2022 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Rankings
With the 2022 NFL Draft combine set to take place in just a few weeks in Indianapolis, this felt like the appropriate time to release my receiver rankings for this upcoming draft class.
While I wouldn't classify these necessarily as final, there likely won't be dramatic change as I feel comfortable with the amount of film on all of these guys. Testing plays a part in the evaluation but if a players testing surprises me, I will head back to the tape to try and see if there was something that I originally missed. After countless hours of film study, here we go!
1. Garrett Wilson (Ohio State)
Wilson's been a draft crush of mine for years now as he entered the 2021 NCAA season as my WR1 from summer scouting and he held the crown the entire race. Separation is king in today's NFL, just ask anyone throwing these guys the football.
Wilson separates at a very high level thanks to his wicked quickness and is explosive getting in and out of his breaks. He's also shown to be calculated in his release package off the line of scrimmage.
His change of direction and stop/start ability shows up when he's got the ball in his hands after the catch making him an exciting weapon. His catch technique is relatively solid but there are some concentration drops. Even with his lack of prototypical WR1 size, I'm confident in his ability to work either as an X or slot receiver depending on scheme.
2. Treylon Burks (Arkansas)
The phrase 'built in a lab' seems to get overused nowadays but Burks fits the description. Everything you want from a size perspective from an alpha wide receiver, Burks comes in at 6'3, 225 pounds and should run in the low 4.5s.
The blend of physicality and athleticism from Burks is truly a joy to watch on the field. Consistently plays through contact very well, both before the ball arrives in his routes and as a ball carrier. Arkansas did whatever they could to get their best playmaker the football: he lined up in the slot a bunch but also in the backfield in addition to his reps outside.
The knock on Burks is that while he had more than his fair share of takeover moments in college, there were times when he would just inexplicably go cold. Playing so much in the slot shielded him away from a lot of press coverage as there isn't a ton of film in those situations.
3. Jameson Williams (Alabama)
Speed kills and Jameson Williams has it in spades. Legit low 4.3 speed that is going to give defensive coordinators nightmares at the next level. Williams is the premier deep threat in this talented draft class and with all due respect, it's not really that close. The acceleration and stop and start ability to go along with the top-end gear makes him the ideal Z receiver in the NFL.
When his running mate John Metchie went down for the season, Williams role expanded, showing that he can do more than just run vertically. I personally find it hard to fault him much for transferring from Ohio State after falling behind in the depth chart to three future top 50 NFL Draft picks.
Press coverage is very much a work in progress for him as he seems to lack some refinement in his release package. Williams is also going to be unable to participate in the draft process due to suffering a torn ACL in the national championship game on January 10th.
4. Drake London (USC)
Bully ball is the best way to describe Drake London's game. 50/50 balls for London feel more like forgone conclusions to the point that you are legitimately surprised when he doesn't haul it in. Announcers will be reminding us of his basketball background for the next decade, he actually played a couple of games for the USC basketball team as a dual sport athlete.
An expert about using his physicality to muscle through defenders and understands how to use his frame to box out with the ball in the air. Where he's different from most contested catch receivers is that he's an absolute unit to bring down once he gets the football. Throwing him screens or drags underneath shortly turns into him stiff arming or truck sticking defenders left and right.
While he moves well for a player of his size, London is never going to separate at a high level, that's simply not his game. His ability to keep defenders honest with his speed will likely dictate his alignment in the pros. Although there is still plenty of value there for him as a "big slot."
5. Chris Olave (Ohio State)
Olave is a silky smooth three level threat at the receiver position. Olave's polish can be evidenced by his clever route running as he's a threat to get open whenever and wherever. More of a build up speed type of player but a better overall athlete than what far too many people currently believe. Former track star that tracks the ball extremely well over his shoulder on deep throws.
Olave burst onto the scene as a sophomore by reeling in a dozen touchdown passes and never looked back. A lot of people, including myself, were surprised to hear that he was returning to school last season after pondering turning pro. Does appear to have a pretty slight and slender frame. The lack of length is probably the biggest concern, which limits his overall ceiling as he just doesn't win much in traffic or in those contested catch opportunities.
6. Jahan Dotson (Penn State)
For a rather diminutive receiver, Dotson's got a big game. Not just in regards to how incredibly talented he is as a player but he can play above the rim in a very unique way for a smaller receiver. Reliable, strong hands that can offer some outstanding highlights.
While he's not necessarily a burner, more quicker than fast, he has shown the ability to work vertically and track the ball over his shoulder. Dotson's a pretty nuanced route runner who's able to create space in and out of his breaks.
The frame will make it difficult for him against bigger, strong corner at the next level and it's worth pondering whether or not he will be able to win as consistently at the catch point against better competition.
7. George Pickens (Georgia)
Highly touted recruit out of high school that quickly took the SEC by storm as a freshman at Georgia. Despite playing a run centric offense, was able to be both consistent and productive right away. Catch radius is really impressive, his diving grab against Cincinnati in the 2020 bowl game was an absurd display of athleticism.
A contested catch guru who does well for himself in tight quarters, shows off the ability to high point the football and win above the rim. He's far from stiff for his size and is a fairly solid route runner. Love his awareness against zone coverage, understands when to sit down and work back to make himself a target for the quarterback. Love the pace of his overall game, hard to speed up.
Feels like the scheme might have limited his body of work a bit. Suffered an unfortunate ACL injury in the spring but worked himself back into the lineup towards the end of the year.
A tough prospect to rank because he feels much more talented than this spot but how healthy is he? His medicals will be a huge focus for teams. Few prospects could help themselves more at the combine than him, testing well would assuredly increase his draft stock.
8. Christian Watson (North Dakota State)
Watson is definitely one of "My Guys" in this draft class. I was very vocal in my support for Trey Lance throughout his draft process and it was during that time that Watson first caught my attention.
NFL bloodlines, his dad was an NFL safety in the 90s. 6'4, 210 pound receiver that can run like a gazelle and is one of the most dangerous receivers in this class on the vertical plane. Fluid glider with excellent long speed, should run in the low 4.4s at the combine. School GPS tracker supposedly had him timed as fast as 23 MPH.
For his body type, he's pretty flexible in his lower half and can get out of breaks quickly. Level of competition concerns were quieted by his strong week at the Senior Bowl where he was arguably the best receiver in attendance.
A competitive blocker in a run heavy offense. Was schemed touches underneath on screens and sweeps and is quite dangerous with the ball in his hands. More of a finesse than physical player who could stand to use his size a bit more effectively. Could stand to be a bit more consistent.
9. John Metchie III (Alabama)
A prospect that hasn't generated much buzz early on through the process, possibly due to the season-ending ACL injury that he suffered back in early December.
Metchie is a receiver that does a lot of things well despite not having an elite trait to really hang his hat on. He's a good route runner who is quite the salesman. Footwork and release package off the line of scrimmage is advanced. Can do damage at all three levels of the field. High effort player in terms of blocking for his teammates. Dusted Auburn's star cornerback Roger McCreary on a whip route that won the game in overtime for the Crimson Tide.
Never the number one guy at Alabama but a productive contributor. Catch technique is consistently rough to watch leading to drops and something that will need to be coached hard early on. Can get open in the middle of the field but securing catches in traffic hasn't been a strong selling point.
10. Skyy Moore (Western Michigan)
Moore has been ridiculously productive from the second that he stepped on a college campus. A sudden player in and out of cuts who torments defenders on slant routes. Western Michigan's offense ran more RPOs than any other team in the country it seemed like and Moore dominated on glances over the middle.
For a smaller receiver, Moore plays pretty well through contact throughout his routes, rarely getting bumped off of his trajectory. A tough player to corral in the open field once he gets the ball in his hands, he'll break through arm tackles and make defenders miss on a consistent basis. Terrific route runner that wins underneath and can sell double moves.
There seems to be a big debate in draft circles about his speed. I didn't personally think he was fast, instead just quick. With that being said, the dude is always open- few corners were able to slow him down over the course of his career. Size/athletic profile combo might dictate a move inside to the slot.
Over the summer scouting period, I subscribed to the notion that this class was a tier below the last couple receivers classes. While that may be true, it's still an really good class overall. Regardless of the scheme or skill set that you're looking for, you can find it somewhere in this draft. Narrowing this list down to just ten was excruciatingly time consuming.
With that being said, I wanted to highlight some players who just missed the cut on the list.
Wan'Dale Robinson (Kentucky)
Swiss army knife player who projects best as a slot receiver at the next level. Proved this year that he can be more than just a gadget guy. If he wasn't 5'7, he would be generating more a little more buzz.
Khalil Shakir (Boise State)
Insanely fun player when the ball is in his hands, creates a ton of hidden yards. Made some awesome highlight worthy contested catches earlier this year for his team. Has played well outside but the slot is likely his home at the next level.
Alec Pierce (Cincinnati)
I've tried dubbing Pierce as the "accuracy eraser" as he's supremely talented at high pointed the football. Combine his insane catch radius with his impressive speed and you've got yourself quite the player.
David Bell (Purdue)
Jack of all trades but master of none type of player. Good ball skills and really like how reliable his hands are. Feels like I'm lower than the consensus on him but I just can't seem to find a trait worth getting excited about his long term ceiling projection.
Romeo Doubs (Nevada)
Very intriguing deep threat who's going to run somewhere in the 4.4s at the combine. Does an excellent job tracking the football. Thought he grew his game this year in other areas than just working vertically. The hands are still a bit perplexing, though.
Justyn Ross (Clemson)
Three years ago, I never would've imaged him as anything other than a top 50 pick. Dominated as a freshman. A plus route runner at his size who's made some spectacular catches. Battled back from a serious neck injury in 2020 and unfortunately didn't quite look the same this year.
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