Though Not as Strong as Last Year, 2015 WR Class Is Deep with Star Potential

The 2014 rookie wide receiver class was unprecedented. This group accomplished things unheard of in the NFL. As the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine takes place and the draft approaches, there is a similar level of optimism about the upcoming crop of wide receivers. While there is little doubt that the 2015 group is strong, it is difficult to imagine this group matching last season’s class.

Before we delve into the 2015 class and how it compares to the 2014 group, let’s take a look back at the historic season last year’s wide receivers enjoyed:

Eight rookie wide receivers caught at least 50 passes in 2014, with the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr., who tallied a staggering 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the way. Even more impressively, Beckham didn’t get on the field until the fifth game of the season and didn’t start until the following weekend, meaning he led all rookie wideouts despite just playing 12 games.

Beckham's former LSU teammate, Jarvis Landry, hauled in 84 catches of his own for 758 yards and five touchdowns for the Miami Dolphins. This was a young man who wasn’t even selected until the end of the second round.

Overall, 12 rookie wide receivers including Beckham and Landry had significant impacts in 2014. Here are the numbers for the other 10 rookie receivers who broke out in a big way:

• Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers—73 receptions, 1,008 yards, nine touchdowns 
• Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers—68 receptions, 1,051 yards, 12 touchdowns 
• Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles—67 receptions, 872 yards, eight touchdowns
• Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills—65 catches, 982 yards, six touchdowns
• Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints—53 receptions, 550 yards, three touchdowns
• Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars—51 receptions, 677 yards, six touchdowns
• John Brown, Arizona Cardinals—48 receptions, 696 yards, five touchdowns
• Taylor Gabriel, Cleveland Browns—36 receptions, 621 yards, one touchdown
• Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers—26 receptions, 549 yards, eight touchdowns

This doesn’t even include guys like Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers or Donte Moncrief of the Indianapolis Colts who just started to come on late in the season. Both look ready to take that next step.

Can the 2015 class hope to match the 12 stud receivers 2014 produced? The short answer is no, but it’s more complicated than that. In 2014, rookies slid into their respective teams' starting lineups and served as the top wide receiver on those rosters week after week. Conversely, the 2015 class appears to contain players who can come in and contribute immediately but not be the star of the show.

Nevertheless, the top eight wide receivers in the 2015 draft have striking similarities to the top of the 2014 group. It’s important to recognize that landing in near-ideal situations was vital to these players' success. Does Beckham Jr. have the season he did if he wound up in the position Cody Latimer did on a talented Denver Broncos team?

But enough about last year’s group—let’s look to the guys teams are going to gamble on this season.

Three players dominate the top of this wide receiver class. Much like last year, when Watkins, Evans and Beckham Jr. were the three names everyone was talking about, this group’s trio is incredibly talented.

Alabama’s Amari Cooper has been considered an elite wide receiver in this class since the start of the season. In a review of Cooper’s film, his polish and overall set of skills is phenomenal. Cooper has active hands, runs crisp routes and can beat the jam at the line of scrimmage.

So why is he potentially going to end up being the second wide receiver off the board? Ultimately, NFL teams want splash plays. Even on deep plays where Cooper got behind the secondary, he didn’t show the speed to turn a long catch into a long touchdown catch. Nevertheless, on the right team, Cooper could catch 70 or more passes as a rookie.

The hot name for that top spot right now is West Virginia’s Kevin White. However, when comparing he and Cooper (and the next player), it’s really apples to oranges (and bananas). Whereas Cooper wins with crisp routes and short-area quickness, White opts to use power.

White's game is suited for the league in that he doesn’t need a lot of room to operate. He doesn’t have great speed but is deft at changing directions and can create small gaps with those quick cuts. Even when that gap isn’t there, he will go up and get the football.

The final name in that top tier is Louisville’s DeVante Parker. Parker’s game is a mix of both Cooper and White. Physically, they are all practically clones, possessing long athletic frames. Parker has strong active hands like Cooper but runs routes with a physical style like White's. His long speed is comparable to both, and like Cooper, Parker is going to need to get better beating press coverage in the NFL.

However, Parker had to be the center of the Louisville attack every week. Cooper, on the other hand, could feast on defenses stacked against the run, and White was productive in a potent West Virginia offense. This bodes well for Parker's ability to be productive in a pro system with talent around him.

Moving past those three, three other guys could find themselves in the first round and be productive rookies.

Jaelen Strong, Arizona State

Strong has no flaws to his game. The Arizona State product is another big, strong wide receiver with a physical nature to his play. He is a notch below the top prospects in this scenario due to some sloppy routes and lapses in concentration.

However, in the right system, Strong would excel. Get him the football in the short field and let his physical play get him to the next level. At that point, Strong, with his long strides, can pick up speed and hurt defenses.

Sammie Coates, Auburn

If there is a real speed threat among these first-round wideouts, it is Coates. For being 6’1” and 212 pounds, he can take the top off an opposing defense. Coates isn’t a great technical player, but when you have a young man who can be a potent deep threat, you can draft him early despite his being rough around the edges.

Coates knows he is being labeled as a raw athlete. However, he told James Crepea of the Montgomery Advertiser, "I've been running routes since I've been there. It's just the fact that I haven't showcased it on film because it wasn't my role in the offense."

Dorial Green-Beckham, Oklahoma

Any team that drafts Green-Beckham does so with the idea that it is a calculated risk on a talented player. He is a monster at 6’5” and 237 pounds with freakish athleticism. A lot like Benjamin, Green-Beckham is a late first-round prospect for a team on the hunt for a huge target in the passing game. Character issues are what figure to have him fall in the draft a bit.

But this isn’t the end. In fact, as you look over the following list of other players who have the potential to be a starter, ponder this: There could easily be more wide receivers taken in the first two rounds in 2015 than there were in 2014. Is this a sign the class is better or just that teams are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with these young players?

We’ll never know for sure, but you can bet that while this class might be a notch behind 2014 in top-end production as rookies, do not be surprised if just as many (if not more) of those receivers already discussed are contributors in their first season. This class may not have the big stars, but here are some other names who may shine in their rookie season:

• Devin Funchess, Michigan
• Devin Smith, Ohio State
• Nelson Agholor, USC
• Breshad Perriman, UCF
• Phillip Dorsett, Miami
• Jamison Crowder, Duke

What’s the moral to the story? In terms of personal rankings, no wide receiver in 2015 would be rated higher than my No. 6 wide receiver back in 2014. The five rated higher than anyone in the upcoming draft were Watkins, Matthews, Beckham Jr., Evans and Benjamin.

However, if you look at this class as a whole, the league is going to have a hard time getting all the talent in this group on the field. Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today wrote:

"

For teams in desperate need at the position, this class is a boon. And though some teams might be tempted to trade up to pluck a particular player, the depth of this receiving group might create an opposing effect; teams could actually fill other needs first and select a wideout in later rounds.

"

Teams in need of an infusion of youth at wide receiver will have no shortage of options from which to choose.