Receivers Dominate Hall of Famer Brandt’s ‘Hot 100’ NFL Draft Prospects

Showing the absurd depth at receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft, 11 of the top 67 prospects in Gil Brandt's rankings are wideouts. That's obviously great news for the Packers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For a team like the Green Bay Packers, it’s a good year to need a receiver or three.

Receiver prospects dominate Pro Football Hall of Fame talent evaluator Gil Brandt’s annual “Hot 100” list of NFL Draft prospects at NFL.com.

Five of the top 27, 11 of the top 67 and 16 of the top 100 are receivers.

Atop the list are Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson at No. 11 and USC’s Drake London at No. 12. Of note, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks is No. 13 on Brandt’s list. He’s been mentioned as a potential first-round pick for the Packers, who own the 22nd and 28th picks of the first round.

“If Arkansas was scoring a touchdown on offense in 2021,” Brandt wrote, “there was a very strong chance Burks was the one doing the scoring -- with 12 total TDs (including 11 receiving and one rushing), he comfortably led the team in that category, with the next-closest player (running back Dominique Johnson) posting eight.”

So, who is ranked in Green Bay’s vicinity? Alabama’s Jameson Williams, who might have been the No. 1 receiver prospect in the draft but suffered a torn ACL in the national championship game in January, is No. 26. Ohio State’s Chris Olave is No. 27.

After Penn State’s Jahan Dotson at No. 37, there is a big void until Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce at No. 61, SMU’s Danny Gray at No. 64, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson at No. 65, Georgia’s George Pickens at No. 66 and Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore at No. 67.

That’s a pretty lofty ranking for Gray, whose 4.33 clocking in the 40 made him one of the fastest players at the Scouting Combine. Moore’s standing probably is impacted by his height. At 5-foot-9 5/8, he won’t even be a consideration for some teams – the Packers probably among them.

Baylor’s Tyquan Thornton, the fastest receiver at the Combine, and Tennessee’s Velus Jones, the second-fastest receiver at the Combine, are No. 91 and No. 94, respectively. That would put them in the third-round conversation rather than Day 3.

Both players are among the Packers’ 30 predraft visits. That list includes Burks and Pickens.

Meanwhile, the Packers have needs at outside linebacker and offensive tackle. To Brandt, those are top-heavy positions. There are 10 edge defenders among Brandt’s top 68 players but none in the final 32. Plus, there are six offensive tackles in Brandt’s top 41 but only one in the final 59.

Added together, one-third of Brandt’s top 100 are receivers, offensive tackles and edge defenders. That’s good news for general manager Brian Gutekunst, who has two picks in the first round, two more in the second and one in the third for a total of five of the first 92 selections.