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Here are my WR rankings for this year's NFL draft. Notice, that this is NOT a list of WRs that I'd like the Saints. It's a list of WRs that I'd select if I was a neutral team. For instance, I'm going to have Shenault lower on my list that I would if I was the Saints, because I think there's a better chance that he'd pan out for the Saints. So...here we go here's my top 30.
Tier 1)
1. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
Tier 2)
2. Henry Ruggs, Alabama
3. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
Tier 3)
4. Justin Jefferson, LSU
Tier 4)
5. Tee Higgins, Clemson
6. Michael Pittman, USC
7. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
Tier 5)
8. KJ Hamler, Penn State
9. Jalen Reagor, TCU
10. Denzel Mims, Baylor
11. Lavisha Shenault, Colorado
Tier 6)
12. Van Jefferson, Florida
13. Tyler Johnson, Minnesota
14. Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
15. Quartney Davis, Texas A&M
Tier 7)
16. Gabriel Davis, UCF
17. Devin Duvernay, Texas
18. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
19. Antonio Golden-Gandy, Liberty
Tier 8)
20. Quez Watkins, USM
21. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan
22. Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt
Tier 9)
23. Lynn Bowden, Kentucky
24. Stephen Guidry, Miss State
25. Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin
Tier 10)
26. Jauan Jennings, Tennessee
27. KJ Hill, OSU
28. Collin Johnson, Texas
29. Omar Bayless, Arkansas St
30. John Hightower, Boise State
I'd be happy to explain my rationale for my rankings if you have specific questions. Instead of doing a write up of every player on my list, which would take forever, I'll summarize some players who I feel that I am either much higher or much lower than most draftniks out there.
MOST UNDERRATED:
1. Michael Pittman, Jr.
- There just so much to like about Pittman. Obviously he is a size/speed freak but he's much more than that. He is incredibly fluid and can make catches on every level. I was expecting to see a Michael Thomas type player, and I can understand the comparisons, but I see more of Vincent Jackson in his game. His NFL bloodlines show. He blocks, he plays special teams, he looks like he is going to put in the work to be great. Most have him around the #10-15 range, which translates to a 2nd-3rd round pick in this draft. I see late first round talent. If I'm the Saints I consider him at #24, or if you want to grab the LB first, you think about trading up in either the 2nd-3rd round to snag him. I don't think he'll be there for our 3rd round selection.
2. KJ Hamler
- Complete speed demon. He is somewhere between Brandin Cooks and Marquis Brown. You give him an inch of daylight and he is GONE. He was surprisingly physical for his size and can catch footballs on all three levels of the field. He is NOT a great route runner but he has natural ball skills and a nose for the endzone, and I'm pretty confident that the Saints offense would allow him room to grow as a technician. His speed has to be respected by opposing defense more than any other guys in the draft not named Jeudy and Ruggs.
3. Van Jefferson
- Another WR with NFL blood lines. If we are looking at 2020 alone, I expect Van to be one of the very best next season. He is VERY NFL ready. If you like Justin Jefferson and want to get something close to him if he's gone at #24, Van Jefferson is the closest thing to Justin Jefferson in the draft. Very smooth athlete, superb route runner, natural hand catcher. He's not an athletic freak, but he wins contested catches and his route running is so good that it allows him to win on every level. The only reason he isn't going to go higher in the draft is because he will be 24 this year and many feel that he may have peaked athletically. He'd be a phenominal mid-to-late round selection for our future slot WR.
4. Quez Watkins
- I'm a USM fan and have always been a big fan of Watkins. He is NOT a polished WR, but boy he has the potential to be a special downfield receiver in the NFL. He is a legitimate 4.3 WR who plays like it on the field.
MOST OVERRATED:
1. CeeDee Lamb
- Lamb is a heck of a football player. In most other drafts, I'd be all over him being the best WR in draft. But not in a draft with Jeudy and Ruggs. He is not quite as athletic, and there have been numerous reports of him not taking the game of football seriously when he's off the field. He's a partier. There's just no margin of error when you are talking about a guy who you are drafting in the top 15. Things like work ethic and desire to be great is enough to make the difference between a great player and a bust. Not saying that Lamb will be a bust, but I'm not taking him before Jeudy and Ruggs.
2. Chase Claypool
- This is absolutely nothing against Claypool. I think that he is a good player, just not as high as many others. He is a HUGE guy who is rather nimble for a big man, but I'm always nervous when someone doesn't fit a particular body type that has demonstrated success. Claypool may have run a 4.4 forty, but he doesn't play like it on the field. He is a bit heavy footed and while he does a solid job on short to intermediate passes, he doesn't make many plays downfield and doesn't always use his size to his advantage. I honestly think that he is a tight end at the next level, and he could be a very good move TE. If that's what you are looking for, then that's great. But I wouldn't draft him with the expectation that he's going to be a 1st round WR...that's crazy talk.
3. Gabriel Davis
- Another very solid WR, but there are going to be better WRs drafted after him. He has nice size and good hands, but he looks like limited athletically, I don't love his route running, and he does very little with the ball in his hands. Again, in other drafts I would be completely fine with him being a 2nd round pick, but just not in this monster WR class.
INTRIGUING PROSPECTS:
1. Devin Duvernay
- What an odd shaped WR. Imagine Maurice Jones-Drew if he was a WR. He a short ball of muscle with ridiculous 4.3 speed. I think that most scouts struggle with him because there is not a great precedent for someone like him being great. He's tight hipped, so he wouldn't be an ideal slot guy, though his size would make you think that is his best spot. I'm intrigued to see his landing spot and how he is utilized. I'm always nervous about drafting someone with an atypical body size (see Claypool) but at least with Duvernay, he'll probably be drafted in the mid-to-late rounds, so he's probably worth the gamble.
2. Lynn Bowden
- There aren't many WRs that are athletic and explosive as Bowden. He is a very selfless guy. His team was in need of a QB, so he played there significantly over the past few years. It didn't allow for an easy evaluation of his WR ability. What you can see is that he is a nice hands catcher on limited attempts, and he is super dynamic with the ball in his hands. If the Saints go the Taysom Hill route in 2021, Lynn Bowden is an intriguing depth QB/WR option.
3. Jauan Jennings
- He's a guy in rankings who is much lower than I want him to be. He's not a great athlete. He ran in the 4.7's and his lack of deep speed was evident on the field. But the guy is a really fun guy to watch. He was the heart and soul of the Tennessee team. He will block and he is the most vicious runner after the catch that I saw this year in my eval process. I honestly think that he is a move TE at the next level. He is a hard worker and a capable blocker. I'd draft him late and consider him at FB/TE. He would also be a natural special teams contributor.
Tier 1)
1. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
Tier 2)
2. Henry Ruggs, Alabama
3. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
Tier 3)
4. Justin Jefferson, LSU
Tier 4)
5. Tee Higgins, Clemson
6. Michael Pittman, USC
7. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
Tier 5)
8. KJ Hamler, Penn State
9. Jalen Reagor, TCU
10. Denzel Mims, Baylor
11. Lavisha Shenault, Colorado
Tier 6)
12. Van Jefferson, Florida
13. Tyler Johnson, Minnesota
14. Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
15. Quartney Davis, Texas A&M
Tier 7)
16. Gabriel Davis, UCF
17. Devin Duvernay, Texas
18. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
19. Antonio Golden-Gandy, Liberty
Tier 8)
20. Quez Watkins, USM
21. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan
22. Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt
Tier 9)
23. Lynn Bowden, Kentucky
24. Stephen Guidry, Miss State
25. Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin
Tier 10)
26. Jauan Jennings, Tennessee
27. KJ Hill, OSU
28. Collin Johnson, Texas
29. Omar Bayless, Arkansas St
30. John Hightower, Boise State
I'd be happy to explain my rationale for my rankings if you have specific questions. Instead of doing a write up of every player on my list, which would take forever, I'll summarize some players who I feel that I am either much higher or much lower than most draftniks out there.
MOST UNDERRATED:
1. Michael Pittman, Jr.
- There just so much to like about Pittman. Obviously he is a size/speed freak but he's much more than that. He is incredibly fluid and can make catches on every level. I was expecting to see a Michael Thomas type player, and I can understand the comparisons, but I see more of Vincent Jackson in his game. His NFL bloodlines show. He blocks, he plays special teams, he looks like he is going to put in the work to be great. Most have him around the #10-15 range, which translates to a 2nd-3rd round pick in this draft. I see late first round talent. If I'm the Saints I consider him at #24, or if you want to grab the LB first, you think about trading up in either the 2nd-3rd round to snag him. I don't think he'll be there for our 3rd round selection.
2. KJ Hamler
- Complete speed demon. He is somewhere between Brandin Cooks and Marquis Brown. You give him an inch of daylight and he is GONE. He was surprisingly physical for his size and can catch footballs on all three levels of the field. He is NOT a great route runner but he has natural ball skills and a nose for the endzone, and I'm pretty confident that the Saints offense would allow him room to grow as a technician. His speed has to be respected by opposing defense more than any other guys in the draft not named Jeudy and Ruggs.
3. Van Jefferson
- Another WR with NFL blood lines. If we are looking at 2020 alone, I expect Van to be one of the very best next season. He is VERY NFL ready. If you like Justin Jefferson and want to get something close to him if he's gone at #24, Van Jefferson is the closest thing to Justin Jefferson in the draft. Very smooth athlete, superb route runner, natural hand catcher. He's not an athletic freak, but he wins contested catches and his route running is so good that it allows him to win on every level. The only reason he isn't going to go higher in the draft is because he will be 24 this year and many feel that he may have peaked athletically. He'd be a phenominal mid-to-late round selection for our future slot WR.
4. Quez Watkins
- I'm a USM fan and have always been a big fan of Watkins. He is NOT a polished WR, but boy he has the potential to be a special downfield receiver in the NFL. He is a legitimate 4.3 WR who plays like it on the field.
MOST OVERRATED:
1. CeeDee Lamb
- Lamb is a heck of a football player. In most other drafts, I'd be all over him being the best WR in draft. But not in a draft with Jeudy and Ruggs. He is not quite as athletic, and there have been numerous reports of him not taking the game of football seriously when he's off the field. He's a partier. There's just no margin of error when you are talking about a guy who you are drafting in the top 15. Things like work ethic and desire to be great is enough to make the difference between a great player and a bust. Not saying that Lamb will be a bust, but I'm not taking him before Jeudy and Ruggs.
2. Chase Claypool
- This is absolutely nothing against Claypool. I think that he is a good player, just not as high as many others. He is a HUGE guy who is rather nimble for a big man, but I'm always nervous when someone doesn't fit a particular body type that has demonstrated success. Claypool may have run a 4.4 forty, but he doesn't play like it on the field. He is a bit heavy footed and while he does a solid job on short to intermediate passes, he doesn't make many plays downfield and doesn't always use his size to his advantage. I honestly think that he is a tight end at the next level, and he could be a very good move TE. If that's what you are looking for, then that's great. But I wouldn't draft him with the expectation that he's going to be a 1st round WR...that's crazy talk.
3. Gabriel Davis
- Another very solid WR, but there are going to be better WRs drafted after him. He has nice size and good hands, but he looks like limited athletically, I don't love his route running, and he does very little with the ball in his hands. Again, in other drafts I would be completely fine with him being a 2nd round pick, but just not in this monster WR class.
INTRIGUING PROSPECTS:
1. Devin Duvernay
- What an odd shaped WR. Imagine Maurice Jones-Drew if he was a WR. He a short ball of muscle with ridiculous 4.3 speed. I think that most scouts struggle with him because there is not a great precedent for someone like him being great. He's tight hipped, so he wouldn't be an ideal slot guy, though his size would make you think that is his best spot. I'm intrigued to see his landing spot and how he is utilized. I'm always nervous about drafting someone with an atypical body size (see Claypool) but at least with Duvernay, he'll probably be drafted in the mid-to-late rounds, so he's probably worth the gamble.
2. Lynn Bowden
- There aren't many WRs that are athletic and explosive as Bowden. He is a very selfless guy. His team was in need of a QB, so he played there significantly over the past few years. It didn't allow for an easy evaluation of his WR ability. What you can see is that he is a nice hands catcher on limited attempts, and he is super dynamic with the ball in his hands. If the Saints go the Taysom Hill route in 2021, Lynn Bowden is an intriguing depth QB/WR option.
3. Jauan Jennings
- He's a guy in rankings who is much lower than I want him to be. He's not a great athlete. He ran in the 4.7's and his lack of deep speed was evident on the field. But the guy is a really fun guy to watch. He was the heart and soul of the Tennessee team. He will block and he is the most vicious runner after the catch that I saw this year in my eval process. I honestly think that he is a move TE at the next level. He is a hard worker and a capable blocker. I'd draft him late and consider him at FB/TE. He would also be a natural special teams contributor.
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