2017 NFL Draft WR Evaluation
#5 John Ross
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
School: Washington
Year: Junior
Height: 5’11
Weight: 188 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.22 Sec
John Ross put the entire NFL on notice when he set a new record for the 40 yard dash, making him (technically) the fastest player to ever enter the NFL. While I find Ross’s speed to be impressive, I can’t see anything else that I love about his game. Ross plays like a car with worn out brakes. His route running is sloppy, he has a tendency to run backwards, he’s undersized and he catches with his body too often. Ross has also had well documented knee problems as well as a tendency to let his emotions get the best of him while on the field. He will probably be nothing more that a kick returner for an average NFL team. I wouldn’t take him with anything higher than a fourth round pick.
#4 Curtis Samuel
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
School: Ohio State
Year: Junior
Height: 5’11
Weight: 196 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.31 Sec
The Brooklyn native, Curtis Samuel, is an interesting prospect, simply because the trait which makes him exceptional is the same quality that leads some NFL scouts to say he won’t last in the NFL. You see, Samuel is a “jack of all trades” prospect. He has above average speed, is a good route runner, possesses reliable hands, shows above average foot speed and is an athlete who can turn any possession into a big play. All of that being said, nothing about Samuel is exceptional, and I fear if he doesn’t develop some obvious strengths that he’ll just disappear within whatever roster he joins. I see Samuel becoming a reliable player in the NFL, but if you’re looking for a future superstar, I don’t believe he’s your guy.
#3 Mike Williams
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
School: Clemson
Year: Junior
Height: 6’4
Weight: 218 lbs
40 Yard Dash: N/A
Mike Williams has the size that every NFL team wishes their receivers had. He is long, strong and is exceptional at snagging 50/50 balls. However, the problem I have with Williams is that he moves like he’s a tight end. He doesn’t have great speed or acceleration and is a sloppy route runner. Williams will definitely be a project for whichever team selects him. That being said, he posses all of the physical attributes you would want in a professional wide receiver. In my eyes, Williams' potential has yet to be unlocked, which leads me to believe he would really benefit by joining a team with a stable culture and a veteran quarterback. Give him a couple of years of training under a NFL coaching staff, and he could end up becoming a weapon for whichever offense chooses to utilize him.
#2 Ju Ju Smith-Schuster
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
School: USC
Year: Junior
Height: 6’1
Weight: 215 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.54 Sec
Besides having the most unique name in this year’s draft class, Ju Ju Smith-Schuster possesses the greatest potential to become a superstar NFL wide receiver. There are a lot of things that I like about Smith-Schuster’s game. He is a deadly route runner, has great sideline awareness, will serve as a competent run blocker, possesses a unique mixture of self control with an aggressive play style and most importantly is an extremely dependable ball catcher. However, he lacks field awareness when running deep routes and tends to “float” from his route path as a result. Additionally, Ju Ju doesn’t really do much after he makes the catch. So while he has dependable hands, he pretty much is brought down wherever he catches the ball. But don’t get the wrong idea about Smith-Schuster. There have been plenty of superstar receivers who weren't the greatest ball carriers. What is important is that Smith-Schuster will catch just about every ball thrown his way. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if five years from now Smith-Schuster doesn’t end up becoming a number-one receiver for an NFL franchise.
#1 Corey Davis
(AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
School: Western Michigan
Year: Senior
Height: 6’3
Weight: 209 lbs
40 Yard Dash: N/A
Corey Davis is the best receiver in the 2017 draft class. First off, I believe his transition from college to the NFL will be seamless. He’ll be a serious receiving threat on the first day he enters training camp. Davis is college football’s all-time leader in receiving yards for a reason -- he can do everything. He has the most dependable hands in this year’s class, has an elite level of “in-air” ball tracking, is a great runner after the catch and is shockingly strong for his size. Davis is also an aggressive catcher, meaning he goes and grabs the ball out of the air, instead of waiting for it to come to him, a trait that many of the greatest wide receivers share. While I will admit that Davis isn’t a burner or exceptionally quick, I think his technique is developed enough that it fills any of the holes that his lack of athleticism creates. Many of Davis’ critics will also say that because he played at a smaller school he looks better than he actually is. But to those critics, I say talent is recognizable, no matter what competition a prospect is facing. Some of the greatest receivers went to “small time schools.” Hall of Famer Andre Reed attended Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Randy Moss came out of Marshall and the greatest receiver of all-time, Jerry Rice, attended Mississippi Valley State University. So needless to say, don’t discount Davis because of the jersey he wore, but instead evaluate him on what he did while wearing it. If you do that, I’m confident you’ll see the same things in him that I do.
