The 10 Best Big-Play WRs in the 2015 NFL Draft

No matter what type of offense your favorite NFL team runs, adding a big-play wide receiver via the NFL draft has to be somewhere on its agenda. Even the most conservative offenses still want a player who can take the top off the secondary at times or take a short throw and turn it into a long run.

With the proliferation of the spread in college football, the search for these types of wide receivers has become something of a mixed bag. In 2014, 31 FBS wide receivers averaged at least 18 yards per reception. By comparison, only two NFL wide receivers with at least 25 receptions did the same.

Here is a ranking of the 10 best big-play wide receivers in the 2015 NFL draft. Some of these guys are legit deep threats who work to get behind the secondaries, while others extend plays with their feet once the football is in their hands.

And yes, before you comment, plenty of premier prospects could be on this list. This is my list, and it not only highlights some of the best big-play threats you already know about but also gives you a taste of some guys you probably should know but don’t yet. 

10. Kenny Bell, Nebraska

Kicking off this list, we have Nebraska star wide receiver Kenny Bell. He has been Nebraska’s leading receiver each of the past three seasons. Over the course of those three years, the Cornhusker has amassed 149 receptions for 2,228 yards.

This works out to an impressive 14.9 yards per catch. However, if you remove 2013 when Bell was relegated to more short routes and only take in 2012 and 2014, his yards per catch bounces to 17 yards.

Bell is able to get to top speed in just a few steps and can get away from defensive backs before they realize he was ever there. He is a competitive receiver who isn’t afraid to fight for the football.

This gives his quarterback confidence to send the ball deep because he knows Bell will make a play. Bell ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, but on film you can see that in the moment he finds another gear once he gets a nose on the secondary.

9. Dorial Green-Beckham, Oklahoma

It might seem premature to include Oklahoma wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham on this list, but just bear with me. There’s no doubt he is something of an unknown, but going back to 2013, you saw the flashes of what could make him a legit home run threat in the NFL.

Green-Beckham’s game is all about his length. His 4.42 40-yard dash is acceptable, but on the field it’s his long strides that stand out. He is able to just glide on the field and lull cornerbacks to sleep, and then he’s gone. Green-Beckham averaged a respectable 15 yards per catch in 2013.

Any team that drafts him is banking on his ability to push defenses back. He will open up the field for not only himself but his teammates.

8. Neal Sterling, Monmouth

Not every big-play guy has to also be a big-program guy. Last season, the Arizona Cardinals drafted Pittsburg State wide receiver John Brown in part because in 2013 he averaged 19.6 yards per catch.

So, we have to be sure not to discriminate and include some of these smaller-school prospects on this list. First up is Monmouth wide receiver Neal Sterling. Similar to Green-Beckham, Sterling is a big wide receiver with a physically imposing frame and elusive speed. As you see from the highlight, Sterling can get deep, overpower a smaller cornerback and then run away and through him after the catch.

Sterling might not get drafted, but that shouldn't deter him from success. Keep in mind that in the Super Bowl, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson didn't target a single wide receiver who was drafted. A guy like Sterling can make an NFL roster and be successful.

7. Mark Roberts, Lamar University

Next up on this list is another small-school star in Lamar University’s Mark Roberts. He is a long, speedy athlete who bursts off the line of scrimmage and can use both his speed and length to create separation.

Roberts averaged 25.2 yards per catch in 2014, and most of that came while the ball was in the air. His quarterback understood that if he put the football up in the air, Roberts would find a way to haul it in. And once he did, he never went down easy, always working hard for extra yards and extending the play.

Some team could view Roberts similar to how the Pittsburgh Steelers viewed Martavis Bryant in terms of a long athlete with deep-ball skills. Again, Roberts is likely an undrafted free agent, but he has gobs of potential.

6. Darius Davis, Henderson

Checking in at No. 6 is Henderson wide receiver Darius Davis. In 2014, he caught 56 passes for 1,261 yards and 18 touchdowns. That works out to 22.5 yards per catch. Be sure to check out his highlights above, if you want some understanding of just how good Davis is, even against lower-level competition.

Davis is a great example of the type of wide receiver the NFL loves. He is fearless and will work over the middle with the best of them. Many of his longest plays came off short throws like crossing routes and bubble screens, where his shiftiness and acceleration allowed him to simply run away from the defense.

5. DeAndre Smelter, Georgia Tech

Trying to scout wide receivers from Georgia Tech is something of a mixed bag. It seems that every year the Yellow Jackets have yet another big, fast physical receiver out there on the edge. However, when you watch him play, you have to weigh whether you are getting the next Demaryius Thomas or the next Jason Hill.

In this case, we are talking about the big-play potential of DeAndre Smelter. For the bulk of the season, he was one of the best deep threats in all of college football. Obviously, Georgia Tech doesn’t throw much, so when it does, it’s typically something deep. Smelter was averaging 20.4 yards per catch on his 35 receptions before tearing his ACL.

Smelter is a classic deep threat. With long arms and deceptive speed, he has the strength to beat the jam at the line of scrimmage and not allow the defensive back to use the boundary as an extra defender. Due to his injury, Smelter is likely an undrafted free agent, but in a year he could be a productive big-play wide receiver in the NFL.

4. Breshad Perriman, UCF

No wide receiver in this draft seems to be building more momentum than UCF wide receiver Breshad Perriman. He has parlayed a big 2014 season into what appears to be a first-round pick in a few weeks.

The strength of Perriman’s game is his ability to get deep. At 6’2” and 212 pounds, he is as close to the physical ideal as you can get. You mix in hand-timed 40-yard dash times of 4.24 and 4.27 seconds at the UCF pro day, and you understand why teams are excited.

Perriman gets deep by bum-rushing defensive backs at the snap. If they try to muscle him, he can pop them off their spot and just run past them. If defensive backs play off, Perriman’s speed forces them out of their backpedal early, and he can kill them with intermediate routes.

3. Sammie Coates, Auburn

There was a time when Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates was discussed among the elite wide receiver prospects. However, even as he’s fallen out of favor with draft pundits, 20.9 yards per catch in that run-heavy spread is something teams cannot ignore. Inconsistency is why he cannot be higher than No. 3 on this list.

Even with the type of triangle numbers Coates has, his ability to put up huge numbers is predicated as much on his route tree as anything else. He does a ton of his damage when working to get open with crisp routes and ability to make the first defender miss. Coates is excellent after the catch and cannot only make guys miss but will pull away from them in the open field.

2. Phillip Dorsett, Miami

As we near the top of this list, we find Miami wide receiver Phillip Dorsett at No. 2. Picking between these last two players was really a toss-up, and either would have been a fitting candidate for the top.

Dorsett averaged 24.19 yards per catch but had only 36 receptions. Even without great production, he was one of the most exciting players to watch in college football in 2014. It wasn’t his fault the quarterback play of the Hurricanes was so mediocre.

Another reason Dorsett makes it so close to the top of the list is because he is able to break off big plays in multiple ways. As you can see from his highlights above, Dorsett is as comfortable blowing the top off a secondary with his deep speed as he is running a shallow drag and just outrunning every defender after the catch.

1. Devin Smith, Ohio State

If you want to be on top of a list like this, you have to be something pretty special. You have to boast a combination of freakish stats, athleticism and all-around football skills. Because let’s deal with facts here: If a wide receiver can’t reel the football in, he can’t be on the top of this list. Yes, I’m talking to you, Coates.

So who is the king of the big-play mountain? It has to be Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith. He might not have put up gaudy stats in 2014, because frankly the Buckeyes didn’t need him to. However, Smith finished the season as the ultimate highlight reel for big plays. In his final four games, he caught eight passes for a mind-numbing 321 yards, and half of them went for touchdowns. That works out to 40.1 yards per catch.

Smith is the king of getting deep and going up and getting the football at its high point. In the big picture, his NFL skills package is somewhat shallow, but that doesn’t change the fact that on the outside, Smith is going to be a matchup nightmare.

All player statistics courtesy of the college football section of Sports-Reference.com. All combine and workout data courtesy of the combine section of NFL.com.