1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Ohio state

6’1″ 196 lbs.
Jaxon smith Njigba broke out in the 2021 rose bowl game where he went off for 15 receptions for 347 yards, and 3 touchdowns. JSN missed most of his final season at Ohio State with a hamstring injury. In his breakout year, JSN showed off his route running, his acceleration control, tracking of the football, and understanding of defensive schemes. JSN is not a burner by any means, but his ability to deceive defenders with speed bursts through his cuts and agility at the line of scrimmage gives him an edge to get by defenses. When he’s not targeted with the ball, JSN is always on a defenses radar, and when tasked with blocking for the run game or for a screen, he shows technical blocking skills while remaining aggressive. Going into 2022, JSN was in line to have a monster year as he would take over the #1 job with the departure of Olave and Wilson. Due to the injury, teams have to rely on his 2021 tape and production. Despite showcasing tremendous ability to be an elite wide receiver at the next level, the question mark looms if that tape was enough to sell JSN to teams in the top 15 looking for a new WR1. JSN will hear his name called on day 1, and I project him going in the top 15 picks with the spotlight on the titans at 11, and to the Texans at 12 which is where I have him going in my mock draft. 

2. Jordan Addison – Usc

5’11” 173 lbs.
The best route runner in the 2023 draft is Jordan Addison. His awareness of defenders leverage when running deep routes really caught my eye. The way he drops his hips and turns his shoulders often flips defenders the wrong way, leaving him wide open. The best part about Addison’s game is how he controls his speed. You would have liked to see him run faster than 4.49 at the 2023 Combine, but the tape shows that he’s “football fast”. His short burst and quick acceleration almost always creates separation between him and the defender. When running routes he wastes no steps on his breaks, and maintains a fast speed. Another highlight I like about Addison is that he played for 2 different teams, with 2 different schemes which highlights his ability to learn and adapt, which is sometimes a big learning curve for wide receivers going into the next level. Like a lot of receivers in this class, Addison is a little undersized, and could struggle against press coverage and more physical corners. With a few teams late in round 1 having a need at the wide receiver position, he could go anywhere from 20-31. Several analyst have JSN as the only receiver with a first round grade, however I see a team like the Seahawks, Chargers, or Vikings taking him to add a level of speed and burst to their offense. 

3. Zay Flowers – Boston College

5’9″ 182 lbs.
Zay Flowers is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. With the football community nicknaming him “AB2.0”, that shows just how electric he is once he has the ball. Let’s just hope he remains level headed and doesn’t go off the rails like the actual AB. Flowers flourishes in the deep ball game as he threatens teams with his speed and the way he has mastered being able to track the ball in the air. YAC (yards after the catch) is his middle name, Zay can turn anything into 6, and showed that countless times at Boston College. Being utilized all over the field, he showed long speed in the deep game, and was super slippery when running the short and intermediate routes. Despite being undersized, he played well against press coverage, and showed great body control as he constantly adjusted to wherever the ball was thrown. It is important to note that Flowers played against some pretty horrid defensive play in his college career, and could struggle versus stronger press coverage defensive backs. Another highlight to magnify is the quarterback play at Boston college which was poor. Constantly adjusting to under thrown and misplaced balls,  Flowers always put himself in contention to get his hands on the ball. Too many times Flowers was unable to come down with it, resulting in a career high 9 drops last year. Flowers is an interesting prospect as he could go late first round, or drop into early round 2. 

4. Josh Downs – UNC

5’9″ 171 lbs.
The main reason I have Josh Downs so high on my list of wide receivers is his ability to get open by running routes. He operated well in the slot and ran a variety of routes, always keeping his defender guessing. Downs maintains his speed as he accelerates well through his break, however he often times needed a few more steps to make that cut which is something you would like to see him clean up going into the next level. Downs adjusted on the spot when playing versus zone coverage, often shortening routes to find the open space between defenders. A common theme amongst these smaller receivers is the possibility of them struggling against more physical defensive backs. From time to time you would see him getting knocked off his route from a simple jab at the line of scrimmage, or when entering a zone in which a linebacker was occupying. Blocking is the one thing where Downs needs to take a big step when going into the NFL as he is very limited in the run game. Josh Downs is one of the biggest risers during the pre draft process as analysts love his route running ability. There could be a run on receivers late in round 2, similar to last year, which is where I have him projected having his name called. 

5. Jalin Hyatt – Tennessee

6’0″ 176 lbs.
Jalin Hyatt had a breakout year at Tennessee in 2022 thanks to his game breaking speed, and his freedom of choice while running routes. Hyatt showed off his blazing speed at the combine running a 4.40, but the best part about it is it only takes him a few steps to get going which can be seen on his releases. With a relatively limited route tree, he ran sharp routes and showed good understanding of defenders leverage which helped him adjust his stem to give him an advantage when going deep. The YAC ability is there, he’s just so fast that he was usually past defenders already. The biggest question mark with Hyatt is the scheme that he played in. Josh Heupel’s scheme let Hyatt vary his routes, releases, and leverage dependant on his defenders alignment. Basically giving Hyatt the ability to run or attack wherever the defender wasn’t. It will be interesting to see him adapt to a different offense where he has less liberty when the ball is snapped. A team could take a chance on him late on day 1 due to his speed alone, but could fall into the middle of round 2 if teams don’t have complete faith in his ability to get open without the freedom of choice. 

6. Quentin Johnston – TCU

6’3″ 208 lbs.
Quentin Johnston was a harder prospect to grade and rank in my eyes. Obviously the first thing that sticks out is his size paired with his speed. Don’t let that deceive you though, Quentin Johnston is a good receiver, but he’s not great. Due to his large frame and long speed, Johnston always has a chance against safety help over the top, and with the 50/50 balls. With this abnormal size, you would think he would dominate defensive backs in the run game, but that’s not the case. He’s quite hit or miss when blocking, often times over committing and giving up the angle, or lacking technique and getting beaten by a more sound defensive back. Despite the large catch radius, Johnston tends to try to body catch the ball, which results in dropped passes. With a limited route at TCU, he didn’t show a ton of flash when trying to beat a defender, lacking agility and fluidity sometimes making his routes look 2 dimensional. Enough harping on the 6’3″ receiver though, he’s a potential boom or bust prospect. With the right development and coaching, Quentin Johnston could be a problem for defenses given his god given size and speed. Many analyst have different grades on this prospect, and I have him falling out of the first round and being a mid round pick in round 2.