WFNY’s 2015 NFL Draft Coverage: Joe Gilbert’s Top Five Wide Receivers

We are one month away from the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. I have gone through most of the positions in the NFL Draft and there are just a few more positions to go. We will now begin examining the offensive skill players in the draft; starting with the talented wide receiver class. Here were my top five receivers in the 2014 NFL draft. Wide receivers have become highly coveted players in the NFL. The 2015 NFL draft has another loaded class of wide receivers. It may not be as great as last year’s draft class (that class is historically great), but it is just a notch under it. This draft has three elite receivers at the top with a good amount of depth after those three. For a team like the Browns looking for receiver help, this class has plenty of players to fill those needs. So, let’s take a look at my top five wide receivers in the 2015 NFL Draft.

1. Kevin White, West Virginia

March 2: Safeties March 4: Cornerbacks March 10: Inside Linebackers March 13: Edge Rushers March 17: Interior Defensive Linemen March 20: Offensive Tackles March 25: Interior Offensive Linemen March 27: Tight Ends March 31: Wide Receivers

West Virginia’s Kevin White is my top receiver and one of my top prospects overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. As a senior last season, he had 109 receptions for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games. He has the size, speed, and strength combination that most receivers do not possess.

White has great size at 6-foot-3, 215-pounds; great speed, running a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine; and great strength, lifting 23 bench reps at the NFL Combine. He showcases his athletic ability in his game very well. He can win jump balls over defenders, using his leaping ability and strong hands (as you can see below). His hands are great, allowing him to catch passes in traffic and versus contact. After the catch, he uses a combination of quickness and physical running to make big plays. His physical play is apparent in every part of his game. Against press coverage, he uses his quick feet, suddenness, and strength to separate from corners and get open. He runs crisp routes, which further helps him get separation from defenders. His comeback routes are extremely tough to cover because of his route running and threat to go deep. Quarterbacks will love him because he works to get open when the quarterback is scrambling. He has the size and physicality to be a good blocker. He adds to his talent with very good effort on the field. ESPN’s Todd McShay says, “White has excellent size for the position to go along with very good ball skills and run-after-catch ability.”

White has just one great productive year under his belt. He really came on this season and so some people may have reservations on selecting him. He does not have great elusiveness and agility to make people miss. He has the ability to be a good blocker because of his size, but he has not shown it consistently yet. He must work on his blocking technique to become a good blocker. But, overall, his combination of size, athleticism, strength and effort is unmatched by any other receiver in this class.

2. Amari Cooper, Alabama

Amari Cooper of Alabama is not far behind Kevin White as the best receiver in the class. In his junior season last year, he had 124 receptions for 1,727 and 16 touchdowns in 14 games. He was one of the hardest players to defend against in college last season.

Cooper is a smooth and fast athlete who makes things look easy. He can run past and separate from corners with ease. He has great ability after the catch because of his elusiveness and speed. White can make multiple defenders miss, extending plays into long gains. His hands allow him to make tough catches, including in tight spaces and in traffic. He tracks long balls very well, running an efficient route on deep passes. He is a smart player who can find holes in the defense, allowing the quarterback to throw to him through an open window. His suddenness and quickness helps him get past press coverage and get open versus physical corners. He runs good routes, getting low to change directions quickly (as you can see in the video below). ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. says, “He often separates with ease, hitting a second gear, and he has a good sense of how to find space against a zone and will make contested catches.”

Cooper can struggle sometimes with drops, specifically due to focus. He must shore up his focus so that these drops do not follow him into the NFL. He is not a very physical player and that shows up in his blocking. He does not block well and is just not a big factor in run blocking. He has good size, but he lacks the size and length that White has. But, he is a different type of player. He an elusive and a smooth receiver with the ability to make big plays on offense.

3. DeVante Parker, Louisville

Louisville’s DeVante Parker is a tall receiver, who many consider just as good as the two top receivers. In his senior season last year, he had 43 receptions for 855 yards and five touchdowns in just six games last season. His season was shortened due to a foot injury that forced him to miss the first seven games of the season.

Parker is a tall receiver at 6-foot-3 with long arms of 33 ¼ inches. He has a huge catch radius that gives quarterbacks a big area to throw at. He can explode into the air to reach a ball at its highest point. His body control allows him to adjust to inaccurate passes quickly and make acrobatic catches. His hands are very good, allowing him to pluck balls out of the air in tight areas or in traffic. These abilities make him an exceptional jump ball receiver, who can go above defenders for the catch. He is a long strider, who can reach a pretty good speed to run past defenders. When he catches the ball, he can make defenders miss with solid agility and an underrated strength to carry or break away from defenders for extra yardage (as you can see below). He has solid route running ability, including solid change of direction ability and good stacking technique on long passes. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah says, “I think he’s a phenomenal football player and very deserving of being a top-10 pick.”

Parker missed multiple games in college because of injuries, so teams will heavily examine his health. He does not have great strength and will probably need to add weight to his frame. He will need to add strength to be able to face the physical corners of the NFL and to be able to help run block. He can also improve his route running, especially in terms of running sharper routes rather then rounding them out. He could also use his body better on routes to shield defenders away from the ball. But, his size and athleticism should make him an immediate redzone threat.

4. Dorial Green-Beckham, Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s Dorial Green-Beckham has the talent to be one of the best receivers in this draft class. He did not play last season after being dismissed from Missouri after the 2013 season and had to sit out last season because of the transfer to Oklahoma. In 2013 with Missouri, he had 59 receptions for 883 and 12 touchdowns in 14 games.

Green-Beckham has a freakish combination of size and speed. He is 6-foot-5, 237-pounds and ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He has great jump ball ability because of his size, explosive jumping ability, and hands (as you can see below). He leaps over defenders and grabs balls away from their grasp with his big, strong hands. His catch radius is gigantic because of his size and leaping ability. His speed is rare for a player his size. He can speed past defenders with his long strides and gain separation from coverage. After the catch, he has the combination of strength and speed to make defenders miss. His size will allow him to be a good blocker in the NFL if he has a willingness to do it. Bucky Brooks of NFL Network says, “He is a long, rangy pass-catcher with the size, length and ball skills to demoralize opponents on the edge. If he keeps his nose clean and avoids making the kinds of knuckleheaded mistakes that plagued his tenure at Missouri, he could be a perennial Pro Bowler at the position.”

Green-Beckham’s biggest question mark is his character. He was dismissed from Missouri after being a subject of a burglary and assault police investigation and he was arrested multiple times for marijuana use. On the field, he is still very raw especially in technique. He is not a great route runner, struggling to plant his foot in the ground and make quick change of direction movements to gain separation from the defender. He also needs to add more strength to win versus the physical defenders of the NFL. The effect of his time off from football is another question mark he must answer. Overall, he is the quintessential “Boom or Bust” prospect with the ability to be one of the best receivers in this class.

5. Jaelen Strong, Arizona State

Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong is another big receiver in the 2015 NFL Draft. As a redshirt junior last season, he had 82 receptions for 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games. He is one of the more physical receivers in the entire wide receiver draft class.

Strong is physical imposing receiver with good size at 6-foot-2, 217-pounds. He plays the receiver position with physicality and athleticism. His greatest strength is his ability to jump and grab balls at their highest point. He has great explosion to rise high above defenders and snatch balls away (as you can see in the video below). He has strong hands to grab balls away from defenders, along with good positioning to use his body to shield defenders away from the ball. He is a strong player with the ability to fight through contact to make tough catches. After the catch, he uses his strength to break away or carry defenders for more yardage. His size and strength also makes him a good blocker, who can be very helpful in the run game with improved technique. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein says, “Strong looks the part of a physical, possession receiver with a relatively high floor.”

Strong is not overly fast, so he can struggle to separate from defenders to get open. His lack of separation makes his job a lot more difficult. He is not an elusive or quick receiver, so he does not have great skill after the catch. He will not make defenders miss often, except when he uses his strength to break away. His route running is another area that he must work on. He needs to better utilize route running in order to gain some sort of separation from defenders. He also has the occasional focus drops. But, Strong’s ability to win jumpballs can help him get on the field, while he works on the rest of his game.