Top 5 Wide Receivers Matthew Lewis Edition

With the 2022 NFL Draft just a few months away, it is time to take a look at the top prospects at different positions. In this report I am going to be talking about my top 5 wide receivers in this draft. Last year, my top 3 receivers were Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle and Kadarius Toney. I would like to see if I can have as accurate a ranking this year. Let’s take a look at some of the nation’s best playmakers.

 

1. Garrett Wilson – Ohio St.

Garrett Wilson has been my number one wide receiver since the end of last year’s season. Wilson has all of the tools you could possibly want from a rookie receiver. As I noted in my report on Wilson, he is a fantastic route runner. He has an amazing blend of speed and shiftiness which allows him to gain separation and make a play on the ball. Not only does he have all of the physical tools of a good route runner, he also does a fantastic job of finding holes in zone defense. Although I don’t think Wilson will be the first receiver off the board, I think he is the most talented. 

 

2. Chris Olave – Ohio St.

Chris Olave is one of the best all-around wide receivers I have ever seen. Although he is about the average size of a wide receiver in the NFL, he is incredible deep down the field. From what I have seen throughout his career at Ohio St. I think he has the potential of being one of the best deep threats in the NFL in a few years. He has fantastic body control and can easily make any bad throw hit him in stride.  

 

3. Jameson Williams – Alabama

Jameson Williams has been one of the biggest risers in my big board this season. This season, Williams proves that he has what it takes to be the number one option in the NFL. There are a lot of strengths that I could talk about, but I am going to keep it brief and talk about what separates him from the rest of the pack.

Williams has a fantastic blend of speed and shiftiness, when watching him run routes it reminds me of a mix of Jaylen Waddle and Jerry Jeudy. He has the speed of Waddle and the shiftiness of Jeudy. He does a fantastic job of getting the defender on their heels and then using his speed to gain separation. Also, Williams is fantastic once he gets the ball in his hands. His run after catch ability is elite, when he sees green grass in front of him, there is no stopping him. 

 

4. Treylon Burks – Arkansas

Burks had a very impressive season for Arkansas in 2021. The thing that separates him from the pack in this draft class is his physicality. Burks will be entering the draft at 6’3” and weighing in at around 225 lbs. His size is similar to a wide receiver who had a very good 2021 season, when healthy, and that player is A.J. Brown. With that being said, Burks is 2 inches taller than Brown, which will help him with contested catches. When Burks needs to make a play on the ball, he relies heavily on his strength to overpower the defenders. Now with this being said, a fellow analyst here at DraftDive mentioned in his report on Burks that he has incredible athleticism for his size.

 

5. Drake London – USC

I know what you are probably thinking, “London should be ranked higher than this”. Let me explain why he is ranked this low. Although London has a lot of the physical tools needed to make it in the NFL, he lacks some fundamentals. A fellow analyst here at DraftDive mentioned in his report on London that his route running isn’t good enough to go against a top corner in the NFL. The same analyst doesn’t even have him in his top 5 wide receivers. Although he has some improvements to make when it comes to his route running, I think he will still be effective deep down the field because he stands at 6’5”. With this being said, if that is all London has to offer to teams, the opposing defense will just drop back a safety to help cover London.