2014 NFL Draft: Updated Wide Receiver Draft Rankings with Grades

The NFL can’t decide if it wants to become a passing league or not. The rules appear to be skewed toward the passing game, with more and more protections for wide receivers and quarterbacks.

Teams have come to realize that it isn’t enough to just have two wide receivers they can trot out and run 21-personnel anymore. The role of a player like the slot receiver has escalated well beyond the stereotype that so many have become accustomed to. 

Butch Dill/Associated Press

What all this means for the 2014 NFL draft is this talented group of pass-catchers is going to be in great demand. And thankfully, this group dishes out variety like a 20-page Cheesecake Factory menu.

However, all that diversity has its problems. It makes ranking them subjectively a legitimate challenge. NFL teams all have their own personal big boards that contain their top prospects based on a mix of talent and system fit. These rankings look more at raw talent and NFL potential.

Obviously some teams will favor different styles of receiver. Perhaps a big, tall target who can work in traffic would be a better fit. Or maybe your team needs a deep threat with long speed to get behind the secondary.

When scouting wide receivers, regardless of anything else, there are a couple of things every wide receiver needs to do well.

Crisp Routes

Few things will keep a young wideout off the field more than lazy route running. Whether it is driving on a cornerback or simply sticking your foot in the dirt to make a cut, everything must be done with precision.

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Active Hands

Being able to catch the football is fantastic, but having active hands is a huge plus. This means the wideout goes out and gets the football, rather than letting it come to him. So many catches in the NFL are contested, having passive hands means that you will be allowing too many defensive backs get into you before you secure the catch.

Toughness

So much is made about being able to get separation from defensive backs, but the reality is that is an ideal, but not the norm. Most catches, especially downfield catches, are made while being contested.

Given the choice, having a wideout who can fight for the football and win is much more useful in the league over the guy who can get behind defensive backs on occasion.

The star of this class is Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Going back over the film, there is really very little Watkins cannot do on the field. The Clemson offense ran Watkins all over the field on routes, from quick throws to the outside, inside crossing routes and even to elusive go routes.

After the catch, Watkins displays impressive speed and tremendous power. In many cases, Watkins would rather deliver a blow than try to avoid it, which could be viewed as a negative. His lateral agility is less than some other wide receivers in this group, but his game compares favorably to that of a bigger, stronger Antonio Brown.

If your favorite team opts to wait until the middle rounds to find their wide receiver, there are lots of options available as well. Oregon wide receiver Josh Huff is a real sleeper pick who isn’t getting nearly enough national attention.

Huff is a contrast to Watkins in that quickness and agility are the hallmarks of his game. Huff struggles with physical play, instead opting to beat the defender off the line with quickness and running crisp, sharp routes. Huff’s route tree was far from complex at Oregon, but the fact that he executed well shows he can grow and expand that part of his game.

Huff is a little bit of a multi-tool in the NFL. Some teams could view him as a slot receiver who can work on the interiors of zone defenses. Others may want to line him up outside and work on larger, slower cornerbacks. Huff has also displayed an affinity as a return man and can even operate out of the backfield.

However, let’s say that your favorite team wants to dig a little deeper and take a shot on a player even later in the draft. This group will still have you covered.

Sometimes a player is a victim of their surrounding case. For UCLA wide receiver Shaquelle Evans, that is almost certainly the case. The Bruins had problems all along the offensive line, inconsistent quarterback play and a run-heavy style that left Evans in the lurch.

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140 characters is not enough to describe this catch by UCLA's Shaq Evans. Just know it's #SCtop10 and watch » http://t.co/jNm0Y7SsxN

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 13, 2013"

However, if you watch him closely, what you see is a very intriguing mix of size and speed. At 6’1”, 211 pounds, Evans has the physical stature that screams NFL wide receiver. However, he doesn’t always play with the strength you would expect and gets very much caught up in the wash.

Any team that drafts Evans needs to understand that when he is on, he’s great. He’ll get open, display excellent body control and catch everything that comes his way. However, when he’s off, there is no telling where his shortcomings will show up.

Some plays he does a great job getting open and then dropping an easy catch. The next play he runs a sloppy route and can’t get open at all. Scouts talk about ceiling with prospects, and with Evans, there is little doubt it is high. Proper coaching and a commitment to improve by him will help with that a great deal.

Here’s a breakdown of the top wide receivers in the upcoming NFL draft. This list is fluid and could change depending on what happens with the scouting combine. Also, it is important to keep in mind that this list is based on success in the NFL, measured by talent, not a prediction of the selection order of these players.

Rank	Name	School	Height	Weight	Grade
1	Sammy Watkins	Clemson	6'1"	205lbs	1st
2	Marqise Lee	USC	6'0"	195lbs	1st
3	Jordan Matthews	Vanderbilt	6'3"	205lbs	1st
4	Mike Evans	Texas A&M	6'5"	225lbs	1st
5	Kelvin Benjamin	FSU	6'5"	235lbs	1st
6	Odell Beckham Jr.	LSU	5'11"	193lbs	1st
7	Jarvis Landry	LSU	6'0"	195lbs	1st
8	Allen Robinson	Penn State	6'3"	210lbs	2nd
9	Davante Adams	Fresno State	6'2"	216lbs	2nd
10	Brandin Cooks	Oregon State	5'10"	186lbs	2nd
11	Shaquelle Evans	UCLA	6'1"	211lbs	3rd
12	Josh Huff	Oregon	5'11"	211lbs	3rd
13	Paul Richardson	Colorado	6'1"	172lbs	3rd
14	Robert Herron	Wyoming	5'9"	193lbs	3rd
15	Martavis Bryant	Clemson	6'4"	200lbs	4th
16	Jared Abbrederis	Wisconsin	6'1"	189lbs	4th
17	Donte Moncrief	Ole Miss	6'2"	226lbs	4th
18	Brandon Coleman	Rutgers	6'5"	220lbs	5th
19	Jalen Saunders	Oklahoma	5'9"	164lbs	5th
20	Ryan Grant	Tulane	6'0"	197lbs	5th
21	Mike Davis	Texas	6'0"	193lbs	5th
22	Devin Street	Pittsburgh	6'3"	195lbs	6th
23	Kain Colter	Northwestern	5'11"	195lbs	6th
24	Bruce Ellington	South Carolina	5'9"	196lbs	6th
25	Cody Hoffman	BYU	6'4"	218lbs	6th
26	Kevin Norwood	Alabama	6'2"	197lbs	6th
27	Matt Hazel	Coastal Carolina	6'1"	196bs	7th
28	Michael Campanaro	Wake Forest	5'10"	191lbs	7th
29	Dri Archer	Kent State	5'8"	175lbs	7th
30	Marcus Lucas	Missouri	6'4"	220lbs	7th