The Big Board
NOTE: This Board is best viewed on a desktop/tablet – if you’re on your phone, click the green plus sign to the left of the prospect’s name, you’ll reveal more information and a full profile. That plus sign will reveal their grade as well – keep in mind that their grade isn’t necessarily where they’ll be drafted, but where I believe their value lies.
| Ranking | Name | College | Height | Weight | Athletic Traits | Core Technique Traits | Added Extras | Biggest Concern | Summary | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | D.K. Metcalf | Ole Miss | 6'3 | 230 | Has the speed to stretch the field and flashes unusual quickness for his size. | Didn't run the biggest route tree and did have some drops, but consistently flashed advanced route running traits. | Adds value after the catch and in the air, but blocking needs work. | Is he going to turn route running flashes into consistent separations over a full route tree? | High ceiling outside receiver in need of development. | High 3rd Round |
| 3 | Diontae Johnson | Toledo | 5'10 | 181 | Shows elite quickness with good speed to stretch the field. | Ran a very limited route tree, but ran it well, also showed good hands. | Does offer value after the catch, but doesn't add anything in the air and his blocking needs work. | Is he going to be able to handle the physicality needed to play outside in the NFL? | Exciting talent, but may be limited to the slot in the NFL. | High 3rd Round |
| 4 | Emanuel Hall | Missouri | 6'2 | 195 | Has enough speed to get deep and good quickness. | Struggled at times against press and ran a limited route tree, but showed the ability to separate consistently. | Good after the catch but not much of a threat in the air. | Can he get off the line and into his routes consistently? | Reasonably polished outside receiver. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 5 | Deebo Samuel | South Carolina | 5'11 | 210 | Good quickness and enough deep speed to stretch the field. | Ran a limited route tree well, but wasn't often asked to beat press and it shows. | Offers value after the catch but isn't going to contribute in the air or as a blocker. | Is he going to be able to get off the line against press? | Well-rounded slot receiver with a chance of playing outside. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 6 | Darius Slayton | Auburn | 6'1 | 190 | Elite vertical speed, and the quickness to go with it. | Didn't show hugely well against press but flashed as a route runner over a limited route tree. | Good after the catch but doesn't add much in the air or as a blocker. | Can he develop into more than a vertical threat? | Deep threat who flashes enough to offer developmental value as well. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 7 | N'Keal Harry | Arizona State | 6'3 | 213 | Height-Weight-Speed prototype for the modern NFL receiver. | Flashes as a route runner and against press with good hands, but in need of significant development. | Offers value after the catch and in the air, but doesn't add much as a blocker. | Can he turn his athletic promise into actual NFL production? | Athletic phenom with flashes of technique, development needed. | Late 3rd Round |
| 8 | KeeSean Johnson | Fresno State | 6'1 | 199 | Decent vertical speed with good quickness. | Didn't run a full route tree, but impresses as a route runner with enough ability to beat press. and has good hands | Does offer some ability after the catch, but doesn't add anything in the air or as a blocker. | Can he show the same ability as a route runner over a full route tree? | Relatively polished outside receiver. | Late 3rd Round |
| 9 | Marquise Brown | Oklahoma | 5'10 | 168 | Good vertical speed with corresponding quickness. | Good hands, but wasn't asked to beat press and route running isn't where it should be. | Good after the catch but doesn't offer anything as a blocker or in the air. | Can he develop into the route runner his athleticism says he should be? | Vertical threat, but probably not much more right now. | Late 3rd Round |
| 10 | Jaylen Smith | Louisville | 6'3 | 220 | Good vertical speed and with surprising quickness for a player of his size. | Flashes as a route runner over a limited route tree with good hands, but struggled against press. | Offers value both in the air and after the catch, but not as a blocker. | Can he get off the line consistently enough to play outside? | Athletic talent with route running ability, but might be slot limited. | High 4th Round |
| 11 | Kelvin Harmon | NC State | 6'2 | 214 | Decent deep speed and quickness. | Solid running a limited route tree with good hands, but had some struggles against press. | Solid blocker with value in the air, but doesn't do much after the catch. | Can he continue to develop technically to match his potential? | Fairly well rounded receiver, but in need of some development. | High 4th Round |
| 12 | A.J. Brown | Ole Miss | 6'1 | 230 | Good vertical speed and decent quickness. | Good hands, but needs development as a route runner as well as against press. | Good after the catch but doesn't offer much in the air or as a blocker. | Can he develop as a route runner to allow him to separate consistently underneath? | Good athlete but technically raw. | High 4th Round |
| 13 | Keelan Doss | UC Davis | 6'2 | 209 | Decent vertical speed with good quickness. | Flashes as a route runner against against press with good hands, albeit against lower level of competition. | Offers value in the air but doesn't do much after the catch and needs work as a blocker. | Will he be able to produce at a higher level where his athletic advantage will be smaller? | High ceiling small school prospect. | High 4th Round |
| 14 | Preston Williams | Colorado State | 6'3 | 210 | Decent deep speed with good quickness. | Limited route tree but ran it well with good hands, though had some issues against press. | Doesn't offer much after the catch, in the air or as a blocker. | Is he going to be able to get off the line consistently as an outside receiver? | Fairly well rounded receiver who might get stuck inside if he can't get better against press. | Mid 4th Round |
| 15 | Jakobi Meyers | NC State | 6'1 | 203 | Shows good quickness, but doesn't have the vertical speed to get deep consistently. | Didn't do much against press but ran a reasonably limited route tree well with excellent hands. | Offer value in the air and as a blocker but doesn't do much after the catch. | Is his lack of speed going to make it hard for him to separate against NFL corners? | Athletic limitations, but does what he does well. | Mid 4th Round |
| 16 | Hunter Renfrow | Clemson | 5'10 | 185 | Good quickness but doesn't have the size or deep speed to play outside. | Shows high level traits as a route runner over a fairly wide range of routes with excellent hands, but is inexperienced against press for the most part. | Offers value after the catch and is technically sound as a blocker, but doesn't offer anything in the air. | How much can he offer as a slot-only guy? | Polished slot possession receiver. | Mid 4th Round |
| 17 | Andy Isabella | UMass | 5'10 | 190 | Excellent vertical speed with good quickness. | Shows generally good hands but wasn't really asked to play against press and needs development as a route runner. | Pretty good after the catch and ok as a blocker but doesn't offer anything in the air. | Can he learn to use his speed as a route runner? | He gets deep quickly and can make plays ball-in-hand, but need to take the next step as a route runner to be more than a deep guy. | Mid 4th Round |
| 18 | J.J. Arcega-Whiteside | Stanford | 6'2 | 225 | Solid deep speed and quickness. | Flashed as a route runner over a very limited route tree for the most part, and had some issues against press but has very good hands. | Really good in the air, but doesn't offer much after the catch and needs technique work as a blocker. | Can he be more consistent as a route runner and over a larger range of routes? | Immediate redzone value, but what he can do beyond that is still to be seen. | Mid 4th Round |
| 19 | Parris Campbell | Ohio State | 6'0 | 208 | Good deep speed and quickness. | Solid hands, and flashes at times as a route runner over a limited route tree but yet to show an ability to release against press. | Offers value after the catch but doesn't do much as a blocker or in the air. | Can he put his athleticism to use as a route runner? | Good athlete, but very reliant on that to separate. | Mid 4th Round |
| 20 | Penny Hart | Georgia State | 5'8 | 180 | Pretty good deep speed with nice quickness. | Wasn't really asked to play against press but flashes as a route runner with nice hands. | Offers some value after the catch but doesn't stand out as a blocker and lacks value in the air. | Can he turn the flashes of route running into consistent separation? | Promising small school slot receiver in need of some development. | Late 4th Round |
| 21 | David Sills | West Virginia | 6'3 | 210 | Decent deep speed with surprising quickness for his size. | Flashed as a route runner over a limited route tree with solid hands, but didn't show much against press. | Offer some value after the catch but limited ability in the air or as a blocker. | How much is his route running going to improve going forwards? | Decent athlete with solid core traits but uncertain upside. | Late 4th Round |
| 22 | Miles Boykin | Notre Dame | 6'3 | 228 | Solid quickness but doesn't have great deep speed. | Solid hands with occasional flashes as a route runner but struggled against press. | Doesn't do much after the catch but has value in the air and as a blocker. | How likely is it that he develops into anything more than a rotation piece? | Has desirable traits but significant development needed. | High 5th Round |
| 23 | Jalen Hurd | Baylor | 6'3 | 217 | Good quickness and decent vertical speed. | Flashes over a very limited route tree with solid hands but inexperienced against press. RB convert. | Good ability as a runner and some value in the air but doesn't do much as a blocker. | Is the move to receiver going to pay off down the line? | All his value is potential, but the ceiling isn't negligible. | High 5th Round |
| 24 | Tyron Johnson | Oklahoma State | 6'0 | 193 | Decent deep speed and quickness. | Flashes as a route runner over a limited route tree with solid hands, but doesn't show much against press. | Some ability after the catch but doesn't do much in the air or as a blocker. | Can his technique develop to match his athleticism? | Long term development project. | Mid 5th Round |
| 25 | Hakeem Butler | Iowa State | 6'5 | 225 | Decent vertical speed but quickness is unremarkable. | Solid hands and flashes of route running over a limited route tree, but struggles against press. | Some ability after the catch and in the air but doesn't show much as a blocker. | Is he going to develop into a good route runner with time or his quickness going to get in the way? | Uncertain ceiling, but speed/size combo is intriguing. | Mid 5th Round |
| 26 | Stanley Morgan | Nebraska | 6'1 | 200 | Decent deep speed and quickness. | Flashes of route running with solid hands but unremarkable against press. | Good blocker, but doesn't do much in the air or after the catch. | Is he going to develop into more than a rotation player with time? | Can contribute early, but ceiling likely isn't hugely high. | Mid 5th Round |
| 27 | Riley Ridley | Georgia | 6'1 | 200 | Decent deep speed and quickness | Good hands and some flashes of route running, but struggles against press | Doesn't add much in the air, after the catch or as a blocker | Can he separate consistently as a route runner? | Does some nice things, but hard to see him being anything more than another guy without significant development. | Late 5th Round |
| 28 | Jamarius Way | South Alabama | 6'3 | 212 | Decent deep speed with unremarkable quickness. | Good hands but needs development as a route runner and against press. | Good in the air and solid blocker but doesn't add much after the catch. | Is his route running going to improve? | Long term development project. | Late 5th Round |
| 29 | Terry Godwin | Georgia | 5'11 | 185 | Decent deep speed and quickness. | Decent hands but struggled against press and didn't show much ability as a route runner either. | Decent blocker but doesn't add much in the air or after the catch. | How likely that he continues to develop beyond where he is already? | Likely slot-limited with ok traits but questionable upside. | High 6th Round |
| 30 | Greg Dortch | Wake Forest | 5'9 | 170 | Decent deep speed with good quickness. | Struggled with drops at times, but flashes against press and as a route runner, albeit over a limited route tree. | Ok blocker but doesn't show much value after the catch or in the air. | Can he turn occasional flashes into consistent production? | High ceiling/low floor slot receiver. | High 6th Round |
| 31 | Damarkus Lodge | Ole Miss | 6'1 | 204 | Decent deep speed with solid quickness. | Gets off the line ok, but doesn't do much as a route runner and struggled with drops. | Some ability in the air but didn't do much after the catch or as a blocker. | Is the upside ever going to be matched by the production? | Decent athletic traits but several concerns on tape. | Mid 6th Round |
| 32 | Tyre Brady | Marshall | 6'2 | 206 | Decent deep speed and quickness. | Solid hands and gets off the line ok, but in need of significant development as a route runner. | Adds value after the catch but not in the air or as a blocker. | Is his route running fixable? | Long shot development project. | Mid 6th Round |
| 33 | Antoine Wesley | Texas Tech | 6'4 | 200 | Decent deep speed with ok quickness. | Decent hands and flashes against press but is limited as a route runner. | Doesn't add value in the air, after the catch or as a blocker. | Is his route running going to improve? | Long shot development project. | Mid 6th Round |
| 34 | Mecole Hardman | Georgia | 5'10 | 183 | Decent deep speed with ok quickness. | Decent hands but doesn't show much against press and struggles as a route runner. | Adds value after the catch but doesn't do anything in the air or as a blocker. | Is the upside going to be worth the developmental investment? | Has some value, but probably only as depth. | Late 6th Round |
| 35 | Terry McLaurin | Ohio State | 6'0 | 205 | Decent deep speed with unremarkable quickness. | Decent hands but doesn't do much as a route runner or against press. | Adds some value after the catch but doesn't offer much in the air or after the catch. | Is he going to offer much development value? | Depth piece with some developmental value. | Late 6th Round |
| 36 | JonVea Johnson | Toledo | 6'0 | 188 | Decent deep speed with unremarkable quickness. | Decent hands but doesn't do much against press or as a route runner. | Offers some value after the catch but not in the air or as a blocker. | Is development at all likely? | Depth piece. | Late 6th Round |
| 37 | Johnnie Dixon | Ohio State | 5'11 | 195 | Unremarkable deep speed and quickness. | Does flash occasionally as a route runner but doesn't do anything against press and has had some issues with drops. | Decent blocker, but doesn't do much in the air or after the catch. | Can he find a way to get open? | Significant long shot. | Mid 7th Round |
| 38 | Gary Jennings | West Virginia | 6'1 | 215 | Decent deep speed but unremarkable quickness. | Solid hands but doesn't do anything as a route runner or against press. | Doesn't add anything after the catch, in the air or as a blocker. | Is there something he hasn't shown thus far. | Significant long shot. | Late 7th Round |
| 39 | James Gardner | Miami (OH) | 6'4 | 216 | Limited athlete. | Decent hands but lacks route running value or ability against press. | Some ability in the air but doesn't do anything after the catch and struggles as a blocker. | Is there value for a player who can't get open but can jump? | Redzone specialist with very limited upside. | Undrafted |
| 40 | Lil'Jordan Humphrey | Texas | 6'4 | 225 | Limited athlete. | Decent hands but struggles as a route runner and against press. | Solid blocker with some ability in the air but doesn't offer anything after the catch. | Can he find a way to use his size to create value? | Long shot. | Undrafted |
| 41 | Tony Pollard | Memphis | 5'11 | 208 | Ok deep speed with decent quickness. | Decent hands but as a RB convert needs to develop as a a route runner and against press. | Offers value with ball in hand but doesn't add anything in the air or after the catch. | Can he be the undersized small-school running back to make it work as a receiver in the NFL? | Huge long shot but with some value if it works out. | Undrafted |
| 42 | Deondre Douglas | Troy | 6'1 | 197 | Limited athlete. | Decent hands but doesn't add anything as a route runner or against press. | Decent blocker but doesn't add anything in the air or after the catch. | Can he get open at all at the NFL level? | Significant long shot. | Undrafted |
| 43 | Cody Thompson | Toledo | 6'2 | 205 | Unremarkable athlete. | Decent athlete but doesn't show much as a route runner or against press. | Decent blocker but doesn't do much in the air or after the catch. | Can he develop as a route runner in an actual passing offense? | Significant long shot. | Undrafted |
| 44 | Travis Fulgham | Old Dominion | 6'2 | 215 | Limited hands | He can catch, but is otherwise technically very raw. | Doesn't offer much in terms of blocking, run-after-catch or as a threat in the air. | Was his small school background hiding his value? | Significant long shot. | Undrafted |
As can be seen with a glance, the 2019 receiver class is not hugely strong, with no player graded higher than the late second round – although there is much more depth in terms of third and fourth round graded prospects. This does not mean, however, that there aren’t players who are capable of making an immediate impact or that there aren’t players with the potential to develop into stars, but rather that there are very few, if any, players who fall into both categories – it also doesn’t mean that you won’t see multiple wide receivers go before the end of the second round.
For me, Buffalo’s Anthony Johnson is the top receiver in the class, as while he is unlikely to ever develop into a huge star, he is likely the only receiver in the class with a high chance of being an immediate impact player as a starting outside receiver. He isn’t the fastest receiver, but he gets off the line well, runs nice routes, has really good hands and offers some value after the catch and even in the air. His stock has dropped league-wide since the summer despite a 1,000 yard, 11 TD season, but he is still likely to be gone before the Panthers start looking for a receiver.
There is then a reasonable grouping of receivers with the potential to develop into valuable pieces in the NFL – they’ll need to show that they can develop further in a variety of ways, the highlight of the bunch is DK Metcalf, for whom the issue is as much about consistent production as anything. One of my most exciting receivers in the draft, however, is Diontae Johnson from Toledo who flashes exceptional quickness as well as speed and used that to good effect as a route runner – if he can match that foot speed with hand speed against press on a more consistent basis, he has a chance to be a special player at the NFL level – we’ll be going more in depth on Johnson a little later in the week.
The other player who has a reasonable chance of developing in time to make a significant contribution as a rookie is Darius Slayton, with most of the concerns with his game being skills he just wasn’t asked to display at Auburn, but if he can be effective over a wider range of routes and show an ability to get off the line against press then he could be a major part of a passing attack going forwards.
The group where I possibly have the biggest disagreement with most draft boards is over guys with Marquise Brown, AJ Brown, N’Keal Harry, Kelvin Harmon and Parris Campbell. All of these players have athletic talent, there is no doubt about that, but their ability to contribute immediately is probably limited due to technical deficiencies, and history has shown that good athletes quite often never become great route runners. Some, like Mike Williams with the Chargers, develop enough to offer value, but he is still struggling to produce at a level to merit his draft status.
Guys like Campbell and Brown probably have a chance to make a more immediate impact as they can be used as pure speed receivers, and while that does have value, their lack of outside potential does mean that that also comes with a slightly decreased ceiling. One player who seems to be being omitted from the group of developmental big-bodied outside receivers, however, is Louisville’s Jaylen Smith, and while he struggled as part of Louisville’s collapse in 2018, he showed the same traits that made him a major piece for Lamar Jackson in 2017.
There are other players with potential, and the likes of JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Deebo Samuel, D.K Metcalf and David Sills will likely be drafted higher based on what they can become rather than what they can offer Week 1. Arcega-Whiteside in particular is an interesting option, as he does do some things well but wasn’t exactly pushed as a route runner at Stanford; he will probably generate most of his short-term value in the red zone.
While there isn’t time nor space here to go into every prospect in detail, we will try and be more in-depth on the podcast, but if you have any particular questions – or gripes, as I’m sure there will be – about prospects, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via Twitter – with the same being true if there is somebody you think I should have looked at but who isn’t covered here.
We will have profiles on a number of players who might make sense for the Panthers in terms of draft range and fit with the receivers already on the roster coming out later in the week, but for now, enjoy/become angry with the big board. I look forward to hearing from you!
