2015 Shaping Up to Be the Year of the Freak Rookie Wide Receiver in the NFL

CHICAGO — Amari Cooper was expected to go in the top 10. The same with Kevin White. And we can’t forget about DeVante Parker. He's a player, too, at the wide receiver position.

But with wide receivers Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman and Phillip Dorsett also hearing their name called on Thursday night, the position has truly become a premium spot in the NFL. And this group is rare. I’m talking about the legit speed, ridiculous measurables and freakish skill sets that show up when you let the film roll.

They are impact players—Day 1 picks who will step onto the NFL stage and threaten opposing defenses with their abilities to stretch the secondary, make plays on contested throws and produce after the catch.

Cooper was the clear No. 1 in this group because of his development. A pure route-runner from a pro-style offense, Cooper also has the speed (4.4 range) to get on the cushion of a defensive back. He’s a technician of a receiver, built for the pro game, who will aid in the development of Derek Carr out in Oakland. As one scout told me at his pro day: “You could feel his speed on the field.”

White is the upside prospect. Size, speed, leaping ability. He has it all: 6’3” with a 40 time in the 4.3 range and the ability to climb the ladder. That sells. Just turn on the tape versus Alabama. Yeah, he can go get it. He's too fast and too talented for the Bears to pass on him at No. 7—a unique player that has a tremendously high ceiling.

Parker had to wait a bit until the Dolphins came on the clock at No. 14, but how about the group Miami now has with the Louisville product, Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry and veteran Greg Jennings? The table is set for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and Parker has that same type of rare ability that I see in White.

Agholor is going to put up numbers in Chip Kelly’s system. He is a smooth route-runner. Perriman is a true freak—given his size/speed combo—who will replace the departure of Torrey Smith in Baltimore. And Dorsett can flat-out fly. The former Miami wideout is lightning fast and a threat every time he touches the football. Just another weapon for Andrew Luck and the Colts.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

But it doesn’t stop after Thursday night. This is just the beginning with a class that is loaded and has much more to offer to teams looking to make a splash on Friday night in the second and third rounds.

The quarterback pipeline to the NFL is a concern, and I think this class reflects that, with a steep drop off after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. But at wide receiver, it’s just the opposite. These prospects, though still developing, are somewhat ahead of the curve. They have advanced skill sets on top of the testing numbers and size/speed measurables. I guess we could say they are pro-ready and comparable to the 2014 class that produced Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr. and more.

And what I continue to come back to here is the impact—the rookie production we should expect from this crop of first-rounders. No, they are not finished products. There is a sense of raw ability with some of these guys. But for a position I used to view as a tough transition to the pro game, the jump to the NFL is much smoother.

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

There is no question that these six wide receivers (and the many more who will come off the board tomorrow night) will experience some challenging days during camp and in the regular season—when a veteran defensive back stones them on the line of scrimmage or locks them down at the top of the route—but that’s where these rare skill sets can take over.

Whether that is pure speed, size at the point of attack or the athletic ability to find the ball, adjust and win on a 50/50 throw, these guys have the extra dimension that leads to production inside or outside of the numbers. Just get them the ball.

Learning how to beat press (consistently) or winning within the route is part of the development for any wide receiver when he gets to the NFL. But nothing replaces freakish ability that absolutely jumps off the tape. And these guys will bring that to the league in 2015.

Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.

Follow @MattBowen41