2024 NFL Draft: 5 WRs Who Impressed at the Combine and Could Fit With the Jaguars
The road to the 2024 NFL Draft is officially underway.
With the draft set to take place in 53 days, the NFL Scouting Combine is taking center stage as the draft starts to take shape.
So, which players have stood out the most during the athletic testing portion of the combine? We review below, next looking at the wide receivers.
Adonai Mitchell, Texas
While his college teammate stole the show with his 40-yard dash record, there is no question that Texas Longhorns wide receiver Adonai Mitchell strapped a rocket to his stock as well. After an extremely productive 2023 season, Mitchell proved he is maybe the best athlete at the position in this entire draft cycle.
Ultimately, Mitchell had the third-best 40-yard dash, eighth-best 10-yard split, eighth-best vertical, and the best broad jump of any receiver in this year's class. Mitchell is a likely first-round pick after this type of performance, making him a potential option for the Jaguars at No. 17.
Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
One of the most athletic wide receivers not just in this class but in recent years, Brian Thomas Jr. might not even make it to No. 17 overall at this point. Simply watching Thomas run his blazing 4.34 40-yard dash at 209 pounds was an adventure in itself. Thomas moves that well on tape, too.
Overall, Thomas posted the second-best 40 and the third-best 10-yard split of any wide receiver. Considering he is 6-foot-2 and nearly 210 pounds, he is one of the rarest height/weight/speed prospects in recent years. He should be the favorite to be the fourth wide receiver off the board.
Xavier Legette, South Carolina
If there was any scenario where Xavier Legette fell to No. 48 overall, the Jaguars would likely be wise to sprint to the podium. He is the rare sub-4.4 receiver who weighs over 220 pounds, putting him in a category essentially all by himself as an athlete. He is a fifth-year breakout player, but his athletic traits should make him a top-50 lock.
Overall, Legette tied for the sixth-fastest 40-yard dash and the sixth-best vertical jump, but he ran at a speed that many even sub-180 wide receivers don't reach. He posted Julio Jones/D.K. Metcalf-type numbers and that should bring attention to him from a host of teams, the Jaguars included.
Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Outside a handful of small areas, Florida Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall legitimately had one of the best combines of any receiver in this year's draft. He is a smaller-than-average wideout but put together impressive times and measurements across the board, raising his stock even more after a strong performance at the Reese's Senior Bowl.
Overall, Pearsall posted the third-best shuttle, the best three-cone, the eighth-best broad jump, the third-best vertical, and a solid 40-yard dash time. Pearsall is officially in the Day 2 range, now, and could even be drafted as early as the second round.
Johnny Wilson, FSU
One of the biggest surprises of the combine has to be the performance of FSU wide receiver Johnny Wilson. He came into the week as the "other" receiver from the Seminoles behind Keon Coleman, but he stole the show considering his rare blend of size, length (measured with the longest wingspan of any receiver in combine history), and movement skills.
While Wilson had one of the slowest 40s of the wide receiver group, the massive wideout looked smooth in the gauntlet drill and finished with the ninth-best broad jump and the fourth-best shuttle time, a staggering mark considering his size and frame.
