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2017 NFL Draft WR Rankings

For the 2017 NFL Draft WR Rankings, you’ll likely find a very different list than the “Mel Kipers” of the world, but how often do the typical draft ratings actually pan out? Similar to our QB rankings and RB rankings we see things very differently. If you’re going to pickup a draft guide, we recommend Hub Arkush’s Pro Football Weekly Draft Guide 2017. Once again, much thanks to @draftbreakdown for their film. Enjoy.

OA = Overall Athletic Score. Objectively, this is a way to look at a player’s entire athletic ability. I have NOT tested its validity, but its simply a place to start and compare one’s composite measurable. The lower the score the better, the computation is as such:

[(Mean: 40/Pro Agility/3 Cone)/(Broad Jump + Vertical Jump)] x 100

1. Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina, OAS: 2.99 (#2), NR: 8.25

· Very well spoken guy, saw a lot of him at the Sr. bowl, where he dominated from Mon-Sat

· Not a consistent crisp get off, doesn’t rollover, does a bit of a dip down at times, and at times shows burst (could simply be product of insane workload/fatigue)

· Decent frame up blocker

· Lots of bubble screens/opportunity to showcase running skills, flashes some open field skills

· Some mental lapses, especially on the simple 9/4 read (run hard at corner, if his hips turn you continue vertical attacking the opposite angle of his hip turn, if they stay in their backpedal you stop on a dime and look for the ball)

· Natural ball catcher and can make insane catches

· Some of the best catching ability in the draft

· Seems like a team guy, chases CB after pick, downfield blocking etc.

· Tested exceptionally well

· Poses a nightmarish threat when left alone for back shoulder fade

· He was literally the team’s whole offense

· Can “Jordy prowl” the sidelines, but doesn’t fear the middle/shows great focus in bang 8/deep 6 (skinny post, dig/in routes)

· “Programmed” route runner at times, that is, will not adjust to QB movement

· Great downfield blocker, saw him drive a CB 20 yards on a QB designed run

2. Chad Hansen, WR, Cal, OAS: 3.38, NR: 7.5

· Got a slim Alshon Jeffrey thing going on, very long arms/large catching radius

· Comes back to the ball aggressively, even on 5 yard hitches, which you barely see done correctly

· Snatches the ball out of the air with his hands, again, very Alshon-esq, has those big paws that just snatch

· Gets off press with ease

· Catches the ball naturally, very soft hands

· Willing slightly above average blocker, looks like he stalks his stalk block (fakes route to block)

· Can make the tough catches, lives on the sidelines like nelson

· Not the fleetest of foot, but long strider

· Can contort body, to make the grab no matter what

· Solid route runner, good field awareness

· Comfortable in traffic but does little afterwards

· Tested well enough to match on field speed

· Not elite burst

3. Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, USC, OAS: N/A, NR: 7.25

· Excellent blocker, square you up blocker on the edge

· Small, but long leg guy

· Not afraid to make tough catch over the middle/fearless over the middle, will go up top, high point the ball and make big time catches

· Scrappy enough to break press, but needs a stack/be lined up as a Z to avoid it, uses hands well

· Reminds me of a smaller version of Brandon Marshall

· Very productive at the college level, but didn’t test well

· Not the best release, will have to play slot/off/zip him behind the LOS in NFL

· Can find the window on 6 routes vs zone very well

· Good quick crisp cuts on his routes, sets up defenders well, knows the angles to maximize separation from the defender

· Will help the QB by coming back to the ball, adjusting the route to the QB roll

· I’ll admit PFW, and Hub Arkush is big on this guy, and they are the only draft pundits I trust…but at the same time I may still be salty on my “miss” on Nelson Agholor…really thought he would be a legit slot, and I think that’s holding back my review

· Good run after the catch ability, has the vision and balance of an RB with the ball in his hands

4. Mike Williams, WR, Clemson, OAS: NA, NR: 6.75
·        Big. Strong Brandon Marshall built WR
·        Catches the ball naturally with his grippy hands
·        Great strength for a WR
·        Clear YAC skills
·        Has the ability to get over the top (even without elite speed)
·        Good array of double moves/ability besides brute strength (which works for him too), which he uses to break press with ease
·        Good concentration on the ball in air
·        Willing and adequate blocker (would have figured better given his stature though)
·        Maybe its balance, maybe its footing, but every other time I see him, he’s tripping over something
·        The way he changes the ball in his arms, may create some ball security issues
·        Not an explosive threat, jumped 32.5, not a whole lot of acceleration
·        Not the best route runner, rounds them off at times (not crisp), especially out-cutting ones

5. Curtis Samuel, WR/RB/FS, Ohio State, OAS: 3.40, NR: 5.5 (HIGH standard deviation on this based on system)

· Good burst, both in RAC and off the ball

· Clear speedster, with elite acceleration (testing validated), think I like him better as RB (thanks to Ty Montgomery that’s now an option in the NFL)

· Jet type WR that ran a lot of sweeps from the slot

· Will lower shoulder and run like an RB

· Lots of touches, played the Percy Harvin role in Meyer O/heavily targeted player

· Occasional concentration drop, esp. over the middle

· Still working on catching technique, will body catch in traffic rather than attacking the ball

· Can read a block, and get crafty in the open field

· Lots of negative runs…

· Clearly a system guy, would need a creative offense to use him wisely (Saints, Pats, Pack something like that) he could be quite the X-factor, but not a plug-n-play traditional WR by any measure)

6. Corey Davis, WR, WMU, OAS: NA, NR: 5.4

· Injury concerns me

· Very thin, but gets off press with ease

· Will drop the occasional pass

· Willing and good stalker

· Will stomach catch at times

· Adjusts to the ball in air very well, and fights for every pass

7. Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech, OAS: 3.28, NR: 5.25

· Good route runner, good double move package

· Aggressive and good blocker, will light a guy up at times

· Quick thinker

· Can contort and show excellent body control to the ball

· Gets off press easily

· Atrocious combine showing, way faster on the field than what he showed

· Has plenty of shimmy in routes, and can create separation with ease

· Natural ball catcher

8. Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington, OAS: 3.53, NR: 4.1

· Plays biggest in big games (insane stat line vs. IA teams)

· Willing blocker/team guy, not the best at framing up

· Finds open space

· Sometimes uses a false step coming out of his break

· Doesn’t always catch with his hands, but very willing to go over the middle, make a grab in traffic

· Comes back to the ball

· Insanely productive from 0-8 yards

· Adjusts route to QB

· Can contort and get creative with body to catch ball/shield defender

· Not an athlete, lacks speed and explosion

· Did NOT think he was 6’2…kind of weird, acts as, and kind of looks like a 5-11/6-0 type guy

· It’s very easy to see a productive white WR and call him the next Edleman/Amendola and assume the Pats will make a star out of him, and the scouts really like him…in the right system he’ll do well, but his athleticism is well below average at best.

9. KD Cannon, WR, Baylor, OAS: N/D, NR: 4.0

· Very long arms for size

· Gets lazy at times

· Will lower shoulder, has some run after the catch

· Doesn’t come back to the ball

· Not crisp on routes

· Lots of screens in the Baylor system

· Can move (4.41)

· Below average coverage reader

· Very strong guy

· Not the best get off

10. Chris Goodwin, WR, Penn State, OAS: 3.19, NR: 3.85

· Tested exceptionally well

· Trouble getting off press

· Big athletic target, has some smooth to him too

· Not a natural catcher

· Decent route runner, couple too many stutter steps at times and softens out cuts too much

· Good concentration on the sideline

· Adjusts to QB mid route

· Can make a grab in traffic

· Not afraid to go over the middle

· Can make an insane catch, seemed to be the QBs bf, just hail mary-ing passes and hoping for the best to Godwin

· Doesn’t highpoint the ball necessarily, but is a fighter for it

· Ok frame up blocker, will lay the wood on cracks

11. John Ross, WR, Washington, OAS: NA, NR: 3.5·
Clearly has track speed, but tiny
Catches with stomach a lot
Needs to be a slot guy, has some press break skill but not much
May turn into a Desean Jackson type, gets behind coverage consistently
Too much shake and bake in the open field
Willing, but not able blocker
He will get over drafted because of his record-breaking speed

12. Jalen Robinette, WR, Air Force, OAS: 3.49, NR: 2.8 (WR), 4.25 (TE)

· USAFA plays with wide tackles, not receivers, so yeah, he can block (maybe a better TE?)

· Slow get off, terrible tester

· Decent hands, just not a lot of opportunities

· Fearless tough guy that puts his team before body

· Double moves are technically exceptional, but wont have the speed to do that in the NFL

· Very decent route runner, but with limited tree

· God I love this guy as a TE, just not enough speed for WR in the NFL, please let the Pats draft him

13. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma, OAS: N/A, NR: 2.75

· Smooth runner, kind of a “no effort” look to him (but ran 4.39)

· Doesn’t come back to the ball

· Looks taller than 6’0 because of his length

· Not a natural catcher, plays like he hasn’t played WR his whole life

· Below average route runner, stutters all cuts, not crisp

· Good open field runner, might work out as a jet sweep guy

14. Josh Reynolds, WR, TAMU, OAS: 3.23, NR: 2.70

· Tall, but athletic body

· Has a hard time getting off press

· Drops over the middle passes

· Very good burst

· Not the best blocker

· Can get off and run past press with relative ease

· Contorts, and makes great catches

· Does come back to the ball

· I think I saw more drops than catches

· Can stretch vertical

15. Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan, OAS: N/A, NR: 2.5

· Arm catcher, not natural with catching the ball

· Can make the tough catches

· Can find the window on 6s

· Will catch across the middle

· Good concentration

· Will fight for extra yards

· Not the best blocker

· Can adjust to the ball in the air

· System guy, reminds me of a more athletic Bobby Engram

16. ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama, OAS: N/A, NR: 1.75

· Not a whole lot of speed for a small WR

· Below average get off and technique doing so

· Has some shimmy in the open field

· Shows some nasty in crack blocks, but will whiff too

· Not a natural ball catcher

· Rarely see a catch when covered

· Doesn’t come back to the ball

17. Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky, OAS: 3.08, NR: 1.5

· Not the best balance/especially with any bumping from coverage

· At that size, you need to have a little more speed and change of direction skills, he’s a little soft on the edges when cutting

· Poor route runner

· Major ball security issues

· Ok the guy literally seems to be falling everywhere, not sure if its balance or what…mediocre pro agility, so maybe just confirmed lack of wiggle

· Flat footed, and slow release. Poor get off

· Good open field runner, will go down smartly when he should

· Shows some hands

18. Malachi Dupre, WR, LSU, OAS: 3.05, NR: 1.4

· Tested very well

· Moved around a lot pre snap, Z guy

· Conventional offense

· Drops passes in traffic

· Big fast target, but poor get off, mostly from technique (too big of stance, no power from back leg)

19. Noah Brown, WR, Ohio State, OAS: N/A, NR: 1.25

· Looks a little clumsy, every other time I see him he’s on the ground

· Tested poorly to confirm the above

· Lax on his routes, not very sharp at all

· Honestly nothing special

20. Artavis Scott, WR, Clemson, OAS: 3.72 (3^rd worst), NR: 1.0

· Terrible size/speed combo

· No shimmy

· All catches were gadget/softer coverage because Mike W on other side

· Not the best blocker

· Just not enough burst/NFL speed in him

I hope you enjoyed, we will move to TEs next.

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2017 NFL Draft WR Rankings

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