The Chargers’ need at wide receiver has been well publicized since the season ended, with Thursday’s draft promising to temporarily end the rampant speculation and debate over Los Angeles’ investments at the position.
Today, we unveil our rankings regardless of Chargers fit.
Here are the best 15 wide receivers in the draft for our money.
15. Trey Palmer, Nebraska
A graduate transfer from LSU, Palmer was primarily a return man before following his position coach to Nebraska for the 2022 season. He blossomed in Lincoln, becoming just the second Cornhuskers receiver to have at least 1,000 yards in a season. While he has the requisite speed (4.33 at the combine) and elusiveness to serve as a deep threat and jet sweep runner, his slight frame allows corners to knock him off his routes with regularity. That lack of strength also shows up in his contested catch ability.
14. Jayden Reed, Michigan State
A freshman All-American at Western Michigan before transferring to Michigan State, Reed is another college returner turned impact receiver. He gets the nod over Palmer for prolonged production – Reed has 3 seasons of 50 or more receptions – and physicality, both as a blocker and an attacker of the ball in the air. However, injuries to his foot, hip, and back in 2022 dampened his production, and his smaller stature may make some NFL evaluators wary of his durability in the pros.
13. Rashee Rice, SMU
Only James Proche, Emmanuel Sanders, Aldrick Robinson, and Courtland Sutton have more career receiving yards at SMU than Rice. Those four have combined to play 26 NFL seasons, so the lineage of success seems pretty clear for the latest Mustang to turn pro. A savvy sight adjuster and downfield tracker, Rice struggles with drops and will need to transition to a more pro-style route tree after running SMU’s power spread offense.
12. AT Perry, Wake Forest
It pains me to not have Perry higher after watching him reel in highlight catch after highlight catch at Wake Forest. At 6’3 ½”, the Florida native is surprisingly agile and runs every route with pacing unparalleled in this class. His catch radius is giant and he has just enough shake after the catch to make a play happen every now and then. My concerns primarily stem from a weight of just 202 lbs, which makes Perry look stick-thin given his height and long arms. Despite his build, he’s not a burner downfield, which gives corners free reign to get up in his face and knock him off his path.
11. Marvin Mims Jr., Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s leading receiver each of the last three seasons, Mims is another bona fide deep threat thanks to his blazing speed. With experience at punt returner, he’s a player I expect the Chargers to have circled on their board as the draft approaches its middle rounds. Again, though, Mims is a smaller receiver who struggles with physicality. (Are you noticing a theme yet?) He’s also only an average change of direction athlete – either he runs past you in a straight line or you have the upper hand. There have also been some quiet rumblings about minor maturity concerns, all of which combine to leave him just outside the top ten.
10. Jonathan Mingo, Mississippi
Mingo has risen up boards lately for a few reasons, but I think chief among them is that he’s one of the only receivers with size (6’1 ½”) who actually uses said size to his advantage. Beyond being a bigger body, however, Mingo is also a smooth route runner with sure hands and decent run after catch potential. Because of this, he’s excelled on in-breaking routes during his time at Mississippi. But with an underdeveloped route tree, lack of elite athleticism, and injury history (he broke his foot and missed 7 games as a junior), I have a hard time moving him higher than #10.
9. Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State
Hutchinson doesn’t necessarily have the highest ceiling of the receivers in this draft, but I think he has one of the highest floors. At worst, I’d expect him to be a #2 receiver who bounces around the league for a few teams but plays for a decade or more. While he doesn’t have a standout athletic trait, he’s steadily developed in every season in college, reaching a high of 107 receptions in 2022. I like his footwork but not his burst, and I think his lack of elite ceiling limits how valuable he’ll be to NFL teams later this week.
8. Tyler Scott, Cincinnati
I feel like Scott has been forgotten a bit when it comes to the Chargers, and I think it stems from a belief that he’ll be selected sometime between LA’s first round pick at 21 and their second round pick at 54. The owner of a 4.37 (pro day) 40 time and eight catches of more than 30+ yards in 2022, you’d think Chargers fans would be chomping at the bit to add Scott to Kellen Moore’s new-look offense. Alas, Scott is a bit of a one-trick pony at this stage, as he lacks the strength and size to win in ways other than blazing past his matchup. Still, he’s relatively new to wide receiver and is worth a top-64 pick due to speed alone.
7. Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
I don’t see that much difference between Hyatt and Scott, other than the fact that Hyatt did the speed demon routine against vaunted SEC defenses while Scott was carving up the American. Hyatt also has more prototypical size, and those two factors are enough for me to put the Biletnikoff winner higher. But I have concerns about Hyatt’s route tree in Tennessee’s offense, and I thought his hips were a bit tight when he was asked to make lateral breaks. Still, speed kills, and Hyatt is going to be good for a home run or two every week.
6. Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
After missing six games due to ankle surgery in his final season, it seemed like the media had pretty much left Tillman for dead heading into this week’s draft. But over the past few weeks, everyone has circled back to do their final checks and have seen what Tillman has been all along: a big (6’3 ⅜”) receiver with the vertical ability to stretch the field in ways that are not dissimilar to LA’s Mike Williams. That’s not a one-to-one comparison, but Tillman is going to make his money as a downfield boundary threat if he’s going to make any money at all – I don’t love his short-area mobility or route running nuance. But size is at a premium in this draft, and Tillman is one of the few receivers who doesn’t struggle to catch the ball at an alarming rate.
5. Josh Downs, North Carolina
Downs might be my favorite player in this draft class, regardless of position, even if his ranking doesn’t reflect it. He’s closer to the size of the majority of this class at 5’8 ¾” and just barely over 170 pounds, but he plays the ball in the air like he’s six inches taller and 30 pounds heavier. Despite his downfield speed, he’s not a one-gear player, and I think he has the best understanding of tempo and acceleration as a route runner in this year’s crop. His footwork needs a bit of work, and he’s going to have to develop a more consistent plan to defeat press coverage in the pros, but he’ll affect the game at all three levels of the field and as a punt returner if needed.
4. Quentin Johnston, TCU
I walked away from Johnston’s film thoroughly confused more than anything else. He’s a 6’3” receiver who plays like he’s 5’11” in every way. Sometimes that’s good: Johnston is an incredibly fluid athlete who creates natural separation and has the pull-away speed to do real damage after the catch. Sometimes that’s bad: Johnston jumps to make every catch, even ones he should be able to make by simply reaching his hands up, which gives DBs ample opportunity to catch up and dislodge the ball from his hands. I think this is because Johnston’s hands are perhaps the least natural in the class, and drops are going to be a huge issue for him in the league. Still, an athlete that big that moves that way is going to have value, and NFL position coaches will inevitably convince themselves that they can coach the rest.
3. Jordan Addison, USC
Maybe this is low for Addison, but I see him as being much closer to the slot-only, quick passing game threat side of the spectrum rather than the inside-outside versatile, two-or-three-level threat that some people have seen. Nearly 60% of his targets came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage in college, he’s 170 pounds without frame-defying strength to keep DBs outside his personal bubble, and I think his athleticism is best utilized in the slot. That all makes for a good player, but one whose role is specific. Whenever those players come around, they tend to go a bit lower than we expect.
2. Zay Flowers, Boston College
Take everything I just said about Addison and flip it on its head, and you’ll reach my conclusions about Flowers. Some people see a player who will be limited to the slot due to his smaller (5’9 ¼”, 182 lbs) frame and short wingspan. I see a player who could play on the outside if you needed him to, because he makes up for that lack of physical size with outsized effort as a blocker and has both the run after catch and downfield abilities to win at every level of the field. He’s also never missed a game despite his smaller stature, which alleviates some of my concerns about his durability at that size.
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
After playing in only 3 games in 2022 due to a hamstring issue, I feel like Smith-Njigba unfairly got pigeonholed as a slot-exclusive receiver. He’s good at that, certainly. All you have to do is watch 2021 to see that. But he was in the slot because Ohio State also had Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, both of whom were first round picks in their own right. Everyone around the program has called JSN the best of the three, and I think he’s got the toolbox to win consistently from the outside. Even if you want to keep him in the slot, he’s so much more advanced as a route runner than the rest of the class that I’d still have him #1.
