Top NFL Draft Wide Receiver Prospects

SI Staff | Mar 19, 2013

Top NFL Draft Wide Receiver Prospects /

Top NFL Draft Wide Receiver Prospects

Keenan Allen

Cal's quarterback issues limited Allen's ability to produce in 2012, but the talent is still there in the 6-foot, 2-inch receiver. Allen had 98 catches for 1,343 yards in 2011 but just 61 receptions and 737 receiving yards in 2012. He has solid hands, can out-jump defensive backs for lofted passes and is a solid route-runner.

Cordarrelle Patterson

The junior college transfer made a big impact in his only year of FBS football, catching 46 passes for 778 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 308 yards and three more scores. Patterson has the speed, height and jumping ability to be a major threat on vertical routes. He makes good cuts on his routes but is prone to making body catches and struggles with press coverage.

DeAndre Hopkins

Hopkins clicked with quarterback Tajh Boyd to the tune of 1,405 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2012. He excels at creating separation and has the hands to haul in difficult catches. Hopkins is also a capable blocker.

Tavon Austin

The speed is unquestionably there. Austin turned heads with his 4.34 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine (it was first listed unofficially as 4.25). The numbers are there, too. He caught 114 passes for 1,289 yards and 12 touchdowns, also rushing 72 times for 643 yards. What isn't there is height. Austin is just 5-8, which could limit his impact and force him into the slot.

Justin Hunter

Hunter helped his draft stock immensely by playing a full season in 2012 after appearing in a combined 12 games in 2010 and 2011. Of course it helped that he produced so well, too. Hunter's numbers exceeded even teammate Cordarrelle Patterson's as he caught 73 passes for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns. At 6-4 he has great height but needs to get stronger to help him get off the line and to improve his blocking.

Da'Rick Rogers

Rogers made 61 catches for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games playing against FCS-level competition last year. Dismissed from Tennessee before the season, Rogers opted for Tennessee Tech rather than having to sit out a year at another FBS school. NFL teams will have to determine Rogers' maturity and whether he is worth the risk.

Terrance Williams

The NCAA's leading receiver had a tremendous senior year, proving he didn't need Robert Griffin III to excel. Williams caught 97 passes for 1,832 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games. He is a quality blocker, but to succeed in the NFL he'll have to improve his route-running and his ability to get separation over the middle.

Robert Woods

Woods' role diminished in USC's passing attack after Marqise Lee established himself as the clear No. 1. After catching 111 passes for 1,292 yards as a sophomore, Woods fell to 74 catches for 849 yards in 2012 while playing through an ankle injury. Still Woods is an excellent route runner and not afraid to go over the the middle.

Stedman Bailey

Geno Smith's favorite target had a preposterously good season statistically. Bailey caught 114 passes for 1,622 yards and 25 touchdowns, seven more than any other receiver. As the numbers indicate, Bailey can certainly create separation and has solid hands. What he lacks is size, and although he's by no means slow, Bailey won't be a burner in the NFL.

Quinton Patton

The junior college transfer shined in his two seasons at Louisiana Tech, topping 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns in both seasons. Patton has impressive quickness and posted one of the fastest 20-yard shuttle times at the combine. The two-time first-team All-WAC receiver has great body control, especially near the sidelines, but sometimes struggles to complete catches when contested.

Markus Wheaton

Wheaton filled the lead role in Oregon State's 1-2 punch at wide receiver with Brandin Cooks, leading the Beavers with 91 catches for 1,244 yards and 11 touchdowns. His quickness is his top asset, as his fast times in the 20-yard and 60-yard shuttles indicate. That quickness helps him jump into his routes a step ahead of his defender.

Cobi Hamilton

As the rest of Arkansas regressed, Hamilton thrived in 2012. The senior receiver caught 90 passes for 1,335 yards in 2012, nearly 800 more yards than he had a year earlier when Jarius Wright stole the spotlight. He's capable of picking up yards after the catch, but Hamilton's biggest obstacle is securing the catch. He has been plagued at times by drops.

Kenny Stills

Stills lacks the eye-popping numbers of some of the other wide receivers, but he makes up for it with consistency. In three seasons at Oklahoma, Stills never had fewer than 786 receiving yards and five touchdowns. His 4.38 40-yard dash shows that Stills has the speed to pose problems in the NFL. Stills will have to overcome some off-field issues, including a 2011 DUI arrest.

Marquess Wilson

Unfortunately for Wilson, the top story regarding him as he enters the draft is his dramatic exit from the Washington State program. Wilson quit the team in November and alleged abuse by coach Mike Leach and his staff, though he later clarified that he didn't mean Leach's staff had physically abused Wilson or other players but that the players weren't treated right. Teams will have to sort through how they judge Wilson's actions and measure that against his quality play -- 189 catches for 3,207 yards and 23 touchdowns over three seasons, the last one shortened by him quitting.

Ace Sanders

Sanders lacks the wide receiver pedigree of the other players on this list but has the unique talent of a lethal punt returner. He averaged 15.3 yards per punt return last season, including two returns for touchdowns. As a receiver he caught 45 passes for 531 yards and nine scores. He'll likely make an immediate impact in the NFL as a returner with his elusiveness and quickness, but at 5-7 he's significantly undersized in the passing game.

Published Mar 19, 2013

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