He posted an 84.7 receiving grade, 2.55 yards per route run and a 141.3 passer rating when targeted in the team's postseason run. The Next Gen Stats analytics team provides a ranking of the top 10 shutdown cornerbacks right now. He is a physical, reliable possession receiver who has proven to be elite when healthy. We've compared players post combine 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. The 2023 wide receiver class seems to be just as deep as that of the 2022 NFL Draft. Here are PFF's wide receiver rankings ahead of the 2022 season, starting with Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp at the top. Home of the Reeses Senior Bowl London is coming off a 1,000-yard season with 7 receiving touchdowns which saw him end his career with over 2,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. R2-P52 | Steelers, 12) Alec Pierce, Cincinnati He earned more volume as time went on, but he never quite hit the ceiling he could have. Evans has been the go-to red-zone threat for quarterback, The 2022 NFL offseason featured several blockbuster moves, including the trade of wide receiver A.J. The 6-foot-2, 191-pound receiver also attacks the catch point well and is strong after the catch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports. Who tops the list? Justin Jefferson gained 190 of his 223 yards against press coverage in Week 14, the most in a game since Julio Jones in Week 4, 2016 (254 yards).Most Yards vs Press Coverage (since 2020): Jefferson: 1,889 Davante Adams: 1,416 Diontae Johnson: 1,168#MINvsDET | #Skol pic.twitter.com/YyD7Q94fIU. When St. Brown has been missing, Goffs EPA per dropback becomes negative (-0.10). Still, its a bit curious that Dotsons been on the field as much as he has and hes secured only seven catches. Beckham is a vertical route specialist, and a large chunk of his production came from such concepts. Hill is known for his game-breaking speed, as he can take the top off a defense and break open for a deep ball like few others can. Solid blocker with the potential to be incredible. 1 Alpha.". Thats the good news. Check out the below clip from Week 1 against the Saints, when the rookie found the soft spot in the defenses zone and with one cut was 12 yards up the field: London finished the play with a truck stick, but notice that he also had the presence of mind to immediately run back toward the line of scrimmage to give Atlanta a chance at another play before halftime. Wilson doesn't have prototypical He caught eight of his nine vertical route targets for 151 yards and two scores in the 2021-22 postseason. Like Jefferson in Minnesota, Hill's presence forces defenses to become more predictable and one dimensional. Incredible, albeit fairly inexperienced, kick-returner. 12 pick Jameson Williams, who is perhaps this years most talented rookie receiver but will be on IR through at least Week 4 as he recovers from an ACL tear) is averaging just under eight targets, five receptions, and 64 receiving yards per game, while showcasing the preternatural talent that led Ringer staff writer Ben Solak to conclude in April that thered never be a weak draft class at the receiver position again.. Bodying defensive backs in tight coverage is where Williams wins. 1 option." The Lions surprised everyone by trading up to grab Jameson Williams with the 12th overall pick. Last month, the former LSU star surpassed another legendary Vikings receiver -- none other than Hall of Famer Randy Moss -- for the most receiving yards in a player's first three seasons, and he has only added to that total over the last couple weeks. And hell, maybe hell be subjected to consistent poor quarterback play throughout his career, la Allen Robinson II. New head coach Mike McDaniel will surely take after the Kyle Shanahan ways of scheming touches to his playmakers underneath in 2022, and expect him to utilize Waddles deep threat potential, too. Through two weeks, Olave leads all receivers in targets of 20-plus yards and has averaged an astounding 38.7 air yards on such plays. Moore or Terry McLaurin, much less the level of elite-tier players like A.J. Lamb needs to get better with defeating press coverage, but he ate when given a free release. This is the first in a series of position previews for the 2023 NFL draft, which begins April 27. After the WR drills of the combine, we now regard Drake London and Jameson Williams as the two best NFL prospects - players that we only had second-round grades on at the start of the season. Awareness is a question mark Below-average run-blocking technique with usually negative results. Receivers with Olaves athletic profilehis vertical jump and height ranked in the 12th and 35th percentiles, respectively, in MockDraftables databasecant be expected to regularly win jump-ball opportunities, especially with a quarterback who cant deliver the ball on-point. While the attention is on the young teammates, Sutton broke out in his second-year 2019 season with a top-10 PFF grade. R2-P50 | Patriots, 11) George Pickens, Georgia No matter what happens with Jones in 2022, hes still going to be one of the best players PFF has ever seen, regardless of position. 20 best wide receiver prospects in the 2022 NFL draft. Which wide receivers were drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft? Its possibly because Washingtons receiving corps is superior to the other teams and there have been more plays designed for veteran wideouts. Hilton developed into a dangerous wideout thanks to his incredible separation, but his size eventually became his downfall after too many injuries. We regard him as the best possession receiver in the 2022 Draft - but to put him in the Aspiring college or profootball journalist? Apr 18, 2023. Thinking about his best traits and his size, I think of Robby Anderson a lot. at NFL Offensive Player Rankings, Week 15: Building the AFC Pro Bowl Games roster on offense, NFL Offensive Player Rankings, Week 15: Building the NFC Pro Bowl Games roster on offense, RB Index, Week 15: Three fresh-legged running backs who could impact the NFL playoff picture, NFL rookie rankings at quarter pole of 2022 season: Jets duo holds top spots; Lions lead with three reps, NFL QB Index, Week 15: San Francisco 49ers rookie Brock Purdy soars into top half of rankings. Green Bay Packers: "The Pack have a major need at receiver and one of the game's all-time best passers. Jalen Hurts and Eagles Agree to Largest Extension in NFL History. Throughout his three-year professional career, Brown ranks top-five in both receiving grade and yards per route run. Techie with an interesting slant on player evaluation? The 2020 season was the worst campaign of his career from both a grading (78.9 receiving grade) and production standpoint (1.93 yards per route run), aided in part by him seemingly rushing back onto the field following an injury. After trading back, the Commanders secured Jahan Dotson out of Penn State with the 16th pick. Before we dive in, though, a note on our methodology: To help create quantifiable rankings, we have devised a formula that yields a Next Gen Stats percentile score, which measures how a player is performing relative to his peers. Diggs is one of the best route-runners in the game, but he is also one of the league's best at the catch point. Wilson is the most complete wideout in the 2022 class. The Eagles quarterback is the NFLs new highest-paid player. Is the Jaguars' decision to make a big investment in Christian Kirk paying off so far? 6-keys: media/fantasynews/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Even with that down year baked in, Thomas still ranks top three among NFL wide receivers in both receiving grade and yards per route run since entering the league in 2016. And the scary part about that is Waddle still has even more untapped potential on top of it. The same thing could end up happening to Williams, but he could also have a much better career statistically if he has a capable quarterback throwing to him.". Were a little over a week away from the 2023 NFL Draft. Jalin Hyatt stands out as a deep ball threat: T he 2022 Biletnikoff winner finish with the second-most deep ball receptions while leading the class in deep ball yardage. This tool includes all signings that happen during the Free Agency window only. The kid can play. Of course, the fact that he even made it back for the end of the season is impressive enough, considering he suffered a torn ACL in late March during spring practices. The 2018 first-round pick earned a top-30 PFF grade in each of the past three seasons, with his best being an 82.2 mark in 2019. Something went wrong. ", Strengths "Experienced! December 7, 2022 5 min Watch There have been some great performances by rookie wide receivers this season in the NFL. 2022 NFL season's top 10 wide receivers: Justin Jefferson reels in No. Smith was heavily utilized downfield over that span, generating the fifth-highest average depth of target, and he held up his end of the bargain. 5 min read. The Jaguars really aren't in need of a wide receiver. HONORABLE MENTION: Terry McLaurin, Commanders; Tee Higgins, Bengals; Garrett Wilson, Jets; Chris Olave, Saints. The 2022 NFL offseason featured several blockbuster moves, including the trade of wide receiver A.J. Jalen Hurts Contract, Salary, Bonuses, and Net Worth. Wilson is much more NFL-ready wide receiver than Hilton was thanks to his route-running and overall technique. Dotson is coming off a 1,182 receiving-yard season with 12 receiving touchdowns. Since entering the league in 2021, Chase leads the NFL with +720 receiving yards over expected, as he has consistently been among the leagues best players at his position. In rookie drafts, his ceiling is probably around pick eight or nine while his floor is at the two-three turn. Between his deep speed, route running and after-the-catch ability, he can win in a variety of ways. The most accurate predictor will be guaranteed a spot in this year's league, where you'll get to prove your mettle against Adam Aizer, Jamey, Dave, and Heath. Burks will settle in as a middle to back-half first-round pick in Dynasty rookie drafts held before the draft, and depending on which team selects him, he could rise fast. Smith is capable of taking a leap into one of the top tiers of talents at the position in the coming seasons. Godwin has still been at a WR1 level, ranking 21st in PFF WAR since 2020, but his 0.60 mark in that metric over those two years is less than what he accrued in 2019 alone. You cant teach speed. The score is calculated by scaling each metric to a percentile (from 0 to 100) relative to all wide receivers who have played at least 150 offensive snaps through Week 14 of the 2022 season. In particular, Lamb has been lethal when going in a shift or motion, leading the NFL with both 337 receiving yards and 4 receiving TDs on such snaps this season. Instead of taking a step back, Hill has elevated an entire offense and been the key to third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's breakout season. But he has since been unable to sustain that level of production, with consistent injuries playing a major part in that. Six wideouts were off the board by the time the Minnesota Vikings had made their selection with Pick No. Since joining Buffalo in 2020, Diggs ranks seventh or higher in separation rate against single coverage, contested-catch grade and grade versus man coverage. Hopkins finished sixth or better in receiving grade in five of the six seasons between 2015 and 2020, seasons filled with highlight-reel toe-tappers, contested wins and spectacular grabs from off-target throws. If the Packers make him their first wide receiver drafted, I would go in with the expectation that Pickens would beat out Sammy Watkins and Allen Lazard to be Aaron Rodgers' No. Dotson finished his college career with over 2,700 receiving yards and 25 receiving touchdowns. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Despite his size, Olave is developing into a top-level NFL prospect that will have a chance to dominate at the next level. Londons FBS-leading 19 contested catches last season were viewed by some draft pundits as a red flag, with his lack of straight-line speed often being cited as the reason he had to fight for so many jump balls in college. The breakout quarterbacks are among the Next Gen Stats analytics team's 10 players most likely to earn all-star accolades for the first time this season. ", Weaknesses "Nearly half (46%) of his career receptions were made within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage lack of burst into his route often saw cornerbacks stay within an arm's length Wasn't asked to run a full or overly complex route tree Drew a lot of contact -- big body means big target for defenders to hit. Of course, they weren't the only difference-makers from their classes -- Jaylen Waddle and CeeDee Lamb stepped on the field as must-start WRs, and Tee Higgins, Chase Claypool, Brandon Aiyuk, Devonta Smith, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Elijah Moore (among others) had their moments as rookies, too. By 2023 or 2024, Kelce could set off on a new adventure outside of football and London would take over as Patrick Mahomes' biggest target (literally!)." Also: Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, "Pickens has the long-term upside of a top-12 Dynasty and redraft wide receiver, but I'd expect he'll debut much later than that. is the biggest boom-or-bust receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. Teams looking to draft wide receiver help in 2022 are in luck, as its another deep class. His 2022 output will be something to monitor, given that he'll be going from Russell Wilson to Geno Smith or Drew Lock at quarterback. His PFF grade dropped just a few points year-over-year to 77.4, a top-30 mark in the NFL. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. The addition of Brown has helped Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense reach new heights, as Hurts has a league-high nine TD passes on go routes this season with Brown being responsible for an NFL-best five of them. 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