2023 NFL Draft Takes: Top Five WRs

These short posts over the course of the week leading up to Thursday night will detail my personal opinions on how the NFL should approach this draft class. I'll try to give some hard-core analysis for some guys, but a lot of this is going to be gut-instinct, armchair-quarterback musings. All correct opinions come directly from me and me alone. All incorrect opinions may be roasted appropriately at a later date.

WR1: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

Similar to Bijan and the other RBs, JSN is far-and-away the top receiver to me. Before last season even started, he was my WR1 in this draft and despite playing for a total of about two quarters this season, he's still the top dog in this overall extremely weak WR class. A sensational route runner with outrageous body control, JSN is primed to be an overqualified, elite slot WR in this league from the moment he steps on the field with upside as a true WR1. He's not a burner by any means, but many of the best receivers in the NFL (Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson) aren't necessarily speedsters, but just know how to get open. JSN knows how to get open. I'm a huge fan, and I think he's a top-10, blue-chip talent in this draft.

WR2: Zay Flowers, Boston College

He's lightning-fast on film, and he was incredibly productive despite playing with subpar QB talent during his college career (making big plays with bad throws like this). He actually tested out with a substantially slower 40-yard dash (4.42) than I expected, but he plays with elite speed on the field. He's small (5'9", 182 pounds), but this class is full of small receivers. He's the best one of them, and he has upside to be a high-level WR2. Expect him to go in the mid-to-late first round.

WR3: Marvin Mims, Oklahoma

A semi-bold placement here for Mims, but I think he has legitimate upside as a speedy, explosive deep threat in the NFL that would thrive in a passing attack like Kansas City employs, but has value in virtually any offense that wants to create space. He's flown relatively low on most people's radars as Oklahoma's passing attack (and football program in general) has taken a step back in prominence over the past couple years, but he's shown the body control and requisite speed (4.38 40) to win deep at the college level. I have him just behind flowers because I think Flowers has more pop after the catch, but I think Mims could carve out a legitimate role for almost any passing attack in the NFL. Fellow former Sooner receiver Hollywood Brown is an easy comparison to make here in terms of skillset. He's likely going to be around in Round 2 or 3, so he'll end up being the steal of the class if I'm correct about him.

WR4: Jordan Addison, USC

An tremendously productive play in college, the former Biletnikoff winner had another standout season this past year after transferring from Pittsburgh to USC to team up with superstar QB Caleb Williams. He battled some nagging injuries throughout the year, but still put up nearly 900 yards and 8 TDs in his final college season. He's taller than Flowers, but he is skinny and, like many in this draft class, he tested relatively poorly for his size at the combine (4.49 40 at 5'11", 173 pounds). Ultimately, he's a proficient route-runner that plays at a faster speed than his testing suggests, but I'm concerned that his most likely career course is as a WR3-4 that struggles with injuries throughout his career. He'll likely be a later Round 1 or early Round 2 pick. A poor-man's Tyler Lockett or Calvin Ridley is a fair comparison, but I would argue that he's an even-poorer man's version than many tend to make him out to be.

WR5: Quentin Johnston, TCU

I would have left him off the list completely if this was anywhere near a decent class of WRs, but I have to include him just sheerly out of "maybe I'm way off and everyone else ir right" and there isn't really a no-brainer replacement. Johnston is big and relatively fast (according to the media), with generally good athletic tools. He has nice film winning deep balls for the Horned Frogs last season. He also doesn't run sophisticated routes, and his hands seem pretty questionable. Overall, he was a very productive, supremely unrefined player that dominated bad defenses in the Big 12 for one year and suddenly people thought he was better than JSN. Absolutely preposterous. He reminds me of Kevin White (Bears legend) and Travis Benjamin, two productive, bigger receivers that jsut did not translate to the NFL at all over time. Except I think he's worse than Travis Benjamin. If he shows out in the NFL, feel free to call me out for this, but I think he's one of the most fraudulent Round 1 receiver prospects in recent memory. Some team is going to pick him in the first round, most media members will give the pick an "A-" grade, and he's going to end up being completely irrelevant in a weak class of receivers. Book it.