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An investigation into NFL depth charts highlighted an alarming trend. Almost every team could use another wide receiver. Whether it be a lack of depth at the position or a desperate need for production as soon as possible, there's a strong case for all 32 teams to take a pass-catcher in the first three rounds of the draft.
The NFL is a passing league; offenses need a balance of at least three guys who can keep your defense guessing. Fortunately, this year's wide receiver class is one of the deepest, most athletic, NFL-ready groups we’ve seen.
In this article, my goal is to link the draft's most exciting pass-catching weapons to the NFL team, giving them the highest fantasy ceiling. It is important to note that this is not a mock draft! Some of these moves will require the team to trade up or down; however, I aim to maintain some level of realism throughout this exercise.
Finally, my goal is to only use a team once. Yes, everyone knows the Bills would be an A+ fit for almost every receiver, but remember, I wanna keep some level of realism.
Brock Bowers
Denver Broncos
Brock Bowers is basically a glorified slot wide receiver. Watching the former Bulldog, his game weirdly reminds me of Deebo Samuel. Bowers plays with a blend of unbelievable balance and unwillingness to go down. Bowers doesn't look 6'4 240 on tape, and he plays hunched and elusively compact. This guy isn't a prospect; he's pretty close to a sure thing who can step into an offense right away and command 8+ touches a night.
Evidently, only a handful of every team can offer Bowers this role in 2024. An exciting and often mocked pair, I worry about Bowers's fantasy opportunity for output should he land on the Jets. In New York, Bowers would likely be the 3b weapon on what's gearing up to be a run-first offense. For me, Bowers's ideal home is somewhere he can be a top two target getter, with an offensive play caller capable of maximizing his unique skill set. Enter the Denver Broncos.
Sean Payton's historical fascination with Swiss army-type offensive pieces could bode well for Bowers. Think Taysom Hill, who, at 6’2 220, was deployed by Payton as a tight end, goalline back, and spark quarterback. Imagine what Payton could cook up with Bowers, who easily has the potential to be the Broncos' top offensive weapon in 2024. There's not much of a precedent for rookie tight ends to put up numbers in fantasy, but I'll be betting on Bowers to buck the trend should he land in Denver.
Marvin Harrision Jr
Los Angeles Chargers
Marvin Harrison Jr. comes into the draft with an almost unprecedented level of hype. Son of the Hall of Fame receiver, Harrison Jr has been labeled this year's generational can't-miss wide receiver prospect.
Harrison’s game has been analyzed into the ground by people who know much more than me, so I don’t want to beat a dead horse. On tape, the Buckeye plays with a level of intelligence and physicality, heiring on nonchalant. Harrison consistently made defenders look silly with his size, speed, and ability to contort his body and read defenders. After watching Harrisons' final season at Ohio State, I believe he may be further from the final product than people want to talk about, in both a good and bad way.
For someone being viewed by the general public as leaps and bounds ahead of his peers, I am concerned that Harrison Jr. finished outside of the top two amongst college receivers in yards (10th), yards per game (9th), touchdowns (3rd), and receptions per game (35th). We’re dealing with an insanely explosive player who hasn't necessarily been a volume guy in his collegiate career.
The easy and most mocked landing spot for Harrison Jr. is the Cardinals. This scares me for fantasy football. Harrison Jr would be the de-facto WR1, but I fear he’s not ready to bear the responsibility and volume considering how much he’d be relied on in that offense. I feel like Harrisons best shot to continue to develop and thrive is landing somewhere he's still the WR1. Insert the Chargers.
Under John Harbaugh, the media expects the team to deploy a trenchant running attack similar to Michigans, which attempted a whopping 37 carries per game. Free agency signings and former Ravens's JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards both profile as strong between the tackle runners.
Landing with the Chargers, Harrison would still be the WR1 with an elite quarterback; however, the offense wouldn’t need to run through him like it would have to in Arizona. For the sake of fantasy, I think Harrison's best outcome would be to land on the Chargers with Justin Herbert.
Malik Nabers
Arizona Cardinals
Malik Nabers is the next guy on the LSU wide receiver superstar conveyor belt. Sure enough, four of the top seven highest-scoring rookie fantasy seasons were set by the Tigers. All of Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and Odell Beckham received more than 125 targets in their rookie years, the latter two with 12+ TDs. Right up there with Chase as the best prospect of the bunch, Nabers profiles as a faster, more aggressive Zay Flowers.
Both are unbelievably difficult for defenders to mirror, a skill they exploit in the short, intermediate, and deep phases of play. Unlike Harrison Jr, Nabers finished top 15 in the nation in receptions per game, demonstrating his ability to bear the load of an offense. Like Chase, Naber's build resembles that of a running back, and his low center of gravity allows him to slash through arm tackles like a machete through bamboo. Nabers has every quality to contest Harrison for the top spot on NFL teams wide receiver big boards.
Nabers' best chance at landing a dream opportunity of volume, quarterback play, and an offense centered around him is the Arizona Cardinals. The team already has smaller valuable offensive pieces in wide receiver Michael Wilson and tight end Trey McBride. A stud WR1 like Nabers would be the perfect complement.
Despite having a reputation for being a running quarterback, Kyler Murray ranked 9th in pass attempts during the only two seasons he played in full. In 2024, I expect another 500-attempt season, and the departure of Rondale Moore and Marquise Brown’s 160 targets feels like the perfect funnel for Nabers to be unlocked as a top-ten fantasy wide receiver in 2024.
Rome Odunze
Buffalo Bills
A tier below Nabers and Harrison, according to many, Rome Odunze improved exponentially each year in Washington, culminating in a monster 2023 campaign. Catching passes from Michael Penix Jr, Odunze led the nation in yards, tied for third in touchdowns, demonstrated a level of polish and professionalism perhaps superior to Harrison and Nabers. The 6 '3 220 pound playmaker has magnets for hands, making an art of corralling in Penix’s wild fastballs.
Odunze’s potential as an NFL receiver reminds me most of bigger Stefon Diggs, a guy who doesn’t kill you with his speed and athleticism but more so with his wherewithal on the field and at the catch point. Diggs and Odunze jump like salmon and always seem to come down with the football.
Unlike the other two rookie wide receivers mentioned, Odunze has a pretty wide range of possible landing spots. I’ve seen him go as high as six to the Giants and as low as the 12-15 range, where I think any team could trade up to grab him should he slide. If my comp didn’t make it obvious, I see the Bills as the best destination for Odunze to continue to grow and thrive. In 2021, the Titans immediately drafted AJ Brown’s replacement weeks after trading him. Unlike Treylon Burks (whose career has been plagued by unfortunate injuries), I see Odunze as an immediate upgrade on the guy he’s replacing.
Even with Diggs, Josh Allen barely had anyone to throw to last year. As light and inexperienced as his current group is, I believe they're a Rome Odunze-type player away from causing defenses nightmares.
Brian Thomas Jr
Carolina Panthers
In evaluating each of these wide receivers, I combed through every target they put on tape in 2023. For a lot of these guys, because of this method, I missed out on watching years of production and explosion from their earlier college careers. Brian Thomas Jr, however, does not fall into this category.
In his final year at LSU, Thomas Jr. put up more catches, yards, and touchdowns than his first two seasons combined. This guy jumped from 12 yards per catch to 17 while leading the nation in touchdowns during his final year at LSU. So, are we talking about a one-season wonder or the NFL's next elite red zone weapon?
If not for Longhorn Xavier Worthy, Thomas Jr. would have been the guy everyone talked about after the combine. At 6 '3 210, Thomas Jr. tested like an absolute freakshow at the combine. He has an almost identical build to Christian Watson; however, unlike Watson, Thomas Jr runs with a more focused anger. Thomas Jr is able to run past defenders with lighting speed and projects as an X-type WR1 capable of transforming the offense he lands on.
Thomas’s best shot at a top-15 fantasy finish would be landing somewhere he can be the team's best red zone threat and command 120+ targets. I think he could thrive on a team without high expectations on an ascending offense, where there’s less pressure on Thomas. to help his team win games.
In addition, I think Thomas still has room to grow, and I like the idea of pairing him with a young, ascending QB he can grow alongside. For me, the Carolina Panthers tick all these boxes. In need of a true WR1 and additional weapons to help Bryce Young, the Panthers represent the perfect opportunity for Thomas to immediately step in and be productive for fantasy owners.
Xavier Worthy
New York Jets
Breaking the record running 4.21 40 at this year's combine, Xavier Worthy is a speed demon. A year ago, there was zero precedent for players of Worthy's build to have consistent success at the wide receiver position. Fortunately for Worthy, Tank Dell paved the way for the slighter wide receiver and provided a blueprint for guys like Worthy to be valuable in the league.
In Worthy, we’re talking about a guy who is small and light, and while this allows him to juke and wriggle with incredible elusion, he lacks the strength to play well through contact. When throwing to Worthy, I noticed Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers opted for this lofted, rainbow-type throw. Every time I saw it (and they connected on it early and often), it reminded me of the way Mahomes would hang it up for Tyreek to chase down.
It's easy to make the connection between Hill and Worthy based on speed alone, but the truth is Hill brings a level of physicality and aggression in jump ball situations and after that catch that is currently non-existent in Worthy’s game. I’ve seen Worthy linked to the Panthers and Bills in the late first or early second round, but I genuinely fear a situation where Worthy is relied on as a team's top target-getter. Instead, I think Worthy’s best chance for success lies somewhere a little further down the depth chart on a team with an elite quarterback. My top three destinations are the Chiefs, Jaguars, and Jets, with the latter being my favorite landing spot.
I keep seeing this argument that the Jets are one injury away from disaster at offensive line, but can’t the same be said for wide receiver? Behind third-year stud Garett Wilson and injury-prone free agent signing Mike Williams, the Jets have undrafted free agents Xavier Gipson and Jason Brownlee. Worthy’s skillset compliments those top two guys well, especially in the jump ball department where Wilson and Williams truly thrive. Remember, this regime was this close to trading for Tyreek Hill two years ago, so there’s a clear desire for a similar type of player in this offense.
Ladd McConkey
Baltimore Ravens
For those unfamiliar with his game, it's easy to underestimate a guy with a name like Ladd McConkey. In spite of the goofy name, McConkey’s height, weight, and speed measurables almost mirror that of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. This isn’t your Julian Edelman slot receiver; McConkey played 79% of his snaps on the outside and graded in the top 99% in success rate per route run. Don’t get me wrong, McConkey can still shred in the slot, but he figures to line up the majority on the outside in the NFL. At Georgia, McConkey provided the perfect Robin to Bowers Batman.
There is a real chance McConkey gets taken as a late first-round pick, and I think a player with his skill set would improve virtually every team in the league. McConkey’s game reminded me so much of Tyler Lockett, an intelligent, quick-footed technician who gets open, then gets down. McConkey shouldn’t step in as a team's WR1, so his best shot at production is landing in a top offense with a top quarterback. While McConkey would be a strong fit with the Chiefs, Jets, and Titans, it’s hard to deny the obvious connection to Baltimore and Todd Monken. As the offensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs, Monken torched TCU in the 2023 Title Game 65-7, featuring McConkey to the tune of a 5- 88-2 statline.
McConkey would step in immediately and challenge Flowers as 2nd option in the passing game. I back Monken to get the most out of McConkey, and if he does, there’s no reason to think he can’t catch 100 balls as a rookie.
