top of the class, and solid size. Baker shows that he can excel everywhere.
Baker has elite ceiling potential if he can continue to develop in all areas. Baker has similar traits to Rome Odunze and could end up being a smaller discount, great-value version. Baker came from Alabama and then transferred to UCF, which reminds me of Trey Palmer’s process, who played three seasons at LSU, then broke out at Nebraska and had decent film as a senior. I can see the same scenario but with a significantly better NFL outcome for Baker.
Javon Baker, UCF - Post-combine, Pre-NFL Draft Rank – WR5 (Tier 4)
Luke McCaffery, Rice
Route Running
Luke McCaffery plays all over the field and takes some quarterback snaps in the wildcat. As a wide receiver, it takes McCaffery a long time to slow down in his routes. It also takes McCaffery a long time to get in and out of breaks.
Simply put, McCaffery looks raw and awkward, but he is newer around on his routes, looking lost, and he does not have a lot of conviction in his route running. McCaffery is not great against press coverage, either.
YAC
McCaffery has a little bit of vision but is mostly a straight-line runner. McCaffery uses his vision to set up his downfield angles but doesn't have the burst, agility, or power to make much more out of a play than is given. If there are defenders anywhere nearby at the catch point, McCaffery is getting tackled.
Hands
McCaffery is fine catching through contact and he looks awkward when the ball is not on his body. McCaffery's hands show how raw he and how unnatural he is currently as a wide receiver.
Senior Bowl
Neutral to positive reports
Overall Thoughts
McCaffery is a fifth-year player who barely broke out at Rice. McCaffery looks super raw overall in his routes and his catching. It is probably too little, too late to try out wide receiver at the NFL level. Someone is probably going to reach for McCaffery in rookie drafts because of his name, and I would just let them.
Luke McCaffery, Rice - Post-combine, Pre-NFL Draft Rank – WR25 (Tier 9)
Malik Washington, Virginia
Route Running
Malik Washington plays a lot in the slot. Washington runs a diverse route tree and is a decently efficient route runner. Washington wins at all three levels of the field and is good enough against man or zone. Washington's zone work can sometimes be a little basic, where he just turns around in front and between defenders. Washington looks a little lost when running an intermediate route against a zone defense. Washington's man routes do not always gain separation, but more often than not, they do. Washington has the occasional gadgety screens and reverses. Washington's route speed is fine, maybe a little slow for his size. Washington lacks that elite top speed but usually looks quick enough on the field to get by; however, he struggles consistently in press coverage.
YAC
Washington has great YAC ability, rarely goes down with the first defender and has good power for his size. Washington has some good but not great burst, good agility, and the vision to maximize those traits. Washington is pretty slippery, can slither through tackles and sheds arm tackles without losing much speed.
Hands
Washington has great hands and makes the catches look effortless. Washington catches everything near him and is good through contact.
Shrine Bowl
Positive reports
Overall Thoughts
Washington has some solid traits to be usable for fantasy. Washington has enough route running and YAC to turn into something a team could use. Washington is a tad small and will likely be a slot wide receiver in the NFL, but he lacks elite burst and top speed. Washington is what people are hoping Malachi Corley is going to be and a bit of Parker Washington from last year’s class. Washington has really good hands and above-average YAC that carries some power, similar to what Washington brought as a prospect.
Malik Washington, Virginia - Post-combine, Pre-NFL Draft Rank – WR18 (Tier 6)
Jacob Cowing, Arizona
Route Running
Jacob Cowing has the size of a slot wide receiver. In college, Cowing played mostly in the slot but did play out wide on occasion. Cowing looks fast, smooth, and fluid on his routes. Cowing can double-move someone into next week. Sometimes, Cowing only gains a yard or two of separation and makes a strong contact catch. Cowing is really good against man and zone as well. On rare occasions, Cowing will just get blanketed or blow through an open zone toward a defender, but overall, he creates pretty consistent separation.
YAC
Cowing is a take-what-is-given player. Cowing has juice, and he will eat up yards quickly. If Cowing is in the open field, he will get a chunk, but he does not break tackles when he is near a defender. Cowing lacks the power and agility to make defenders miss consistently.
Hands
Cowing has very reliable hands. Cowing is a little guy, so his wingspan is limited, but he catches them through contact with the best of them.
Senior Bowl
Neutral reports
Overall Thoughts
I wish Cowing was bigger. Before Tank Dell, I would probably have buried him based on size, but I see some similarities in their game. If Cowing gets any sort of draft capital, I will be interested. Cowing is a quick and talented route runner with good hands, and he can tack on a few extra YAC yards if he catches in space.
Jacob Cowing, Arizona - Post-combine, Pre-NFL Draft Rank – WR16 (Tier 6)
Ainias Smith, Texas AM
Route Running
Ainias Smith looks like a quick and smooth route runner. Smith mostly plays in the slot but will play out wide for two wide sets. Smith looks good against man and zone but not great against either. Smith works all three levels pretty well but has moments of inconsistency separating. Smith beats press coverage more often than not but is average overall. Smith looks like he is getting separation a decent amount, but his quarterback play was not great at times. Overall, Smith's route running is good, but with everything else in mind, it is a tad too inconsistent to rely on.
YAC
Smith is a take-what-is-given player. Smith has burst but is still unable to get much when defenders are around and does not get through contact.
Hands
Smith is very capable of hands-catching but sometimes is a bit of a body catcher. Either way, Smith catches consistently and catches through contact.
Senior Bowl
Neutral reports
Overall Thoughts
Smith has potential with his route running, but it feels like something is missing, and maybe it is just his bad quarterback play. Smith's route running is fun and crisp but inconsistent. Smith looks like he should have better YAC skills with his burst, but he doesn't. Smith is a fifth-year player and has never had a ton of production. Nothing Smith does makes him overly special.
Ainias Smith, Texas AM - Post-combine, Pre-NFL Draft Rank – WR22 (Tier 8)
Day 3 Wide Receivers Overall Thoughts
The 2024 receiver class is deep. In this article, we are reaching for day three prospects and still finding some gems. Historically, the hit rate for wide receivers has decreased dramatically on day three. Consensus mock drafts have changed since my original posts, but Johnny Wilson, Baker, Washington, and Cowing are all firmly projected as day three draft picks. All these prospects have good potential.
Jermaine Burton and Jalen McMillan are currently projected late day two and have a ton of potential as well. The 2024 class looks to be better than advertised. Common dynasty theory says to draft a running back and tight end later in your rookie drafts because you have a better hit rate. With the depth of the 2024 class, however, I can see the ability to draft solid prospects as late as the end of round four in dynasty rookie drafts this season.
Previous Posts
Cumulative Rankings
Tier 1
Marvin Harrison Jr, OSU
Rome Odunze, Washington
Tier 2
Malik Nabers, LSU
Tier 3
Troy Franklin, Oregon
Tier 4
Javon Baker, UCF
Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Ladd McConkey, Georgia
Xavier Worthy, Texas
Brian Thomas Jr, LSU
Tier 5
Jermaine Burton, Alabama
Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington
Jalen McMillan, Washington
Tier 6
Johnny Wilson, FSU
Roman Wilson, Michigan
Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Jacob Cowing, Arizona
Xavier Legette, South Carolina
Malik Washington, Virginia
Tier 7
Keon Coleman, FSU
Brenden Rice, USC
Tier 8
Devontez Walker, UNC
Ainias Smith, Texas AM
Jamari Thrash, Louisville
Malachi Corley, WKU
Tier 9
Luke McCaffery, Rice
