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Year after year we seem to get wide receiver classes with incredible talent, well, besides last year. This one just might be the best in a long time, from elite top-end talent in Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze, to stars at the back end of the first round in Adonai Mitchell and Brian Thomas, and even players that will go as late as day 3 that can be solid contributors at the next level. In this breakdown, I will briefly write up my top 10 guys, list out my full top 20, and mention some honorable mentions that I enjoyed watching or just missed the list.
This is not Brandon Aiyuk. It's Marvin Harrison Jr. (He is 6"4) pic.twitter.com/IdUpYqIqc9
1. Marvin Harrison Jr
92.4 (Blue Chip Prospect)
Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of the best WR prospects I have ever watched. I wrote about him in awe here. My comparison for him is Davante Adams, because that's the caliber of player you are getting with Marvin Harrison. He is just an out-of-this-world route runner for his size and has no true weaknesses in his game.
2. Malik Nabers
91.4 (Blue Chip Prospect)
Malik Nabers is, also, one of the best WRs I have ever watched. He isn’t flawless, but his strengths are among the top in this class. He is the best after-the-catch receiver in this draft, and has the ability to entirely change an offense and command a ton of volume from day 1 in the NFL.
Marvin Harrison has body control that is just out of this world. pic.twitter.com/ffeOHJuRGN
3. Rome Odunze
88.7 (Early First Round)
Being the consensus WR3 is insulting to Rome Odunze, but he would be the clear WR1 in many other classes. Rome Odunze is an extremely fluid pass catcher and has some of the best hands in this draft. He is an almost effortless route runner, despite not being overly technical. You can read my full-length scouting report on Rome Odunze here.
4. Adonai Mitchell
87.9 (First Round)
Oftentimes when someone gets a ton of pre-draft media hype, I can see the flashes but I'm not willing to go all the way in, well, here's my flag plant. I absolutely buy in on Adonai Mitchell and think he has a true superstar ceiling to be tapped into. The real selling point for me on Mitchell was his ability to “turn it on” as he explained at the combine. When he was really moving on his routes and needed to make a game-changing play, I saw the sub-4.3 speed he ran at the combine and a guy that could make you miss in a phone booth. He truly did look like CeeDee Lamb to me at his peak.
5. Brian Thomas Jr
87.6 (First Round)
Ranking Brian Thomas as WR5 in the class might appear low, but it shouldn't be any shade to him just because I'm high on Mitchell. Brian Thomas is a great deep threat, and will be a great weapon for some team in the first round. He isn’t talked about a ton in this class, and is often overshadowed by his teammate Malik Nabers and the other star WR talents in this class, but Brian Thomas is a very good player and should undoubtedly be a first-round pick.
Washington WR Rome Odunze is such an special catcher of the football. Throws his hands up so late here, doesn't even give the DB a chance to make a play on the ball. pic.twitter.com/bXaGkKaKMQ
6. Ladd McConkey
87.4 (Late First Round)
Ladd McConkey is a guy that has gotten a lot of media hype in this draft cycle, but I'm not quite sure I've seen anyone as high as them as I am. McConkey is a true technician. He will be one of the best route runners out of the slot the moment he enters the league and should be an 8+ target a game guy from day 1. I don’t think McConkey will go in the first round on Thursday, but I would not fault a team for doing so in the slightest.
7. Ricky Pearsall
86.7 (Late First Round)
Ricky Pearsall is another guy who has gotten a lot of media hype, but I have yet to see anyone who has him as a first-round guy like I do. Pearsall is a great route runner, plus separator and athlete, and a huge threat after the catch. Oddly enough, he might have had one of the best catches of all time as I'm sure everyone has seen by now during his tenure at Florida, but he does have some drop issues and doesn’t have the strongest hands at the catch point.
Odunze certainly doesn't have blazing speed, but people calling him slow are out of their minds. Such a rare size+speed combo. pic.twitter.com/g167fhhDpW
8. Keon Coleman
86.5 (Early Second Round)
I wrote up Keon Coleman as one of the first WRs I got to in this cycle. I'm pretty indifferent on him, and he is clearly my favorite out of the more polarizing guys at the position this year. Keon Coleman is almost entirely a contested catch artist. He is an adequate route runner, and moves well for his size when moving in a straight line. It wouldn't shock me if he busted, but it also wouldn't shock me if he became a guy like Tee Higgins. Ironically, I feel this way about the rest of the guys in my top 10 as well. I'm not sure I'd want to be the one to pull the trigger on any of them, but they certainly have upside despite me strongly preferring the tier above, and probably below them, at cost. You can read my full-length report on Coleman here.
9. Xavier Worthy
85.4 (Second Round)
I’m not a big fan of Xavier Worthy. Without a doubt, he has game-changing speed, and he should carve out a role in the NFL because of that entirely, but he just is a one-trick pony to me. Not a great ball tracker at all combined with poor hands is not a recipe for success in the NFL, in addition to the fact that he has some size limitations. However, Worthy is extremely explosive with the ball in his hands, which is why I’m not fully out on him. Worthy should be able to have success due to being a good deep route runner, but his route tree as a whole is very limited. I wouldn’t bet on him being a bust necessarily, but among the top guys in this class, Xavier Worthy is the guy I would lean to disappointing in the NFL the most.
10. Xavier Legette
85.2 (Second Round)
Xavier Legette is another guy who is almost exclusively a contested catch guy at his current state. He has great long speed and a phenomenal frame for the position, but he is a poor route runner and isn’t a very dynamic athlete. He is the kind of guy who has to build up speed to ultimately reach his top speed, which can cause problems for him at the line of scrimmage. Legette has legit upside as a good Z receiver, but I wouldn’t bet on him being that year one.
Keon Coleman will be a dominant ball winner from the moment he steps on an NFL field. pic.twitter.com/iLsfy1CaGM
11-20
11. Jalen McMillan - 85
12. Brenden Rice - 84.5
13. Luke McCaffrey - 84.4
14. Malachi Corley - 84.8
15. Jermaine Burton - 83.9
16. Javon Baker - 83.4
17. Roman Wilson - 83.2
18. Ja’Lynn Polk - 83.2
19. Troy Franklin - 82.4
20. Jamari Thrash - 81.8
Grading Scale
1st Round: 86.5+
2nd Round: 84.5-86.4
3rd Round: 82.5-84.4
4th Round: 80.5-82.4
5th Round: 78.5-80.4
6th Round: 76.5-78.4
7th Round: 74.5-76.4
UDFA: <74.4
For the full grade breakdown see Instagram @KwonScouting.
