Unlike rookie running backs, rookie wide receivers often break through to become impact players in their first year in the league. There were 20 RBs selected in this year’s NFL draft and none of them are listed as their team’s RB1. There were 30 WRs taken in the draft, and 10 of them are currently listed as starters. Granted, there are two or three WRs on the field at all times, compared to only one or two RBs, but there is no doubt that receivers are more valuable than running backs.
Of the ten starting rookie WRs, I’m going to talk about seven of them. For the sake of discussion, I can’t extend energy writing about, highlighting, or recommending Xavier Legette, Ja’Lynn Polk, or Jalen McMillan.
Legette and Polk are in God-awful offenses without a proven QB to get them the ball. Legette is in Carolina’s anemic offense, and Polk will be getting the ball from Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye. Neither are fantastic options in New England. In fact, Carolina and New England tied for fewest points last season. McMillon finds himself in a better offense in Tampa Bay, with Baker Mayfield getting him the ball, but Mayfield has many viable options to get the ball before he looks McMillon’s way.
Aside from the seven starters, I’m going to discuss three WRs who are currently outside their team’s starting depth chart, who could work their way into a starting job or at least put up solid numbers off the bench. And if you are in a dynasty league, you should absolutely take a peek at these guys.
The clear no.1 WR in this rookie class is Marvin Harrison Jr., but if you read any of my stuff, you know I tend to be a contrarian. It’s no fun touting Harrison Jr. to be the best rookie receiver this year, so I am going to look elsewhere. Of the other six starters, there are at least four who could end the year with more gaudy numbers than Harrison Jr.
I’m going to list them here, according to how I see the season shaking out:
Projecting Worthy to be the top rookie receiver this season is based on a few factors. First, he has All-World QB Patrick Mahomes getting him the ball. Second, he has HC Andy Reid leading the team and being heavily involved in offensive game plans. And third, the team is stacked; defenses have to pay attention to the likes of Travis Kelce, Isaiah Pacheco, and Rashee Rice. Not that Worthy will slide under the radar of any defenses, but they can cover only so many players…and Worthy will be the beneficiary.
Thomas finds himself in a similar situation to Worthy. He doesn’t have Mahomes throwing him the ball, but he has a dynamic young QB in Trevor Lawrence. He doesn’t have Andy Reid, but he has a disciple of Reid, who is in HC Doug Pederson. Pederson was on the same coaching staff and is 100% part of Reid’s coaching tree. And the team has put together a sneaky, deep offense. The other two receivers are Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk. Their TE may not be Kelce, but Even Engram is a dynamic TE in his own right. And their RB Travis Etienne is every bit as solid as Pacheco. That plethora of weapons around Thomas will help him carve out a niche with Lawrence.
Nabers comes in with almost as much hype around him as Harrison. He is clearly starting and listed as the teams WR1 in just about every list out there. His only real competition is with Jalin Hyatt. The team doesn’t have a top-tier TE, and RB Saquon Barkley is gone. He only has QB Daniel Jones getting him the ball. All of these factors will work against him, but he does have one of the best offensive-minded coaches in the league, HC Brian Daboll. Daboll is the main reason I have Nabers hers at no.3 and Harrison at no.4. I just have more faith in the Giants offense to be productive than the Cardinals…and don’t get me wrong, the Giants aren’t exactly the greatest show on turf. That tells you what I think about the Cardinals this season.
Of these seven young men, if you ask me which one has the best chance to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I’ll tell you it’s Harrison. But that isn’t the question. The question is, who will have the best upcoming season? I just don’t think it’s going to be Harrison Jr. To begin with, the team isn’t that great, and they play in the tough NFC West. They were one of the worst teams in the league at 4-13 last season, with the other three teams all over .500. QB Kyler Murray is back healthy, but I just don’t trust him. He isn’t accurate enough to consistently get Harrison Jr the ball, and he could put him in positions where the rookie hurts himself. The good news for Harrison is that the team doesn’t have many other options, with only TE Trey McBride as a viable passing option for Murray.
Odunze has the talent and explosivity to be the no.1 receiver on this list at the end of the year, but there are two things working against him. First, he has fellow rookie Caleb Williams getting him the ball. Second, Williams actually has plenty of options surrounding him. He also has DJ Moore and Keenan Allen at WR, to go along with Cole Kmet at TE and D’Andre Swift at RB. The veteran WRs are more likely to run tighter routes for Williams, and young QBs have a hard time going through multiple progressions. Unless Odunze is the first or second option, he most likely won’t get as many targets as his counterparts.
Coleman is the most intriguing WR to come out of the draft, mainly because of the team he landed with. With Stefon Diggs gone, Coleman is considered the team’s WR1. For a team with Superbowl aspirations, it’s difficult to have a rookie lead the receiving core. QB Josh Allen has proven in the past that it’s often “The Allen Show” when it comes to the offense, but that can only take a team so far, as we’ve all seen for a few years now. With two top TEs, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, to go along with top 15 RB James Cook and fellow WRs Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir for Allen to choose from, Coleman’s production stands to be limited in his rookie season.
McConkey is only on this list for two reasons. He has Justin Herbert getting him the ball, and due to the purge in Los Angeles, with Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, and Austin Ekeler all gone, Herbert has to give the ball to someone. The change in offensive philosophy with first-year HC Jim Harbaugh is also concerning. The team brought on two solid RBs, JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, both from Baltimore. It is obvious Harbaugh wants to reduce some of the workload from Herbert by creating more of a ball-controlled offense. This will affect the passing game across the board, but especially for a rookie WR.
The three non-starting WRs that need to be discussed are Ricky Pearsall, Troy Franklin, and Roman Wilson. Although none of them are listed as starters, by the end of the season, they may all have productive stats to help your team. And they certainly should be considered if you are in a dynasty league.
Although Pearsall isn’t starting, the offense is one of the most dynamic and creative in the league under HC Kyle Shanahan. Pearsall is similar to Christian McAffrey in his running style, even though they play different positions. He is more of a play with an eye on the future, but he will produce some this season, and if Brandon Aiuyk gets traded, Pearsall’s production will go through the roof, and he’ll slide into that top seven.
I always love a QB/WR combo from the same team entering the league together. Although they didn’t come out in the same season, Joe Burrow and ja’Marr Chase, each coming from LSU and playing with the Bengals, is one of the most exciting combos in the league. The Bo Nix to Troy Franklin connection won’t be quite as dynamic right out of the gate. But over the span of a few years, Franklin could develop into a consistent 80-100 pass catcher.
Wilson is a flyer on this list of WRs. He doesn’t have very good QBs getting him the ball, whether it’s Justin Fields or Russell Wilson on the back nine of his career. There is one reason, and only one reason, for Wilson being on this list. The Steelers have become WR U, with the U standing for University. For decades, the Steelers were known as a blue-collar team in a blue-collar city. They were ground and pound, but for the better part of nearly two decades with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, the team just churned out receiver after receiver after receiver. In his senior year at Michigan, he caught 12 TD passes, and over his entire career, he averaged 16 yards per catch.
