2021 Draft Board: Wide Receivers

Go check out my 2021 Quarterback Draft Board article if you want to get more background information on how this all works.

Like I mentioned in the Running Backs article, there was an article I did a little more than a month ago looking at the prospects I felt they missed when they put out their would have been 2021 Scouting Combine invite list (link). Damonte Coxie was on my list, but due to some factors that removed him from my draft board, I removed him completely, so you won’t see his name below.

TOP FIVE

1) Ja’Marr Chase (LSU)

Analysis: As if Chase didn’t show enough in 2019, he had to go out for his pro day and just wreck everything and everyone (in a favorable way for himself). His runs were incredibly quick (4.34 forty, 3.99 short shuttle, 6.96 3-cone) and his jumps were through the roof (41” Vert, 132” Broad). He should be a top five pick, but teams could continue to ruin those chances by trading up for Quarterbacks.

2) Devonta Smith (Alabama)

Analysis: I would have liked for Smith to perform the pro day tests, but those were for my own reasons, not because anyone is actually doubting his athleticism. The big question mark for Smith is how he’ll hold up in the NFL given his thin build (170 pounds at 6’1”). I think he’s going to do just fine and that’s after watching him play in just about every game over the last two seasons. He has an incredible knack for getting open and he does a great job of avoiding the big hits.

3) Elijah Moore (Ole Miss)

Analysis: He’s on the smaller side (5’9”), but if you’re targeting Moore it’s not because of his size, it’s because he’s fast (4.35 forty, 4.00 short shuttle, 6.67 3-cone) and he knows how to use that speed. He’ll probably line up in the Slot more than he will on the outside, but there’s nothing wrong with that, his short shuttle and 3-cone times demonstrate that he has the agility and quick-cut ability to handle playing inside.

4) Rashod Bateman (Minnesota)

Analysis: Bateman got the bump over Brown because I believe he would have had another major year in the 2020 season had it not been for COVID. His size (6’, 190 pounds) came as a surprise to some, but doesn’t actually hurt his game. He plays bigger than he is, and he ran a whole lot faster than I expected (4.43 forty, depending on where you look). I like him a lot, definitely more than the 3rd-5th round grade he ended up with on my draft board.

5) Dyami Brown (North Carolina)

Analysis: His 20.1 yards/reception over the last two seasons make you take notice. He’s definitely a deep ball specialist, with room to grow, but I love his potential. I almost didn’t list him in my top five because he’s spent the last two seasons with Sam Howell tossing him the ball (Howell’s the early favorite to be the top QB in the 2022 class), but I decided not to ding him for it because at the end of the day it’s his speed that gets him where he needs to go, and his hands that reel in the ball.

Sleeper: Ihmir Smith-Marsette (Iowa)

Analysis: His PSR kept him from receiving a higher round grade, but one of those factors that I can objectively take into account that the stats don’t cover is the fact that he played at Iowa. As much as I’d like to say that’s a slight at the Hawkeyes and leave it at that, I’d be lying. The reality is, Iowa is a run first team, and their Quarterback play is nothing to write home about. Smith-Marsette did what he could with what little he had available. I think whoever gets him is going to get a guy with the potential to grow into a WR1 or at the very least a solid WR2.

SURPRISING LEFT OFF

Jaylen Waddle is obviously going to be the biggest name that you don’t see above. I like Waddle, but I don’t love Waddle. The broken ankle might have been a freak incident, but with his 5’9” frame, it certainly worries me. The fact that Alabama seemed like they preferred him more as a returner than as a Receiver, also concerns me. At a certain point you need to pull those superstars off their Special Teams duties and put some other guy back there. If a team is willing to do that then I think Waddle has a chance to hit his true potential, but even then I wouldn’t go higher than a third round pick on him.

Others who didn’t make my top five: Terrace Marshall Jr., Tylan Wallace, Rondale Moore and Kadarius Toney. You’ll see them all below, with two of them (Moore and Toney) removed from my draft board entirely. As far as Marshall and Wallace go, this is a deep class and it wasn’t easy limiting my list to just five. They both came close (Marshall was my 7, and Wallace my 8, with Jaelon Darden as my 6). There were just things I liked more about the guys I chose.

DRAFT BOARD

My Draft Board

REMOVED FROM DRAFT BOARD

For each position there are players who either had a red flag in their college production or athletic testing (or both) that led to them being removed from my draft board. These are referred to as negative factors and can lead to one of two labels: Depleted or Empty. In order for a player to receive a Depleted label, they had to have a negative factor that significantly decreased the chances of success in players who had that same factor from 2009-2018. In order for a player to receive an Empty label, they had to have a negative factor that led to zero successful players who had that same factor from 2009-2018. There were 26 Receivers removed from my board.

Amari Rodgers (Clemson) - Depleted

Anthony Schwartz (Auburn) - Depleted

Ben Skowronek (Notre Dame) - Depleted

Brandon Smith (Iowa) - Depleted

Cornell Powell (Clemson) - Depleted

Dax Milne (BYU) - Depleted

Demetric Felton (UCLA) - Depleted

Dez Fitzpatrick (Louisville) - Depleted

Frank Darby (Arizona State) - Depleted

Javon McKinley (Notre Dame) - Depleted

Josh Palmer (Tennessee) - Depleted

Kadarius Toney (Florida) - Depleted

Shi Smith (South Carolina) - Depleted

T.J. Vasher (Texas Tech) - Depleted

Tre Nixon (UCF) - Depleted

Trevon Grimes (Florida) - Depleted

Tyler Vaughns (USC) - Depleted

Dazz Newsome (North Carolina) - Empty

Isaiah McKoy (Kent State) - Empty

Jhamon Ausbon (Texas A&M) - Empty

Racey McMath (LSU) - Empty

Rico Bussey Jr. (Hawaii) - Empty

Rondale Moore (Purdue) - Empty

Sage Surratt (Wake Forest) - Empty

Warren Jackson (Colorado State) - Empty

Whop Philyor (Indiana) - Empty

**Note: Demetric Felton was removed from both the RB board and this one, he received an empty label at RB first, so I put his numbers to the test at Receiver and he received a depleted label. You will only see him listed here.