College Football Recruiting 2012: Ranking the Top 25 Wide Receiver Prospects

Receiver is a position that in recruiting of the draft, you either hit or miss on. It's a big time gamble position, but the reward at the end can pay dividends. Teams know that if they strike gold on a big time receiver, their offense can soar to new heights.

For the 2012 recruiting class, there are some very, very talented WR prospects that if developed right, can become elite weapons. 

We're ranking the top 25 WR prospects in the country for 2012 recruiting.

25. Marvin Bracy

Bracy may actually be the fastest player in the country. At 5'9", 165 pounds, he has been clocked at nearly 10 flat in the 100. The only I have him here is that he is also listed as an ATH.

His biggest strength is obviously his speed and explosiveness, as he is extremely quick and sudden. Yet Bracy is a player that just needs the ball, whether it be on returns, quick screens or reverses and sparks will fly.

24. Amara Darboh

Darboh is a 6'2", 200 pound WR with excellent size and length. He has a large catch radius, which makes him very QB friendly.

He shows solid strength and release quickness to beat press of the line, above average speed to get vertical and has some foot quickness to explode out of his breaks. Dorboh will be a solid WR in college.

Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Nebraska have offered, among others.

23. Darreus Rogers

Rogers is a USC pledge but Washington and Arizona State are in play for the 6'2", 195 pounder.

A great deep threat, Rogers is a player with a speed-based game that shows an elite instinct to track balls in flight. He makes plays vertically and has a high ceiling.

22. Corey Thompson

Thompson won't wow you with a blazing 40 time, but his 4.55 time is just fast enough to escape away from cornerbacks.

He's a 6'2", 195 pound receiver that works well in the intermediate game. He knows how to attack coverage voids in between the second and third levels and can settle down well. 

He's committed to Texas A&M.

21. D'Vario Montgomery

Montgomery is a very, very physical WR that has drawn compariosn to Andre Johnson. 6'3", 210 pounds, he plays strong vs. press, can beat jams off the line and simply out muscled defenders for the ball in flight.

He shows solid speed around the field, can separate well and is a bully with ball in RAC situations. He should easily be over 220 pounds in college.

He has over 40 offers.

20. Bralon Addison

Addison can also be listed as an ATH, as he can play QB, RB and CB as well as WR. He's a do it all player that uses great speed, quickness and athleticism to make plays all over the field.

5'10", 180 pounds, he shows excellent release quickness and suddenness in and out of his breaks. Addison also displays soft hands and can really scoot around the field as a RAC player.

He's headed to Texas A&M over Oklahoma State.

19. Ricardo Louis

Louis maybe has the most upside of any WR in this class. 6'2', 200 pounds, he's a special athlete that has a ceiling very, very high. 

He has excellent speed, leaping ability and quickness at his size. He just needs coaching and refinement on the finer points of the game, and he will be making big play after big play in college.

Which will be Auburn.

18. Reginald Davis

6'1", 185 pounds, Davis is big time player that can do it all on the perimeter. He's athletic, quick, agile and has good speed.

He works DBs with quickness of the line, can stem them up in a hurry and blow by them deep. Davis also has solid hands and can snatch balls all around his frame consistently.

He's committed to Texas Tech.

17. Jaquay Williams

Williams is a future big time redzone threat. 6'4", 190 pounds, he uses his size and length to his advantage anytime he can.

He flashes fantastic body control, as he can glide around the field and adjust to throws very well. Williams has excellent hands, plucks balls around him in flight and can really catch in a crowd over defenders.

He's headed to Auburn.

16. Thomas Johnson

Johnson is a playmaker in every sense of the word. He may not be the biggest receiver, but he has great speed and a knack for finding the end zone.

At 6'0", 175 pounds, he is dangerous after the catch. RAC is his middle name, and getting to pay-dirt is his game.

He is slated for Texas.

15. Bryce Treggs

Treggs is quick WR that stands 5'11", 175 pounds and is dangerous after the catch. He can roll out of his cuts and scoot around the field with ease.

He's not overly big, but he can beat you with speed and play making ability. He'll go across the middle if needed and can also return kicks and punts.

Cal leads Stanford and Notre Dame.

14. Aaron Burbridge

At 6'1", 180 pounds, Burbridge shows the potential to develop into a complete receiver. He has the athleticism and speed to eat cushion, instincts to set up defenders in route running and hands to haul in throws.

I also see flashes of separation quickness and RAC ability down field. Burbridge may be underrated.

Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State have all offered.

13. Dwayne Stanford

Stanford reminds a lot of Dwayne Jarrett skill-wise. He's a tall, lanky, athletic WR with ball skills, a la Jarrett.

6'4", 195 pounds, he can high point balls, adjust very well, tracks it with his yes and simply catch in crowds with ease. He should be at his best in the redzone and over the middle in college.

Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame are a few offers to name.

12. Davonte Neal

Neal is a similar version of Bralon Addison, but I like him a bit more over the A&M pledge because Neal is a better and more polished route runner. He shows the knack and knowledge to set up defenders with subtle wiggles during routes and doesn't round cuts.

He's 5'9", 175 pounds and is similar to DeSean Jackson. He's extremely shifty and speedy with elite quickness.

LSU, Miami, USC, Notre Dame and both Arizona schools have offered among others.

11. Eugene Lewis

Lewis is a 6'2", 180-pounder who will see his mark mostly made in the intermediate passing game. He has the tools develop into a very good No. 2 receiver.

He works his routes well, sets up defenders and can break out quickly from cuts at the junction point. He won't wow you deep, but he can get by if he has to.

He seems pretty interested in Penn State among a couple others right now.

10. Sterling Shepard

At 5'11", 170 pounds, Shepard has the size, suddenness and quickness to easily fit in the slot like a dollar in a poor man's pocket. He releases off the line in a hurry and is dangerous underneath.

He will help an offense by asking for double coverage. When he is in the slot, he will force a safety to stay on him, which opens up the deep part of the field for his teammates.

He will do all of this for Oklahoma.

9. Avery Johnson

Johnson is the younger brother of LSU and Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson. At 6'2", 185 pounds, Johnson is not just riding his brother's coattails.

He's a super deep threat with a big frame who can do it all. Johnson is a great athlete with natural ball skills, and he can develop into an all-conference player.

He will head to LSU just like his big brother did.

8. Chris Black

At 5'11", 175 pounds, Black is among the top receivers in Florida. He is a speedster who combines athletic ability with quickness.

His best skill is his RAC ability. Black can turn a quick slant into a six-yard scamper and can be used on smokes, bubbles and reverses.

Alabama and Florida State are the main two.

7. Jordan Payton

Payton is one of the best players in the country, but his recruitment is also one of the most interesting sagas as well. At 6'2", 190 pounds, Payton is perhaps the best receiver in Southern California.

He is committed to USC, but he has taken an array of visits, including to SMU, Cal and plans to see Michigan and Notre Dame too.

Will he end up at USC or elsewhere? Stay tuned.

6. Davonte Neal

Neal is often compared to receivers like Jeremy Maclin and Ryan Broyles.

At 6'0", 185 pounds, he has good speed, quickness and runs solid routes. He shows an ability to attack the football at its highest point and seems to always find a way to get more yards out of a catch than he should.

Neal committed to Oklahoma last week.

5. Dominique Wheeler

Perhaps a bit underrated on the recruiting scene, Wheeler is fantastic receiver prospect. At 6'1", 180 pounds, he shows a great skill set on the offensive flanks.

He has solid release quickness, eats cushion well, he can stem a defender, he can break in his routes and he has solid hands. Wheeler also displays solid speed to get vertical and behind a secondary.

He's headed to Texas Tech.

4. Leonte Carroo

Carroo is one of the best players, not only in New Jersey, but also on the East Coast. A 6'2", 200-pound receiver, he has very good strength to release off the line to fight press coverage, and he can break free and scoot upfield with speed.

Once he breaks out of his cuts with suddenness and sharpness to gain separation, he becomes QB friendly, as Carroo catches almost everything in sight. He's also a deep threat with solid RAC ability as well.

He has offers from almost everyone in the ACC and Big East, along with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Miami and Oregon.

3. Cayleb Jones

Cayleb Jones is a 5-star prospect at receiver, like I said he would be. At 6'3", 190 pounds, Jones is among the top receivers in Texas, and the country.

Jones shows on tape that he is a player that understands he has a long frame, snatching balls all around him to increase his catch radius. He also shows solid quickness in and out of breaks, good route turning and an ability to catch in crowds.

He's bound for Texas.

2. Shaq Roland

Roland is a receiver that is here because his ceiling is so high. At 6'1", 180 pounds, he has played multiple spots, but receiver is his definite future home position in college. He just needs to spend more time there and get coached up.

Dynamic with the ball in his hands, Roland shows very good play seed and explosiveness. He isn't very strong, but can beat press with change of direction and quickness in his release. He flashes great separation quickness and solid hands.

Look for him to end up at South Carolina, with Georgia, Alabama and Florida in the race.

1. Dorial Green-Beckham

I have Green-Beckham as the top player in the country on my board, as do many other talent evaluators.

At 6'6", 220 pounds, the only knock I have on him right now is his release quickness off the line.

Other than that, Green-Beckham has the hands, separation quickness, catch-in-crowd ability and playmaking talent to become a dominant receiver in college. 

Everyone in the country is fighting for dibbs on DGB, and he likely won't have a peeled back list until late this summer.