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Welcome to the revamped version of the Position Ranking Roulette! Over the past three years, we have looked at current NFL players and ranked how they performed that season. With more of my focus on the NFL Draft over the past two offseasons, switching this series up to cover incoming rookies will allow these write ups to be more insightful and more subjective as well. Some ground rules before we start:
These rankings are how I believe these players will perform throughout their careers, not just how good they are now
In order for a player to be ranked, I must have watched a minimum of 5 games of them, this threshold allows me to not be as partial to some prospects who have film more accessible than others
There will be no real "negatives" in these write-ups, just things for these players to improve upon in order to reach their ceilings. Let's remember, they are technically still amateurs as they haven't made the pros yet, and they should face minimal negative criticism, as opposed to constructive feedback
Call me soft, but there's a reality where these prospects' parents, family members, and friends are constantly looking up their names, hoping to only see good stuff on them. This doesn't mean they are free to no criticism, but I'll be taking a more optimistic approach to it. With that out of the way, let's get into the first set of my draft rankings for the most loaded position in this class!
Photo: Sam Craft/AP Photo
15. Jermaine Burton - Alabama
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Great speed and explosiveness | Consistently working back to the ball on curls and comebacks |
Good YAC ability, makes defenders miss in space | Inconsistent footwork gets him jammed in press more often than not |
Soft hands and solid concentration in traffic and out of structure | Need to see more effort when blocking |
Excels on in-breaking routes, overall route running is great as well | Becomes a spectator when someone else gets the ball |
If you want a receiver who can take the top off a defense and win with his route running, Jermaine is your guy. He has good hands, solid deep ball tracking, and can win on almost any route; the key will be improving his blocking and getting better at winning against press looks. I think he'll be fine as a WR2/utility player in the right offense.
Pro Comp: Trey Palmer
14. Keon Coleman - Florida State
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Top-end concentration on tight window passes | Missing burst on deeper routes that have cuts |
All routes have the same tempo, lulls defenders to sleep | Not stacking and out leveraging defenders on go balls |
YAC ability is fantastic, he's a problem when the ball is in his hands | Spectates if he misses a block, won't try hard to open a lane for his teammates |
Ran a complete route tree, wasn't limited in what he could do | Losing the majority of jump balls, didn't win enough for the chances he got |
There are flashes in his game where I could see him being a top threat on a given team, but struggles with creating separation on non-double move routes and making the easy catches. Despite this, he made a ton of "highlight" level catches and made big plays when FSU needed them. He's the definition of a high-risk, high-reward prospect.
Pro Comp: George Pickens
13. Tahj Washington - USC
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Noticeable shiftiness, makes good cuts with the ball in his hands | Needs to put on more weight, small receivers have a short shelf-life in the league |
Change of direction is awesome, gets low to the ground and creates separation consistently | Needs to prove he can play all over the offense, not just in the slot |
More than willing as a blocker despite his size | Didn't run a full route tree due to a poorly designed offense |
Great from the slot with his mix of scrappiness and ability to get open |
Tahj is a scrappy receiver with good ability to break tackles and get significant YAC, gives effort in blocking and was effective out of the slot. Size and usage will be a concern, but I believe he has a ton of tools to be a playmaker in the NFL, could be worth reaching for with a day 2 pick.
Pro Comp: Tank Dell
12. Xavier Worthy - Texas
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Top notch athleticism, with both speed and elusiveness | Rounds off deeper routes, not as smooth when cutting |
Nuanced short route runner, creates a ton of separation on slants and outs | Despite running a diverse route tree, he was only consistent in the short game |
Good contact balance, can stay upright on ankle tackles | Used more as a utility player, good chunk of catches came on motions, screens, and deep balls |
Solid release package to manipulate defenders | Unwilling as a blocker, spectates way too often |
Legit deep threat and good in the short game, runs some nice short routes and has a good release package to beat press to get open on deep balls. Didn't really get to see him be used outside of some gadget type plays and deep concepts, so not sure how he'll be able to function in a more complete role in the league, but he's a damn good athlete.
Pro Comp: Darnell Mooney
11. Roman Wilson - Michigan
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Great speed to burn defenders and take the top off a coverage | Size will most likely keep him to the slot and condensed alignments |
Good footwork on all routes, makes clean cuts to get separation | Played in a run heavy offense, didn't get to thrive from a ton of chances |
Smooth and soft hands, makes catches in rhythm consistently | Slow plays defenders when blocking, wouldn't try to press into them |
YAC ability is pretty decent, can hit creases and make defenders miss |
Nuanced receiver with great speed and route running, dominated out of the slot and can run the entire route tree, makes nice sharp cuts and made some tough grabs. Will be limited to slot/utility roles based on his size and experience, will most likely never become a true WR1, but will be a very good WR2/3.
Pro Comp: Rashid Shaheed
Photo: Steven King/Icon Sportswire
10. Malachi Corley - Western Kentucky
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Explosive burst and great acceleration to reach top speed | Struggles against press, needs to rely more on his footwork rather than his size and speed |
Finds open spots against zone coverage with ease, especially with crossing routes | Didn't run many routes past 10 yards, only a few of them were clean |
Tough YAC athlete, can break through tackles and speed past defenders | Needs to be more patient at times and let his blocks develop on screens |
Used all over the offense, good versatility |
Complete receiver with awesome traits, really good YAC skills, great hands, can high point a ball and has late hands. He will get antsy and try to overrun his blockers, and he isn't great against press coverage looks, but he is a damn good ball player overall; will be a steal for whoever gets him.
Pro Comp: Rashee Rice
9. Xavier Legette - South Carolina
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Plays way bigger than his frame, can climb a ladder and come down with jump balls | Struggled to create plays after the catch, lacks shiftiness |
Great route runner for his size, usually has clean cuts and separates with ease | Blocking isn't that good, either took bad angles to defenders or whiffed often |
Has deep threat prowess, has sneaky speed and twitch to out-leverage DBs | Inexperienced at the position, played QB in high school |
Made some solid catches in traffic over the middle, took some tough hits too |
Good X receiver that played all over South Carolina's offense, can go deep, hit a quick slant, and climb the ladder over the middle. Will need to become a better blocker and improve his YAC ability to become an alpha in the NFL, but he has all of the tools to do so, another underrated receiver in a loaded class.
Pro Comp: Gabe Davis
8. Ladd McConkey - Georgia
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Clean cuts on all routes, gets low on his breaks, leverages well | Struggles to win jump balls, waits for the ball to come down, needs to attack it |
Can line up inside or outside, versatile skillset and athleticism to play wherever | Blocking could stand to improve, would stop moving his feet when engaged |
Isn't afraid to get physical at the catch point or during his release | Not a ton of playing time due to various injuries, could steer teams away |
If it's within his frame, he's coming down with the ball |
Ladd can be used however an offense wants, can extend the field with his speed, make plays in space with his twitch, run through defenders despite his size, and catch any ball that comes his way. Want to see better technique when blocking and getting more aggressive overall, but is a fun prospect regardless.
Pro Comp: Curtis Samuel
Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images
7. Ja'Lynn Polk - Washington
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Came down will almost every throw in his catch radius, unreal concentration | Breaks on routes weren't as sharp as I'd like, but isn't bad per se |
Hits a second gear in his routes and when he catches the ball | Was the 2nd option in his offense, didn't go against the best defenders often |
Great YAC ability, accelerates quickly once the ball is in his hands | |
Strong route runner overall, ran a complete route tree |
Polk is one of "my guys" in this class. A do-it-all receiver who can succeed from most alignments, he's your prototypical utility receiver that can be used in many different ways to stretch the offense and stress the defense, may be a top 5 receiver from this class when his career is over.
Pro Comp: Chris Godwin
6. Troy Franklin - Oregon
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Consistently finds open windows against zone coverage for QBs to fit the ball | Deep ball tracking is subpar, misses some bread basket throws |
Quick change of direction and suddenness, helps with route running and YAC | Rounds off the top of his routes, needs to make cleaner breaks |
Ran a complex route tree that you don't see often from college receivers | Does get a case of the drops at times, usually happens on consecutive targets |
Speed is top notch, has great explosion as well |
Can win from any alignment and on any route, played all over the field on Oregon's offense and was used in a variety of ways. He isn't particularly great at one thing, but can fit any mold the offense wants to put him in, can be a true top target in the right scheme, but does need to clean up his inconsistencies to make that happen.
Pro Comp: 6'2 Emmanuel Sanders
5. Adonai Mitchell - Texas
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Excellent route runner, gets open with ease with short burst and quick cuts | Wasn't the first read often, even agsainst favorable looks |
Great deep ball tracking and speed to beat defenders over the top | True YAC ability is unknown due to how deep he was targeted on average |
Makes strong catches out of rhythm, works off his routes to get the ball | Didn't run many out breaking routes, mainly ran in breakers and deep shots |
Understands coverages at a high level, knows when he won't get targeted |
Has all the tools necessary to be a WR1, runs good routes, understands coverage well and how to leverage against it, can make plays out of structure and can win in multiple ways, will feast if he gets a chance to be a number one target.
Pro Comp: CeeDee Lamb
4. Brian Thomas Jr - LSU
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Size and speed is a deadly combo, can be used in both YAC and jump ball plays | Route tree was limited due to the offense he was in |
Exploits open creases with the ball in his hands, fantastic burst once he's in space | Was the 2nd option to a great receiver, played in a loaded offense overall |
Great sense of stacking DBs once he wins his route | Blocking was hit or miss, either jacked a guy up or let his man beat him with ease |
Clean route runner, has a good release package and has surprising suddenness | Limited offensive scheme didn't allow them to use their entire skillset |
BTJ has what it takes to be a WR1 in the league. Good route runner, has nice hands, has good top end speed to win deep, and pretty solid YAC ability and twitchiness once the ball is in his hands. I want to see him be more consistent as blocker and run a full route tree more often, but I really liked what I saw.
Pro Comp: Tee Higgins & Rashee Rice Love Child
Photo: Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports
3. Malik Nabers - LSU
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Absolute burner, can burst off the line or lull you to sleep and still win his rep | Stumbles running routes at times because his feet are moving so fast |
High level route runner, especially on crossers and intermediate routes | Primarily used in the slot or as a utility player, not much true WR1 type usage |
Decent blocker in space, gets out in front of defenders to open lanes | Fails to work back to the ball consistently, just waits for it |
Can make plays at all three levels of the defense, deep ball savant as well | Limited offensive scheme didn't allow them to use their entire skillset |
Nabers will be best as a utility/slot type player and will succeed in the NFL in that role. With that being said, there is a reality where he could be a dominant WR1 in the right system. He has a deep skillset and blazing speed to match with it, just needs to get better at doing the little things right.
Pro Comp: Calvin Ridley
2. Rome Odunze - Washington
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Incredible "late hands", excels in tight window throws and jump balls | Isn't as fast as other guys in this class, may not be viewed as a deep threat |
Great route runner, especially at the 2nd and 3rd levels of the defense | Loses footing at times, especially on routes breaking back to the QB |
Solid YAC traits, can make defenders miss and break through tackles | Not the best deep ball tracker when the ball hangs in the air for a while |
One of the best blocking receivers in this class, plays to the whistle constantly |
Complete receiver with NFL ability, has wonderful hands and sense of awareness of when to attack the ball. Rome is a true X type receiver that will always look to make a play when the ball comes his way, could see become a first option in an offense within the first few years of his career.
Pro Comp: Davante Adams
1. Marvin Harrison Jr - Ohio State
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Wins routes at all three levels, knows how to fit his route against a defense | Struggles on end zone fade balls, doesn't give himself enough room |
Elite body control, gets both feet down and reels in passes out of structure | YAC ability is hit or miss, either makes multiple guys whiff or gets arm tackled |
Tracks the ball well, can get under just about any throw | Becomes a spectator in the pass game if someone else gets the ball |
Good blocker in space, isn't afraid to get in a defenders face |
Great size, athleticism, and natural receiver skills separate MHJ from the pack, would be the top receiver in any class. His blocking ability and advanced route running will make him a WR1 for nearly any offense he joins on day 1. If he can improve his YAC and fix his end zone route running, he could easily be a top 5 WR in the next few years.
Pro Comp: AJ Brown
Photo: Caleb Blake/The Lantern
Final Notes:
Some guys who just missed the cut were Javon Baker, Ryan Flournoy, Ricky Pearsall, and Jalen McMillan. It's a loaded class, but these guys should still find their ways into considerable roles on a good chunk of offenses.
Join me from now until the draft, as I cover each position group and how they rank against their peers.