5 Prospects to Round Out Broncos' Rebuilt WR Room

The Broncos are rebuilding their receiving room and still could use another piece or two.

Nov 11, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Ainias Smith (0) runs / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos have highly skilled players in their receiver room, such as Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, and the recently added Josh Reynolds. Tim Patrick adds a veteran presence and reliability to the room but is recovering from major injuries in back-to-back seasons. Brandon Johnson and Jalen Virgil add some upside to the room as developmental players, but you can never have too many options in this pass-happy league.

With the ever-changing landscape of the offensive game of NFL football, having as many playmakers at the receiver position as possible is becoming paramount for success. Teams must diversify their receiving skill sets, add explosive play potential, and have as many quality options as possible to challenge defenses in many ways. 

This year’s wide receiver class is stacked with talent, and several quality options outside the top five players at the position can come in and create an impact.

Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Ainias Smith (0) runs / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Ainias Smith | Texas A&M

Pros:

Smith is an explosive slot receiver with an insane burst coming off the line of scrimmage and out of his breaks as a route runner. He has an innate ability to get to top speed quickly, stack defenders to make them open their hips, and then snap off precise cuts to create gobs of separation. Speed and explosiveness shine on his tape, and he shows great hands when catching the football outside his frame. His ability to elude tacklers and create yards after the catch is fun to watch, and he offers some gadget versatility coming out of the backfield and from motion. 

Cons:

Smith is a diminutive player with a lack of length. Rounded breaks in his routes cause him to drift upfield, which causes timing and location issues for his quarterbacks. His catch radius is lacking due to his size, and he can get bullied by bigger defenders in press coverage and run-blocking situations. He shows fire as a blocker but is relatively ineffective outside of his initial pop-on contact.

My Grade: 4th Round

Erick Trickel's Big Board Position: No. 133

Nov 18, 2023; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Malik Washington (4) / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Washington | Virginia

Pros:

Washington is a highly productive slot receiver with ridiculously reliable hands. He focuses and sees the ball into his gloves, whether in open space or traffic, and he nearly always comes away with the football. Despite his smaller size, Washington shows a nice catch radius and good feet toward the sidelines, which translates to the NFL. There is a subtle smoothness to his route-running ability, and he is nearly impossible to take down after the catch when he has a head of steam. His vision to exploit open space and sit down over the middle of the field comes naturally, making him a nice threat as a possible chain mover at the next level.

Cons:

The Virginia offense didn’t necessarily help Washington show his route-running ability, as the majority of the time, he was tasked with quick screens, out routes, and quick-game passing looks. He is well built but smaller framed, and those size concerns show when he needs to separate from press coverage. Washington has long speed, but you don’t see that on tape throughout his route running, which causes some separation concerns out of breaks. 

My Grade: 4th Round

Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 111

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Oct 28, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Rice Owls wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (10) catches a touchdown / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Luke McCaffrey | Rice

Pros:

McCaffrey is a possession-style receiver with good size and smooth hands. Though relatively new to the position after transitioning from quarterback, McCaffrey has developed quickly and has a great resource to learn from in his NFL bloodlines. He has a nice frame and a thick upper body that he uses to his advantage, and he is scared of nothing when going over the middle of the field. Like his father, Ed, Luke shows great concentration and a “my ball” mentality when attacking the ball in the air, and he shows top-notch body control to make spectacular catches look easy.

Cons:

McCaffrey’s game is obviously raw, especially as a route runner. He needs to sharpen his angles out of his breaks to help create more separation, and his game lacks top-end speed. Most of the time, McCaffrey works at a single speed and doesn’t shift gears very often, and press coverage causes him issues working off the line of scrimmage. 

My Grade: 4th Round

Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 131

Nov 11, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Isaiah Williams (1) / Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah Williams | Illinois

Pros:

An electric playmaker out of the slot, Williams shows excellent burst and acceleration with the ball in his hands as a receiver or a high-quality punt returner. He finds subtle creases to exploit, gets skinny, and rips off long gains relatively easily. He was primarily used in the quick passing game and as a gadget-style screen receiver, but he can press vertically and take the top off the defense. Foot quickness and change of direction ability scream off the tape, and he has a great baseline in route running that should transition well to the next level.

Cons:

Williams struggles in contested catch situations with his small size and lacks an ideal catch radius. He struggles with catching footballs outside his frame and passes closer to his chest area to be reliable. Williams ran a 4.63 official 40-yard dash at the Combine despite his tape showing quality speed, which could lower his stock. Ball security issues are too often in muffed punts, fumbles, and dropped passes. 

My Grade: 5th round

Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 135

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Cornelius Johnson (6) runs the ball / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Cornelius Johnson | Michigan

Pros:

A prototypical possession receiver with a massive frame and good length, Johnson projects as a contested-catch monster with explosive athletic ability. He is a very physical football player, showing chippiness as a run blocker and violent hands to break away from press coverage. He uses his frame exceedingly well in contested catch situations, boxing out defenders easily and using his long arms to snatch the ball out of the air. Johnson’s size also makes him a quality catch-and-run threat, as he is very hard to bring down with the ball in his hands.

Cons:

Johnson shows some stiffness in his hips as a route runner, and despite his explosive athleticism, he struggles to create consistent separation. His routes round off more than snap at the top of the stem, and he needs to do a better job of getting his head turned around to find the football earlier in the rep. Some concentration drops on his tape are concerning and frustrating, and he needs to be in close quarters to feel confident when catching the football. 

My Grade: 5th Round

Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 142

With the questions surrounding Tim Patrick and his recovery from two major leg injuries over the past two seasons, Cornelius Johnson makes a ton of sense for the Broncos as a developmental possession receiver who can line up on the boundary or in the slot and have success. Though his concentration drops can be frustrating, Johnson has all of the traits that Sean Payton likes to have in his size, speed, and physicality as a blocker. If the Broncos choose to find a true slot receiver to challenge Mims, Smith and Washington will bring the vertical aspect to their game to match the speed of Mims and slide directly into that role.

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