2019 NFL Draft Position Rankings: Wide Receivers
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1. D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss (Overall Rank: 17)
Height: 6' 33⁄8" | Weight: 228 pounds
He’s built like a linebacker and runs like a track star, and Metcalf showed that off during combine week. There are red flags though. Change-of-direction skills (he tested exceedingly poorly at the combine) are an issue and effectively limit his route tree, and he has an injury history that limited to 21 games in his collegiate career (a foot injury as a freshman and a season-ending neck injury last year). He will likely need some developmental time, but at the very least he’ll take the top off a defense and make some plays on manufactured touches.
2. Marquise Brown, Oklahoma (Overall Rank: 20)
Height: 5' 93⁄8" | Weight: 166 pounds
Brown is long speed and short-area quickness. He's one of the fastest players in this draft class, capable of taking the top off a defense, but is also dangerous as a RAC threat in space, capable of delivering big plays when the ball gets into his hands early. Those two attributes make him a high-floor prospect in a class full of boom-or-bust receiver prospects, and help alleviate concerns about his small, thin frame. He’s also working his way back from foot surgery for a LisFranc injury.
3. A.J. Brown, Ole Miss (Overall Rank: 25)
Height: 6' 01⁄2" | Weight: 226 pounds
A big slot receiver at Ole Miss, Brown is a catch-and-run specialist who walls off defenders with his frame and picks up chunks of yards after the catch thanks to quickness and burst. He didn't do a ton of work downfield, and some NFL teams will be scared off due to the struggles of Laquon Treadwell, a first-round bust from Ole Miss, but Brown’s blend of explosiveness and size are very appealing.
4. N'Keal Harry, Arizona State (Overall Rank: 31)
Height: 6' 23⁄8" | Weight: 228 pounds
It’s tricky to project contested-catch specialists from college to the NFL, but it’s also hard to ignore the strength, body control, competitiveness and knack for making late adjustments downfield that made Harry a force at the collegiate level.
5. Hakeem Butler, Iowa State (Overall Rank: 38)
Height: 6' 53⁄8" | Weight: 227 pounds
A big-bodied, long-armed power forward of a receiver, Butler was a catch-and-run monster in the Big 12. He ran a limited route tree at Iowa State and dropped too many catchable balls, possibly because of ball-tracking issues, but if he can be coached up into a more well-rounded receiver and more consistent pass-catcher, he could become a true No. 1 receiver.
6. Parris Campbell, Ohio State (Overall Rank: 50)
Height: 5' 117⁄8" | Weight: 205 pounds
He enters the NFL as more of a gadget weapon out of the slot, but the increased use of fly sweep action plays to Campbell’s strengths. He’s electric with the ball in his hands and has the speed to blow the top off a defense. However, he’s unrefined as a route runner and inconsistent tracking the ball on deeper routes.
7. Deebo Samuel, South Carolina (Overall Rank: 56)
Height: 5' 111⁄4" | Weight: 214 pounds
Viewed as a potential first-round pick during his junior year, Samuel wasn’t quite the same after breaking his leg in 2017. He’s an ultra-competitive catch-and-run threat who offers value in the return game as well. In his second-to-last collegiate game he lit up Clemson in Death Valley (10 catches, 210 yards, 3 TDs).
8. Riley Ridley, Georgia (Overall Rank: 59)
Height: 6' 11⁄4" | Weight: 199 pounds
The brother of Falcons 2018 first-round receiver Calvin Ridley, Riley is a little bigger and not as fast. But he has great feel as a route runner and some of the best hands in this class, along with the excellent body control to allow him to play with a huge catch radius. He’s not a big-play threat, but Ridley has a good chance to emerge as a quality starter.
9. Mecole Hardman, Georgia (Overall Rank: 69)
Height: 5' 101⁄4" | Weight: 187 pounds
He has played only two full seasons at receiver, and Hardman is still coming into his own at the position. The tools are there though. He is a burner who shows the ability to track the ball and make plays downfield, as well as the short-area quickness and competitiveness to create after the catch when the ball gets into his hands early.
10. Kelvin Harmon, NC State (Overall Rank: 71)
Height: 6' 21⁄2" | Weight: 221 pounds
A contested-catch specialist, Harmon bullied defensive backs at the collegiate level. He has the size and physical nature (he’s aggressive with his hands at the catch point, sometimes to the point of daring officials to flag him), to become a quality NFL starter as he adds some nuance to his route running.
11. Andy Isabella, Massachusetts (Overall Rank: 88)
Height: 5' 83⁄4" | Weight: 188 pounds
Undersized but exceptionally athletic, Isabella has the quickness to separate underneath and is one of the fastest players in this draft class. He has an especially small catch radius, a tendency to let the ball get into his frame and could stand to be more efficient in some of his routes, but the tools are there for Isabella to be a dangerous slot machine.
12. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford (Overall Rank: 90)
Height: 6' 2" | Weight: 225 pounds
A savvy contested-catch receiver, Arcega-Whiteside has good size and a knack for leveraging defensive backs at the catch point. He shows excellent concentration and body control when adjusting to the ball downfield and was a major red-zone weapon at Stanford. He doesn’t have the kind of twitch to separate consistently, but finds a way to make plays. He has a chance to become a quality No. 2 receiver and touchdown maker in the red zone.
13. Emanuel Hall, Missouri (Overall Rank: 97)
Height: 6' 17⁄8" | Weight: 201 pounds
A pure deep threat, Hall gets to top speed quickly, stacks defensive backs and kills with long speed—he averaged 23.5 yards-per-catch over the past two seasons. He’ll have to become a little more well-rounded at the next level, especially as opponents look to re-route him early in the down. But he has the size, speed and body control to be developed into more than a pure deep threat if he lands with the right coaching staff.
14. Miles Boykin, Notre Dame (Overall Rank: 104)
Height: 6' 33⁄4" | Weight: 220 pounds
Physically, Boykin is as impressive as any receiver in this draft class—he combines power-forward size with elite long speed and explosiveness. He’s a human highlight reel high-pointing the ball downfield. However, his game is painfully raw. He needs to become more polished as a route runner, and needs to become better working against physical corners and in tighter spaces. He should enter the NFL as a downfield specialist with a chance to become much more.
15. Darius Slayton, Auburn (Overall Rank: 109)
Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 190 pounds
His production won’t jump off the page (79 catches over three seasons), but he was held back by Auburn’s run-heavy offense and dysfunctional passing game. Slayton is an absolute burner with the ability to take the top off a defense, as well as the length and play strength to be more effective working in traffic. He’s a deep threat with a fair amount of untapped potential.
16. Terry McLaurin, Ohio State (Overall Rank: 112)
17. Jalen Hurd, Baylor (Overall Rank: 116)
18. Anthony Johnson, Buffalo (Overall Rank: 118)
19. Antoine Wesley, Texas Tech (Overall Rank: 119)
20. Dillon Mitchell, Oregon (Overall Rank: 123)
21. Diontae Johnson, Toledo (Overall Rank: 143)
22. Keelan Doss, UC Davis (Overall Rank: 148)
23. Penny Hart, Georgia State (Overall Rank: 150)
24. Alex Wesley, Northern Colorado (Overall Rank: 163)
25. Anthony Ratliff-Williams, North Carolina (Overall Rank: 179)
26. David Sills, West Virginia (Overall Rank: 184)
27. KeeSean Johnson, Fresno State (Overall Rank: 206)
28. Stanley Morgan Jr. Nebraska (Overall Rank: 209)
29. Gary Jennings, West Virginia (Overall Rank: 213)
30. Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Texas (Overall Rank: 217)
31. Hunter Renfrow, Clemson (Overall Rank: 220)
32. Preston Williams, Colorado State (Overall Rank: 222)
33. Greg Dortch, Wake Forest (Overall Rank: 235)
34. Terry Godwin, Georgia (Overall Rank: 244)
35. DaMarkus Lodge, Ole Miss (Overall Rank: 245)
36. Travis Fulgham, Old Dominion (Overall Rank: 257)
37. Jakobi Meyers, NC State (Overall Rank: 261)
38. Jazz Ferguson, Northwestern State (Overall Rank: 263)
39. Bisi Johnson, Colorado State (Overall Rank: 277)
40. Tyre Brady, Marshall (Overall Rank: 281)
41. Jamal Custis, Syracuse (Overall Rank: 288)
42. Jaylen Smith, Louisville (Overall Rank: 297)
43. Ashton Dulin, Malone (Ohio) (Overall Rank: 303)
44. Johnnie Dixon, Ohio State (Overall Rank: 310)
45. Cody Thompson, Toledo (Overall Rank: 313)
46. Nyqwan Murray, Florida State (Overall Rank: 316)
47. Tyron Johnson, Oklahoma State (Overall Rank: 323)
48. Ryan Davis, Auburn (Overall Rank: 326)
49. Emmanuel Butler, Northern Arizona (Overall Rank: 332)
50. Jamarius Way, South Alabama (Overall Rank: 340)
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