2017 NFL Draft: Wide Receiver
2017 NFL Draft Wide Receivers
Solid receiver class that’s missing that signature top end talent. I think a few of these prospects have the potential to be stars at the next level.
Corey Davis-WR-Western Michigan-6’3”-209-1st-95
Prospects like this are why it’s fun doing these draft guides. I’d never even heard of this kid while he was dominating college football. Davis was a 3 time first team all conference going for over 1400 yards and 12 TD’s all three seasons! Wow. He has NFL size, very good speed, and production to match those gifts. Yes he didn’t play in the Big 10 but he’s got all the tools you want to see in a top flight receiver. He catches the ball well, goes up and gets it, and has runaway speed. Unfortunately an ankle injury kept him out of the combine and his pro day, but on the field he looks like a low 4.4 guy. Route running and YAC ability are pluses. I struggle to find a weakness in his game. Maybe blocking, getting off the press, putting the football away. How does this guy not get a major college football scholarship? I don’t know but draft him early I’m dying to see if he can keep dominating at the next level. I think Jordy Nelson is a reasonable comparison.
John-Ross-WR-Washington-5’11”-188-1st-94
Absolute burner, everyone knows he broke Chris Johnson’s 40 yard dash record clocking a 4.22 and added a 37” vert. Kid’s a freak athlete and looks it on the field. He has effortless speed. He cruises by people at the sideline like he’s playing Pop Warner. Ross had a kick return TD and looked like he stopped running hard by midfield. Ok, you get it, he’s fast. But can he play? Uhh, yeah. Last year had 81 for 1150 and 17 TD’s. That’s a lot of short passes but it shows you he was a focal part of that offense and more than just a deep threat. Decent size for a speed demon, similar to Brandin Cooks who was 5’10” 189 at combine. Ross tore his ACL in 2015, and had a prior injury to his other knee so long term health is a question mark. Look, he’s got Tyreek Hill speed, big production in a major conference, and honestly enough size for what his role will be. I see him right around pick 20 and wouldn’t blame anyone for taking him in the teens.
Mike Williams-WR-Clemson-6’4”-218-1st-91
This kid has great size, body usage, and tough, strong hands. I thought he’d be bigger than 218 but maybe he shaved to that weight in order to jump higher (only 32”) and clock a faster 40 time (4.50 at his pro day). Williams is a bit of an average athlete but man he makes spectacular contested catches. He’s not a leaper or athlete quite like Mike Evans, but he’s further along as a pass catcher right now than Evans was coming out. Williams missed 2015 after breaking his neck in the opener, which sounds exactly as scary as it is. Testament to his toughness, he came back in 2016 and lit the country on fire finishing with 84 catches for 1,171 yards and 10 TDs. I’m liking this Plaxico Burress comparison, although I think Plax made stronger cuts and was better laterally, whereas Mike is stronger physically. I see him as a number 1 outside threat but more on the level with Alshon Jeffery than Dez Bryant. This kid will definitely go in the first round, hopefully he’ll resurrect the name Mike Williams after his USC and Syracuse counterparts muddied it.
Zay Jones-WR-East Carolina-6’2”-201-2nd Day-90
Another recorder setter, this time FCS receptions leader with 399 career catches including 158 as a Senior. Watching him on the field I get Odell Beckham vibes. Not from his antics but from his play. He fast, but he looks quicker than everyone. Plus he runs good routes and makes great catches with strong hands. Isaiah (Zay) ran a 4.45 second 40 yard dash, and had a 36.5 inch vertical. I don’t think he played at that speed, but those are solid numbers. He then followed that with a 6.79 second time in the 3 cone and 4.01 second 20 yard shuttle. Those are top notch quickness times. At his height and size I’m surprised he’s that quick. I know part of the reason he looks so dominant on the field is that he’s playing at ECU. But he played big conference teams many times. Zay put up 22 catches for 190 against SEC member South Carolina. He’s a big time talent and if he was in last year’s draft he may have been the first receiver selected. Height, quicks, hands, route running, are all pluses. He doesn’t play as fast as Corey Davis, and he’s not thickly built. I see Zay as a second round athlete, production bumps him a bit but competition and spread offense bump him back down a bit. He’s a better prospect than Sterling Shepherd who the G-men are very happy with. I say late first round caliber player.
JuJu Smith-Schuster-WR-USC-6’1”-215-2nd Round-87
He’s one those outside receivers who plays bigger than they actually are. I’m thinking of DeAndre Hopkins, Dez Bryant, LaQuon Treadwell, and Alshon Jeffery. John JuJu Smith-Schuster is a physical player who had a good deal of success for the Trojans. He caught 89 balls for 1454 yards and 10 TD’s as a sophomore in 2015. As a senior he battled a back ailment and didn’t quite manage 1000 yards but added another 10 scores. He will not be a separation receiver at the next level. His 4.54 second 40 yard dash is right in line with his play speed. Now that’s not slow by any means, A.J. Green ran a 4.50, but Smith-Schuster does not get separation by speed or quicks, he wins with physicality. He has massive 10.5” dinner plate hands and he uses them well. I worry about him making zero impact against Alabama, but the whole USC team didn’t show up for that game. I also worry that he doesn’t have a winning receiving trait for the next level like size, speed, or quickness. But he has great hands, a natural receiving feel, uses his physicality well, and is purported to absolutely love football. I say those pluses along with solid production particularly in the red area against high level competition warrants and early second round pick. Very similar prospect to Hakeem Nicks, although Smith-Schuster had a better college career.
Curtis Samuel-RB/WR-Ohio State-5’11”-196-2nd Day-86
One of those tweeners in the Percy Harvin, Tavon Austin tradition. Samuel was a playmaker at Ohio State, basically the only one outside of J.T. Barrett. This kid is a burner, 4.31 second 40 yard dash and a 37 inch vertical leap. He doesn’t have great size and that will limit how he’s used at the next level, but he’s only 6 pounds shy of Christian McCaffrey. Samuel has experience lining up in the slot, on the outside, carrying the ball, and running routes out of the backfield. Very balanced at Ohio State, Curtis rushed for 771 yards and had 865 yards receiving in 2016 including a combined 15 touchdowns. The difficulty getting the ball to Harvin, Tavon, and Tyreek Hill to some degree will rear its head with Samuel as well. Expect some jet sweeps and action off of it, and lining up in the backfield in some 3rd down situations. I think he’s a solid receiver prospect who’ll need to improve route running and his hands. It’s important to note he is further along as a receiver than Harvin or Braxton Miller and thus deserves to be drafted before the halfway point of round 2. In the meantime he’ll be a return man and gadget player on offense. I don’t value that role as much as some teams probably will, but he has the size and speed to be a playmaker so someone will jump.
Cooper Kupp-WR- Eastern Washington-6’2”-204-2nd Day-83
Off the charts consistent unbelievable production all 4 years in college averaging 107 for 1616 yards and 18 td’s. Umm what, he averaged that? Cooper is a tremendous receiver. He runs sharp routes, sets up defenders, and probably has the best hands in the draft. I like the height, but he’s a little bit skinny. The problem is he’s not fast enough. Kupp recorded a 4.62 second 40 yard dash. Before you start screaming at the screen about Jerry Rice’s 4.59, put on the tape, Jerry played fast, Kupp plays with average speed. It doesn’t mean he can’t play at the next level, but just realize he has that limitation. And watch out that red turf is tough to look at, what was Eastern Washington thinking? Kupp is not a burner or a leaper (31” vert), but he does have quickness as displayed by the 4.08 second 20 yard shuttle. I see a ton of Michael Crabtree in Cooper’s game. Both about the same size, not fast but solid separation players. Crabtree had a slow start to his career but has since become a valuable, reliable receiver. I see Kupp having the same potential, but hopefully without the slow start.
Dede Westbrook-WR-Oklahoma-6’0”-178-2nd Day-82
Wheels. Loved him the past two seasons at Oklahoma, this dude can absolutely fly and for a few games looked like a legitimate Heisman candidate. He’s built like DeSean Jackson, and most players like that don’t hold up at the next level. Dede is not a poor route runner, but he’ll need to improve in order to be anything but a deep threat.