One of the stories of the 2021 NFL season was the meteoric rise of the WR position as a real position of value in the league to almost rival QB and DE as the prime positions. WRs were signing cap busting contracts, while others were being traded for hauls more associated with deals involving QBs as it certainly didn’t go unnoticed around the league that literally every serious playoff contender had at least one elite receiver.
The question now is will that new relevance translate to the draft starting with 2023 or will it be more of a longer term thing, if it ever actually does emerge as a legitimate thing. And there is certainly talent at the position this year including at least a couple of likely top 10 candidates in Kayshon Boutte of LSU and Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Buckeyes’ JSN was actually star QB CJ Stroud’s go-to guy last fall on a team that also included WRs selected with the 10th (Garrett Wilson) and 11th (Chris Olave) picks at the 2022 draft as he caught 95 passes for over 1,600 yards and 9 TDs last fall. Boutte, on the other hand, wasn’t as productive as he missed all but 6 games with an ankle injury that required two off-season surgeries to repair. If healthy, though, Boutte has the elite speed, explosion and receiving skills that remind NFL scouts of former LSU WRs J’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson who have emerged as two of the best in the NFL.
However, there is something of a drop-off to the next tier of wide receivers, although Jordan Addison, now at Southern Cal, North Carolina’s Josh Downs, Quentin Johnston of TCU and Alabama’s Jermaine Burton are later opening round candidates. And if USC’s Addison sounds familiar, he was Kenny Pickett’s go-to guy at Pitt last year where he had an even 100 receptions for just under 1,600 yards and 17 scores. What sets the WR class apart again this year, though, is the depth. Indeed, like last year, pro teams looking to improve their receiver corps could very well find players that can come in and contribute early on in their pro careers deep into the second day and even into the third.
As well, there is no shortage of sleeper candidates in this year’s receiver class. A couple we will mention include Tyrese Chambers of Florida International, a true big-play threat who averaged 24 yards per catch last fall. For his part, Houston’s Nathaniel Dell is just a little guy (5-9, 165) but he’s very quick and elusive and will get some long looks from NFL scouts after posting 90 receptions for over 1,300 yards and 12 TDs last fall. At the same time, the top receivers in the FCS ranks look to be Xavier Gipson of Stephen F Austin and Taylor Grimes of Incarnate Word, although neither appears to be in the same class as Christian Watson, the former North Dakota State star who was taken with the 2nd pick in this year’s 2nd round. Meanwhile, the future looks good at WR with a number of top sophomore receivers across the country including Xavier Worthy of Texas, Southern California’s Mario Williams, and Jack Bech of LSU.
Top 25 WR prospects for the 2023 draft
April 19, 2023 9:42 PM
| # | Player | HT/WT | 40X | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 6-0.5, 196 | 4.50 | Ohio State | X | |
| Zay Flowers | 5-9, 182 | 4.42c | Boston College | ||
| Jordan Addison | 5-11, 175 | 4.49c | Southern California | ||
| Quentin Johnston | 6-2.5, 208 | 4.40 | TCU | ||
| Jalin Hyatt | 6-0, 176 | 4.40c | Tennessee | ||
| Josh Downs | 5-9, 171 | 4.48c | North Carolina | ||
| Marvin Mims | 5-10.5, 183 | 4.38c | Oklahoma | ||
| Jonathan Mingo | 6-1.5, 220 | 4.46c | Mississippi | ||
| Tank Dell | 5-8.5, 165 | 4.49c | Houston | ||
| Cedric Tillman | 6-3.5, 213 | 4.55c | Tennessee | X | |
| Jayden Reed | 5-11, 187 | 4.45c | Michigan State | ||
| Trey Palmer | 6-0, 192 | 4.33c | Nebraska | ||
| AT Perry | 6-3.5, 198 | 4.47 | Wake Forest | ||
| Rashee Rice | 6-1, 204 | 4.51c | SMU | ||
| Rakim Jarrett | 5-11.5, 192 | 4.44c | Maryland | ||
| Charlie Jones | 5-11.5, 175 | 4.44c | Purdue | ||
| Tyler Scott | 5-10, 177 | 4.44c | Cincinnati | ||
| Antoine Green | 6-1.5, 199 | 4.47c | North Carolina | ||
| Kayshon Boutte | 5-11, 195 | 4.50c | LSU | O | |
| Ronnie Bell | 5-11.5, 191 | 4.54c | Michigan | ||
| Xavier Hutchinson | 6-1.5, 203 | 4.53c | Iowa State | ||
| Michael Wilson | 6-1.5, 213 | 4.59c | Stanford | X | |
| Dontayvion Wicks | 6-1.5, 206 | 4.62c | Virginia | ||
| Tre Tucker | 5-8.5, 182 | 4.41c | Cincinnati | ||
| Matt Landers | 6-4.5, 205 | 4.37c | Arkansas | ||
| Joseph Ngata | 6-2, 215 | 4.55 | Clemson | ||
| Parker Washington | 5-10, 204 | 4.50 | Penn State | ||
| Jason Brownlee | 6-2, 198 | 4.60c | Southern Mississippi | ||
| Dontay Demus | 6-3, 212 | 4.57c | Maryland | ||
| Jalen Cropper | 5-11, 172 | 4.40c | Fresno State | ||
| Andrei Iosivas | 6-3, 205 | 4.43c | Princeton | ||
| Bryce Ford-Wheaton | 6-4, 221 | 4.38c | West Virginia | ||
| Puku Nacua | 6-2, 201 | 4.60 | BYU | ||
| Jake Bobo | 6-4, 206 | 4.60 | UCLA | ||
| Elijah Higgins | 6-3, 235 | 4.54c | Stanford | ||
| Justin Shorter | 6-4, 230 | 4.56c | Florida | ||
| Derius Davis | 5-8.5, 165 | 4.36c | TCU | KR | |
| Kearis Jackson | 5-11.5, 196 | 4.55c | Georgia | ||
| Jacob Copeland | 5-11, 201 | 4.42c | Maryland | ||
| Jalen Wayne | 6-1.5, 210 | 4.51c | South Alabama | ||
| Kazmier Allen | 5-8, 175 | 4.45 | UCLA | RB. RS | |
| Jadakis Bonds | 6-3, 200 | 4.55 | Hampton | ||
| Malik Heath | 6-2.5, 213 | 4.64c | Mississppi | ||
| CJ Johnson | 6-1.5, 225 | 4.50 | East Carolina | ||
| Malik Knowles | 6-2, 196 | 4.50 | Kansas State | ||
| Michael Jefferson | 6-3.5, 199 | 4.56c | Louisiana | XXX | |
| Grant DuBose | 6-2, 201 | 4.57c | Charlotte | ||
| Jalen Brooks | 6-1, 201 | 4.70c | South Carolina | ||
| Jaray Jenkins | 6-1.5, 204 | 4.60c | LSU | ||
| Jadon Haselwood | 6-2, 215 | 4.66c | Arkansas | ||
| Mitch Tinsley | 6-0, 199 | 4.60c | Penn State | ||
| Shaq Davis | 6-4, 180 | 4.55 | South Carolina State | ||
| Derrick Hall | 5-10, 195 | 4.45 | Florida A&M | ||
| Demario Douglas | 5-7.5, 180 | 4.44c | Liberty | ||
| Tyler Harrell | 6-0, 195 | 4.35 | Alabama | ||
| Xavier Gipson | 5-9, 170 | 4.45 | Stephen F Austin | ||
| Konata Mumpfield | 6-0, 180 | 4.50 | Pittsburgh | ||
| Jalen McMillan | 6-0, 185 | 4.45 | Washington | ||
| Nikko Remigo | 5-11, 185 | 4.65 | Fresno State | ||
| David Durden | 6-1, 205 | 4.40 | West Florida | ||
| Isaiah Neyor | 6-2, 215 | 4.50 | Texas | ||
| EJ Williams | 6-2, 195 | 4.50 | Clemson | ||
| Devaughn Vele | 6-4, 205 | 4.55 | Utah | ||
| Dallas Daniels | 6-1, 180 | 4.60 | Jackson State | ||
| Ricky Pearsall | 6-0, 200 | 4.55 | Florida | ||
| Jordan Whittington | 6-1, 205 | 4.55 | Texas | ||
| Josh Vann | 5-10, 190 | 4.55 | South Carolina | ||
| Keylon Stokes | 5-10, 205 | 4.55 | Tulsa |
* e indicates estimated time; c indicates combine; p indicates pro day time
** X indicates player has an injury or illness issue; XX indicates serious injury or illness that could impact draft status; XXX indicates injury or illness that could be career threatening; O indicates off-field issue
