NFL Draft – Offensive Players | An Abundance of Receivers

Miguel Bujold
The Press

In the opinion of a majority of analysts, it is at the wide end position that we find the greatest number of quality prospects this year. As has often been the case for at least a decade.

It is without a doubt in this position that it is the easiest to get your hands on good players. The NCAA having become a league where the passing game has never been so important, it is not surprising at all.

Although it’s relatively easy for NFL teams to find good receivers, the demand remains high. If teams used to be content with having two or three quality wingers, now they have to have four and sometimes even five good wide wingers. Because like that of the NCAA, the game in the NFL has never been so focused on the aerial attack.

The 2022 vintage of wide wingers is distinguished by remarkable depth. It will even be possible for teams to draft promising receivers on Saturday, when the last four rounds will take place. They will be spoiled for choice as around twenty spaced-out wingers should be selected before the start of the sixth round. So there will be something for everyone.

The Ohio State Buckeyes and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide will both see a pair of their former receivers drafted early. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave for the Buckeyes, and Jameson Williams and John Metchie III for the Crimson Tide. Perhaps with the exception of Metchie III, all of these players should be drafted in the first round, unless teams choose to be patient given the abundance of attractive candidates.

Wilson and Olave stand out for the quality of their passing routes and their ability to find openings in opposing defences. Wilson could very well be the first wide receiver to hear his name on Thursday night.

But perhaps the most talented receiver in the auction is Williams. A hugely explosive player, Williams was wreaking havoc with the Crimson Tide before tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in the opening minutes of the NCAA Championship Game in January. An injury that may have cost the Crimson Tide the win and could allow a team to draft him later than expected. Last season, Williams caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. If his knee heals well and it doesn’t affect his game, he has the talent to become one of the top 5 or 10 receivers in the NFL.

Drake London (USC) is particularly nimble for a 6’4″ wide winger and has very good hands. Treylon Burks (Arkansas) is very imposing (6’3″ and 230 lbs) and difficult to tackle, while Alec Pierce (Cincinnati) has a good speed/size combination (6’3″).

As for them, Jahan Dotson (Penn State), Danny Gray (SMU), Skyy Moore (Western Michigan) and Jalen Nailor (Michigan State) are all very fast and explosive, if not physically imposing.

Beware of blockers

Maybe not quite as much as the wide wingers, but the pool of blockers available has scouts salivating. Unless a team makes a deal to secure the services of a quarterback, it’s even a safe bet that the first two offensive players selected on Thursday night will be Ikem Ekwonu and Evan Neal, who dominated as left tackles in the NCAA.

Ekwonu is an athlete like you rarely see on the offensive lines. According to Lindy’s Sportshe was on an athletics team at a weight of 280 lbs…He is particularly effective on ground plays, but is also nimble enough to block quarterback fighters he faces even though he is a bit shorter (6’4″) than typical left blockers.

Ekwonu is recognized as a particularly intelligent player, who masters both technique and strategic elements. He received offers from Harvard and Yale universities, among others, but preferred Carolina State University to further his football development.

If it was certain that Ekwonu would evolve into the critical left tackle position, he would probably be the favorite to be the very first pick in the draft. Due to his size and the fact that he is dominant on ground games, however, he could be transferred to the position of guard in the NFL. And the guards are not of high enough value to be chosen first.

One way or another, Ekwonu will most likely be drafted into the top 5 since, in the worst case, he will become one of the best guards in the NFL if it does not work as a blocker.

Evan Neal, on the other hand, has the perfect size to be a top blocker thanks to his 6’7″ and 350 lbs. The risk, in his case, is that his game is not always technically flawless. Analysts say he sometimes lacks precision in his footwork and hand positioning when blocking quarterback chasers, which affects his balance.

That said, Neal has excelled in the NCAA. Did the fact that he played for the powerful Crimson Tide machine help him? Surely. He could also dominate his opponents thanks to his height in college football. In the NFL, his effort and the quality of his technique will have to be constant in order to be able to neutralize the best defensive ends.

Ekwonu and Neal are the headlining offensive linemen, but there are several other high-quality prospects. Charles Cross (Mississippi State) excels in pass protection and should also be chosen in the top 15. Daniel Faalele (Minnesota) is a 6’8″, 387lb Australian who only started playing football in 2016 and therefore has great potential.

Although not a great athlete, Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa) is recognized for his robustness, his tenacity and his intensity. He seems destined to play on the right side in the NFL, however, due to his lack of agility. Like Ekwonu, Zion Johnson doesn’t have the height (6’3”) normally sought after in tackles, but the Boston College alum is capable of playing anywhere down the line.

Finally, Kenyon Green (Texas A&M) and Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa) are considered the best guard and the best center respectively and should be chosen in the first round.

Same quantity, less quality

As with wide ends and blockers, there are plenty of running backs and tight ends that scouts are interested in. The difference is that none of them should be drafted in the first round. We are therefore talking more about quantity than quality.

Among tight ends, Trey McBride (Colorado State) is seen as the most complete player. Winner of the John Mackey Trophy, given to the best tight end in the NCAA, last year, McBride is sometimes compared to Heath Miller, who enjoyed a very fine 11-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jalen Wydermyer (Texas A&M) is a good receiver, but a tough blocker. Grant Calcaterra (SMU) announced his retirement in 2019 after suffering multiple concussions before returning to action. His injury history, however, could deter teams from selecting him in the early rounds.

According to analysts, McBride, Wydermyer, Calcaterra, Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin), Charlie Kosar (Iowa State), Greg Dulcich (UCLA) and Derrick Deese Jr. (San Jose State) should all be drafted on Friday evening, while will take place the second and the third round.

The situation is very similar among the running backs, while it would be very surprising if one of them were chosen in the first round. Because the talent of the 2022 vintage of ball carriers is average as a whole, but also because their value has dropped considerably over the past ten years.

As with the tight ends, however, there is a group of six or seven running backs who would normally be chosen in the second or third round. This should be the case for Kenneth Walker III (Michigan State), Breece Hall (Iowa State), Isaiah Spiller (Texas A&M), Brian Robinson Jr. (Alabama), Zamir White (Georgia), Kyren Williams (Notre Dame) and Tyler Badie (Missouri). Of the lot, Walker III and Hall are considered the two best players.

With Lindy’s SportsESPN, ProFootballTalk, Pro Football Focus