The 2014 NFL Draft wide-receiver class features a good combination of high-end talent and depth. Players like USC’s Marquise Lee and Clemson’s Sammy Watkins could make a strong push to come off the board somewhere in the top five.
1. Marqise Lee, USC ( Top 10)
Marqise Lee is a fierce competitor who works hard on every play. He uses a combination of quick-twitch ability, balance and savvy to provide the quarterback a reliable target. Lee’s quick first step helps him get into his route and then create separation.
He makes plays all over the field from creating off a wide-receiver screen, working over the middle or making plays down the field. Lee’s strong hands and body control makes him a threat to pull down any ball thrown in his direction.
2. Sammy Watkins, Clemson ( Top 10)
Sammy Watkins is coming off a disappointing season after bursting on the scene as a freshman. However, the physical talent is still present for Watkins to work his way into the early part of the top 10 in next year’s draft.
The first thing that jumps out when evaluating Watkins is his strong hands. He always plucks the ball away from his frame and can make the tough catches in traffic. Watkins is also an excellent athlete who features top-end speed and good size.
Watkins and Lee will be battling it out all season long to see who’s the first receiver off the board.
3. Mike Evans, Texas A&M (1st Round)
Johnny Manziel gets most of the attention at Texas A&M, but wide receiver Mike Evans deserves some of his own. Evans is coming off a terrific first season where he flashed big-time NFL potential.
This is an aggressive and physical player who is rarely out worked for the ball. He combines this tenacity with good body control, deceptive speed and the awareness to track the football.
Because he only has one season under his belt, Evans needs to show that last year was for real. He also must prove that he’s not a product of Manziel’s creativeness and the length he spends in the pocket. Defensive backs typically have a hard time sticking with a wide receiver for the amount of time Manziel spends navigating the pocket.
4. Noel Grigsby, San Jose State (1st Round)
Noel Grigsby is getting overlooked because he plays at a less covered school like San Jose State. However, he’s easily one of the more talented receivers in the country. Grigsby is a very polished player who runs excellent routes and can read a defense.
His presence is one of the reasons why David Fales is getting so much love from evaluators. Grigsby helps Fales by consistently finding the openings in the defense, attacking the ball at its highest point and working all his routes back towards the quarterback.
5. Phillip Dorsett, Miami (1st Round)
Phillip Dorsett might be the most explosive wide receiver in this draft class. His quick-twitch ability helps him outpace defenders after only a few steps. That quickness also makes him a very dangerous return man.
Dorsett is able to consistently create separation from the defensive back because he doesn’t need to slow down when he cuts off his route. This makes him a real nightmare for defenses to try and stop him with man coverage.
Don’t be surprised to see a lot of people throw out the name Tavon Austin when talking about Dorsett.
6. Odell Beckham Jr., LSU (Early 2nd Round)
Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t have ideal size for the wide receiver position, but that doesn’t stop him from playing a fearless brand of football. He isn’t afraid to go across the middle or attack the ball in traffic.
However, his best attributes are his quickness and feel for the position. Beckham does a great job finding the open spots in the defense to provide his quarterback with an open target. He uses his hands to routinely pluck the ball away from his frame.
Beckham is a shifty runner which helps him create in space as well as impact the game as a return man. The one thing I’ll keep an eye on this season is his overall speed. He is quick enough to make a difference, but might be a step slower then players like Tavon Austin from this last year’s class.
7. Cody Hoffman, BYU (Early 2nd Round)
Cody Hoffman features excellent size and deceptive speed. He uses his big frame to box out defenders to gain ideal position to make a play. Hoffman routinely attacks the ball at its highest point plucking it out of the air with his hands.
He provides the quarterback with an excellent target because of his size, willingness to play a physical brand of football and his awareness to find openings in the defense.
Some areas he needs to work on included remaining focused on the ball and working on adding some deception in his route running. However, this is a talented player with a lot of potential at the next level.
8. Brandon Coleman, Rutgers (2nd Round)
Brandon Coleman is a naturally talented wide receiver who needs to tighten up a few areas of his game to solidify his draft stock. Coleman features excellent size and enough speed to stretch the defense.
He combines that good size with long arms that help him attack the ball at its highest point. However, Coleman has a tendency to lose focus and take his eye off the football. This leads to some drops. Coleman also needs to be more committed to catching the ball away from his frame.
This is a player with a ton of potential but needs some refinement in his game. Outside of some focus problems, Coleman must work on running cleaner routes.
9. Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt (2nd Round)
Jordan Matthews is a smooth player who has a knack for locating the open zones in a defense. His arm length is an advantage because he’s willing to attack the ball at its highest point and has the body control to adjust to poorly thrown balls.
The concerns I have surrounding Matthews revolve around the fact he doesn’t appear to be an elite athlete. He is a one-gear type of runner who also lacks quick-twitch ability. This limits the type of separation he creates and how effective he is attacking the deep part of the field.
However, Matthews will find a role at the next level because of his awareness and overall feel for the game.
10. DeVante Parker, Louisville (2nd Round)
DeVante Parker features nice length and the aggressiveness to make plays all over the field. He has good straight line speed that allows him to outpace defenders and make plays down the field.
However, Parker doesn’t appear to be an extremely fluid player which limits his ability to run crisp routes and create in space.
11. Kasen Williams, Washington (Late 2nd Round)
Kasen Williams is a high-upside prospect who is still developing a feel for the game. However, he has flashed enough talent to be considered a potential early-round prospect. Williams’ quick-twitch ability allows him to quickly get into his route, gain separation and stretch the defense.
He’s a natural pass-catcher who typically plucks the ball out of the air at its highest point. As a route-runner, Williams has the balance to run clean routes but he needs to make sure he remains focused on this area of his game.
12. Dri Archer, Kent State (Early 3rd Round)
There’s no doubting Dri Archer’s explosiveness and play-making ability. However, it’s tough to pin point exactly where he’ll fit at the next level. Kent State uses him at wide receiver, running back and as a return man. It’s possible he’ll see time at all three spots in the NFL.
The issue is Archer lacks the bulk to play running back on a consistent basis and hasn’t refined his route-running skills as a receiver. It’s going to take a creative offensive coordinator to make use of Archer’s potential.
13. Jalen Saunders, Oklahoma (Late 4th Round)
Jalen Saunders is a great example of a player who is more quick than fast. He features the shiftiness that makes him very elusive with the ball in his hands. This helps him create in space and produce big plays as a return man.
The concerns surrounding Saunders are that he lacks the overall speed to outpace defenders. He also has a tendency to round his routes and let the ball into his chest. However, his shiftiness and ability to locate openings in the defense gives him some potential.
14. Donte Moncrief, Ole Miss (Early 5th Round)
Donte Moncrief has talent, but hasn’t shown enough to be considered a top-level prospect. His good length is wasted because he doesn’t attack the ball at its highest point. He has limited experience running routes other than a “go” pattern.
It also appears that Moncrief isn’t giving 100% effort on every play. He needs to show a lot more this season to improve his draft stock.
15. Austin Hill, Arizona (5th Round)
Austin Hill features good long-speed and the height to make plays down the field. He’s an aggressive player who consistently attacks the football. However, he needs work to work on his route-running ability. Hill appears to have limited fluidity which negatively impacts his potential as a route-runner.
16. Allen Robinson, Penn State (6th Round)
Allen Robinson is a big-bodied and physical wide receiver who doesn’t shy away from contact. He uses his bulk to box out defenders and put himself in position to make a play on the football. However, Robinson needs to show better focus catching the ball and more of a commitment to plucking it out of the air with his hands.
17. Mike Davis, Texas (6th Round)
At this point, Mike Davis is really just an athlete with good size. He lacks the fundamentals to make an easy transition to the next level. Davis has a tendency to telegraph his routes, let the ball into his chest and doesn’t consistently attack the ball at its highest point.
18. Devin Street, Pittsburgh (7th Round)
Devin Street doesn’t have one area of his game that really jumps off the screen. He has average size, speed, hands and route running ability. It’ll be hard for him to move up my rankings unless he starts to make more game-changing plays.
19. Tevin Reese, Baylor (7th Round)
Tevin Reese is a smaller target who features good top-end speed and explosiveness. However, he struggles to consistently catch the football and provide the quarterback with an open target. His best bet to make a roster will be as a return man.
Others to watch: Kevin Norwood- Alabama, Alex Amidon- Boston College, Jarvis Landry- LSU, Paul Richardson- Colorado, Ryan Grant- Tulane, TJ Jones- Notre Dame, Malcolm Mitchell- Georgia, Sean Price- Appalachian State