Draft Preview 2021: Receivers
SimBull has blended sports and the stock market to offer you a new way to invest in and profit off your favorite teams. Use your sports knowledge to buy low, sell high, and earn cash payouts when your teams win. Join the 2000+ early adopters who have started to invest in their favorite teams. The Stock Market for Sports is just a tap away – create a free account in seconds and start profiting from your sports knowledge!
April 7, 2021
by Steve Thomas
Welcome to another edition in The Hog Sty’s draft preview series. Here’s what we’ve covered so far:
- Interior defensive line
- Defensive ends
- Tackles
- Tight ends
- Interior offensive line
- Running backs
- Corners
- Safeties
Washington currently has a very crowded receiver group. The team has made major improvements since the end of last season, starting with the addition of former Carolina Panther Curtis Samuel. Washington also added former Tennessee Titan Adam Humphries. Samuel will most likely pair with star receiver Terry McLaurin on the outside, with Humphries in the slot. Last year’s “Z” starter, Cam Sims, returns, but will probably be relegated to a backup role and will have to compete with Kelvin Harmon and 2020 draft choice Antonio Gandy-Golden. 2019 undrafted free agent Steven Sims Jr, and 2020 undrafted free agent Isaiah Wright are both slot-only players and thus will play behind Humphries. Washington may draft a receiver if a “can’t miss” target falls to them, but otherwise, the team probably will not make this group a major draft priority. Regardless, plenty of outstanding candidates are available this year. Just one note before we dive in: many of these receivers claim amazingly fast 40 times. It’s possible that this year’s class is unusually fast; however, because the NFL didn’t have its normal Combine, all of the 40 times to come from university pro days. Therefore, it’s far more likely that these were hand-timed runs and inflated from what would have happened at the Combine.
Ja’Marr Chase, 6’1” / 208, LSU: Chase is the #1 receiver on most analysts’ draft boards. He is a true junior who played two full seasons and they opted out of 2020. In total, he played 24 games in 2018 and 2019, making 107 receptions for 2,093 yards, 19.6 yards per reception, and 23 touchdowns. Chase ran the 40 yard dash in an unofficial hand-timed 4.38 seconds at the LSU pro day. He was Joe Burrow’s #1 target during Burrow’s Heisman Trophy-winning season. Chase has prototypical size for an NFL outside “X” receiver. In 2019, he exhibited his quality route-running ability, good hands, and some blocking skill. Obviously, the fact that Chase skipped this past season is a negative, but otherwise he has everything you’d want in a big-time receiving prospect. Chase’s only real question mark is whether his numbers had more to do with Burrow and LSU’s overall talent level than Chase himself, which is something that has no answer. Chase is most likely going to be a top 10 pick.
Jaylen Waddle, 5’10” / 182, Alabama: Waddle is a true junior who played for Alabama for three seasons. In total, he played 34 games and made 106 receptions for 1,999 yards, 18.9 yards per reception, and 17 touchdowns. In 2020, he played 6 games, with 28 receptions, 591 yards, 21.1 yards per reception, and 4 touchdowns. Waddle broke his ankle in late October and missed the rest of the regular season, but was able to return for the national championship game, in which he played a small role. He was selected as a First Team All-SEC talent in 2019, and was a Second Team All-SEC member in 2020. Waddle didn’t run the 40 yard dash at Alabama’s pro day, but is known as a burner and has told the media that he would probably run in the high 4.2 to low 4.3 second range. Waddle is primarily a slot receiver because of his size, but many analysts think he’s versatile enough to play multiple roles in the NFL. Waddle is unanimously viewed as one of the top three receivers in the draft, with some ranking him #1. He is most likely a top 10 talent.
DeVonta Smith, 6’1”/170, Alabama: Smith spent a full four years with the Crimson Tide, playing in a total of 47 games, with 235 receptions, 3,965 yards, 16.9 yards per reception, and 46 touchdowns. In 2020, Smith played 13 games and made 117 receptions for 1,856 yards, 15.9 yards per reception, and 23 touchdowns. For his 2020 season, he was selected as a Unanimous All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Biletnikoff Award, and the Paul Hornung Award. Smith did not run the 40 yard dash at Alabama’s pro day, so he does not have a publicly available 40 time. He’s an outstanding route runner with big-time hands, and has shown that he can create separation and make contested catches over the middle. Smith’s obvious negative is his slender build. He’s listed at 175 pounds by most services, but told the media at the Alabama pro day that he weighed in at “about 170”. Smith’s size may prevent him from being a prototypical “X” receiver, so many draft analysts have pegged him as a “Z”. Smith, Chase, and Waddle, are the clear top 3 receivers in the draft. Smith is projected as a top 10 pick.
Rashod Bateman, 6’1” / 210, Minnesota: Bateman is a true junior who played a total of 31 games in three seasons for Minnesota, with 147 receptions for 2,395 yards, 16.3 yards per reception, and 19 touchdowns. He originally announced his intention to site out the 2020 season, but after the Big 10 finally stopped its needless and silly handwringing over coronavirus and announced the start to the season, Bateman elected to join the team. He played a total of 5 games in 2020, making 36 receptions for 472 yards, 13.1 yards per reception, and 2 touchdowns. He was named to the First Team All-Big Ten team in 2019, and Third Team All-Big Ten in 2020. Bateman ran the 40 yard dash in just 4.39 seconds at the Minnesota pro day. He’s another player who’s known as an outstanding route runner, which should serve him well in the NFL, and is a deep vertical threat. Most analysts think he has the ability to be a featured “X” receiver in the pros. Bateman is projected to go anywhere from late in the first round to as late as round 3.
Kadarius Toney, 5’11” / 194, Florida: Toney played 38 games in four seasons at Florida, making 120 catches for 1,590 yards, 13.3 yards per reception, and 12 touchdowns. In 2020, Toney played 11 games, with 70 receptions for 984 yards, 14.1 yards per reception, and 10 touchdowns, and was a First Team All-SEC selection. Toney has elite athleticism: at Florida’s pro day, he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.41 seconds, then jumped 11’4” in the standing broad jump and 41 inches in the vertical leap. He is a dual threat who initially started out at Florida as a running back and had 66 rushing attempts for 580 yards, 8.8 yards per carry, and 2 touchdowns. He is principally a slot receiver, but is more of a “weapon” in the mold of Washington’s Curtis Samuel and Antonio Gibson. Toney a playmaker who is always a deep threat. He’s seen by most as a late first round or second round talent.
Terrace Marshall Jr., 6’3” / 200, LSU: Marshall spent three years at LSU, playing 28 games between 2018 and 2020, with 106 receptions, 1,594 yards, 15.0 yards per reception, and 23 touchdowns. He played 7 games in 2020 and made 48 catches for 731 yards, 15.2 yards per reception, and 10 touchdowns. Marshall was unofficially timed in 4.38 seconds in the 40 yard dash at LSU’s pro day. He has a unique combination of size and athleticism, and is therefore a versatile receiver would many expect will be able to play in multiple roles in the NFL. Despite his 40 time, he isn’t known to have explosive quickness – he takes time to accelerate to top speed, which seems to indicate that his highest and best use might be as a vertical threat. Marshall is rated as high as round 2 by some analysts.
Rondale Moore, 5’9” / 175, Purdue: Moore is another true junior. He only played 20 games in three collegiate seasons, and had 178 receptions for 1,915 yards, 10.8 yards per reception, and 14 touchdowns. In 2020, he played 3 games and had 35 receptions for 270 yards for 7.7 yards per reception, but no touchdowns. Moore missed all but 4 games in 2019 as a result of a hamstring injury, then suffered a lower back injury in 2020 that caused him to only play in only 3 of 6 games. The net result is that he has only played in 7 games in two years and lives off of his reputation established in his rookie 2018 season in which he was selected as a Consensus First Team All American and won the Paul Hornung Award. Moore did help himself at his pro day, however, when he demolished the athletic testing portion of the event by running the 40 yard dash in 4.29 seconds and jumping 42.5” in the vertical leap. At his best and injury free, he’s a game-breaking offensive weapon-type of talent. However, Moore’s diminutive stature and injury risk will force NFL play callers to be creative with him. Some draft analysts see his immense potential and have him being selected as high as round 1, whereas other view Moore going as low as round 3.
Dyami Brown, 6’1” / 195, North Carolina: Brown spent three years at North Carolina, playing in a total of 32 games, and made 123 receptions for 2,306 yards, 18.7 yards per reception, and 21 touchdowns. In 2020, Brown played 11 games, with 55 receptions for 1,099 yards, 10.0 yards per reception, and 8 touchdowns, and was selected as a Third Team All-American. He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.44 seconds at North Carolina’s pro day. He’s viewed by scouts as being primarily a vertical threat who can track the ball well in the air but who has trouble separating from physical, press-man coverage. Brown is probably a day two pick.
Elijah Moore, 5’9” / 184, Mississippi: Moore is a true junior who played 31 games in three seasons, making 189 receptions for 2,441 yards, 12.9 yards per reception, and 16 touchdowns. In 2020, he played 8 games, with 86 receptions for 1,193 yards, 13.9 yards per reception, and 8 touchdowns, and was named as a Consensus All American. Moore is yet another burner, having been clocked at 4.35 seconds in the 40 yard dash at his pro day. He’s viewed as needing work on his route running. Moore’s size will most likely limit him to a slot role, but he is perhaps even more of a gadget / weapon type of player. He also has some potential as a punt returner. Moore will probably be drafted in rounds 3 or 4.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, 6’1” / 195, USC: Brown is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. The younger Brown is a junior, having played 30 games between 2018 and 2020 for the Trojans, with 178 receptions for 2,270 yards, 12.8 yards per reception, and 16 touchdowns. In 2020, he played 6 games and made 41 receptions for 478 yards, 11.7 yards per reception, and 7 touchdowns, and was selected as First Team All-Pac 12. He was timed at 4.51 seconds in the 40 yard dash at USC’s pro day. He’s viewed as an aggressive and tough route runner who is good in contested catch situations. Brown did have a few drops in 2020. His speed probably isn’t good enough to be a consistent vertical threat, but scouts see him as being a plus-level contributor in the short to intermediate passing game who may be best in the “Z” role. Most analysts think Brown will be drafted on day 2.