TOP 10 WIDE RECEIVERS
1. John Ross – Washington – Junior – 5-11, 188 – 4.22
Being fast is one thing, but being historically fast is another. Before the NFL Scouting Combine, Ross was considered to be the third wide receiver on the board after Corey Davis and Mike Williams, but after seeing his speed in person, the NFL seems to have vaulted him to a rare spot. With 1,150 yards, 17 touchdowns and a 14.2 yards-per catch average on his resume; teams are thinking he’s the next DeSean Jackson. He’s also a factor in the return game too, with four career kick return touchdowns.

2. Mike Williams – Clemson – Junior – 6-4, 218 – 4.51
Williams is the top red zone wide receiver to be had in this draft, according to NFL teams. In his final year with the Tigers, as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver for the National Championship team, Williams caught 98 passes for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns. Though he doesn’t separate from defenders too easily, even with 4.5-flat speed, Williams is still a top receiver and could be taken No. 1  in this class, and should be picked within the Top 15.

Western Michigan WR Corey Davis – Photo by: Getty Images

3. Corey Davis – Western Michigan – Senior – 6-3, 210
No 40-yard dash time for Davis should not tell his entire draft story. Davis, a four-year starter who left Western Michigan as the all-time FBS leader in receiving yards with 5,278 yards, seems to be falling down draft boards as of late because teams don’t trust his athleticism against lower-level competition without proper pre-draft workout numbers (Davis hasn’t been able to work out due to an ankle injury that required surgery). A once consensus Top 10 pick could be sliding all the way down the first round.

4. Zay Jones – East Carolina – Senior – 6-2, 201 – 4.45
Jones is slowly creeping up into the first round range as of late, and now has a chance to be the third wide receiver taken over Corey Davis if a team really distrusts Davis’ athleticism without the testing numbers. Jones, like Davis, is an FBS all-time leader in his own right, with career receptions. In his four years as a starter, Jones caught 399 passes for 4,279 yards and 23 touchdowns. He starred at the Senior Bowl where he showed teams that he could do more than catch wide receiver screens and smoke routes.

5. Curtis Samuel – Ohio State – Junior – 5-11, 196 – 4.31
Samuel is the top “X factor” offensive weapon going into this draft according to those within the league. His 4.31 40-yard dash was incredibly impressive and showed that he could succeed as a running back out of the backfield or as a wide receiver. He’ll most likely be a wide receiver in the slot and will be used as an ideal mismatch for slower linebackers. Samuel racked up 1,286 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 172 carries, and 1,249 receiving yards on 107 catches and nine touchdowns during his Buckeyes career, which showed his versatility.

6. JuJu Smith-Schuster – USC – Junior – 6-1, 215 – 4.54
Smith-Schuster has been a prototype wide receiver in the making since his freshman year at USC. In his three years as a starter, Smith-Schuster recorded 3,092 yards off 213 catches with 25 touchdowns. His production is very solid for that time frame, and he’s still just 20 years old, one of the youngest players in the draft. What NFL teams love about Smith-Schuster is his physicality – not just with cornerbacks, but also as a run blocker on the perimeter.

7. Chris Godwin – Penn State – Junior – 6-1, 209 – 4.42
Godwin seemed like a nice player who could be had in the third round and could help round out the back end of a good wide receiver group in the NFL. Then he ran a 4.42 at the Combine and had a 36-inch vertical jump. Those are numbers of not just a back-end wide receiver, but one who can really contribute. This past season was Godwin’s breakout year for the Nittany Lions at the No. 1 receiving option, and though he didn’t eclipse 1,000 yards, he recorded 11 touchdowns on a 16.6 yards-per-catch average.

Eastern Washington WR Cooper Kupp – Photo by: Getty Images

8. Cooper Kupp – Eastern Washington – Senior – 6-2, 204 – 4.62
When it comes to production, no receiver in this class has the stats to match up with Kupp. In his four years as a starter, Kupp accumulated 6,464 yards on 428 catches and 73 touchdowns – yes, 73 touchdowns. Much of it was against FCS-level competition, but the NFL still thinks highly enough of him to make him a Day 2 player with domination like that because he had some monster games against the likes of Washington (8-145-3), Washington State (12-206-3) and Oregon (15-246-3).

9. Carlos Henderson – Louisiana Tech – Junior – 5-11, 199 – 4.46
Henderson was thought of to be just a slot receiver at his size and speed, but this season he really put together some tape that showed he could be w weapon as an outside receiver, or as a player lined up on the inside. He recorded over 1,500 yards this season 21 total touchdowns. What NFL teams like is that he can also double as a kick returner where he scored three career touchdowns for the Bulldogs and averaged 26.5 yards per return.

10. ArDarius Stewart – Alabama – Junior – 5-11, 209 – 4.49
Stewart was an overlooked weapon for the Crimson Tide for a long time, and thus was overlooked by the NFL draft community, too. However, when people began to go back to his tape, they saw a very reliable player who had great hands and could really do some damage in space. He actually out-shined fellow Bama receiver Calvin Ridley this year, and with a solid showing at the Combine with a 4.49 40-yard dash, he’s projected to be a late Day 2 pick.

BEST OF THE REST
11. Josh Reynolds – Texas A&M – Senior – 6-3, 194 – 4.52
Reynolds has been a point of consistency throughout this draft process, but to the NFL’s eyes, it doesn’t seem like that consistency has stood out enough to make him one of the Top 10 receivers take (though he may deserve it). In his three years of production in College Station against some of the top SEC wide receivers, Reynolds caught 164 passes for 2,788 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was also named the Senior Bowl’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player with six catches for 96 yards a touchdown.

Western Kentucky WR Taywan Taylor – Photo by: Getty Images

12. Taywan Taylor – Western Kentucky – Senior – 5-11, 203 – 4.50
Taylor is the next man in line for the potential slot and mismatch role in the NFL. Though his 4.50 40-yard dash speed was probably a tick slower than he and NFL teams would have liked, his 4,234 career receiving yards and 41 career receiving touchdowns (17 in each of the past two seasons), means he has a knack for production.

13. Dede Westbrook – Oklahoma – Senior – 6-0, 178 – 4.34
This former Heisman finalist was a production machine for the pass-happy offense in Norman, Oklahoma. In 2016, his best year, he had over 1,500 receiving yards on 80 catches and 17 touchdowns. His blazing 4.34 speed is also alluring, but his frame is worrisome. So is his character as he has had several run-ins with the law involving domestic abuse.

14. Shelton Gibson – West Virginia – Junior – 5-11, 191 – 4.42
Gibson is the next big-shot home run deep threat wide receiver who will be take among this group because of his natural ability to come up with catches through contact and in the air. His 24 and 22.1 yards-per-catch averages were one of the best in all of college football the last couple of seasons, relative to his number of catches. He’s also a dynamic kicker returner. Gibson’s game is still developing and he could be a Day 3 steal for some team a year or two down the road.

15. Ryan Switzer – UNC – Senior – 5-8, 181 – 4.51
There is nothing physically impressive with Switzer when you look at him. But once you watch him play, he looks so natural you can’t help but be interested. He’s a quick-hit slot player who made defense miserable with great change of direction speed and lightning quick feet. He left Chapel Hill with 293 catches for 2,903 yards and 19 touchdowns, but he’s two inches shorter than Tampa Bay’s Adam Humphries, which makes him a Day 3 selection.