2016 NFL Draft WR Top Fifteen & TE Top Ten

I have a very divergent opinion on this wide receiver class from most of what I’ve read so far heading into the draft. Yes there isn’t a once in a generation talent but I see a lot of receivers that should be in starting lineups within a couple of seasons. If you need a WR in this draft you should be able to find a player that fits a role and will be able to help you out.

Overall	Player	Team	Ht	Wt	Role	Grade
11	Doctson, Josh	TCU	74	202	Starter	7.6
19	Treadwell, Laquon	Mississippi	74	221	Starter	7.5
29	Thomas, Michael	Ohio State	74.75	212	Starter	7.3
30	Shepard, Sterling	Oklahoma	70.25	194	Starter	7.3
31	Coleman, Corey	Baylor	70.625	194	Starter	7.3
38	Fuller, Will	Notre Dame	72.125	186	Starter	7.2
49	Caroo, Leonte	Rutgers	71.875	211	Eventual Starter	7.0
50	Miller, Braxton	Ohio State	73.375	201	Eventual Starter	7.0
70	Thomas, Mike	Southern Miss	73	200	Eventual Starter	6.7
76	Mitchell, Malcolm	Georgia	71.625	198	Eventual Starter	6.6
98	Boyd, Tyler	Pittsburgh	73.5	197	Eventual Starter	6.3
99	Spruce, Nelson	Colorado	73.125	206	Eventual Starter	6.3
105	Moore, Chris	Cincinnati	73	206	Eventual Starter	6.2
110	Payton, Jordan	UCLA	73.125	207	Eventual Starter	6.1
125	Cajuste, Devon	Stanford	75.75	234	Potential Starter	5.9

Let’s start at the top where I, like many lately, have Josh Doctson above Laquan Treadwell. No, this doesn’t mean that I hate Treadwell, really like him and he was a joy to watch in college but I just like Doctson’s skill set a bit better. I think Doctson is more consistent at high pointing the ball, has better speed, and they are comparable as route runners giving Doctson the slight edge. And yes I know about Treadwell’s blocking ability, I don’t care, it’s nice to have but it doesn’t really sway my ranks that far. All that to say I like both a lot. Moving on to a trio of receivers who all have the same grade, but a diverse range of skill sets. Michael Thomas has the first tie-breaker of the trio and it has to do with body type and the way he wins. Thomas is that big body receiver you envision as a primary target, he does a very good job of controlling his body, and although he’s not a blazer he’s a good enough athlete to create separation in routes and mismatches in the open field. He didn’t get the work you’d want to see at Ohio State but Urban Meyer and company start on the ground and go to the air when necessary. The next player in the trio is Sterling Shepard, who may be the most complete and NFL ready player in the draft. Shepard is the best route runner in the draft, with sure hands and a tough streak the only thing that he lacks is height and that’s only so much of a concern when you can do the things mid-route that he does. The last of the trio is Corey Coleman who comes from a Baylor system that uses wideouts a bit differently than just about everyone else. When the play was not going to the WRs side (pass or run), the Baylor receivers are told to not go full speed to conserve their energy as the Baylor offense looks to run a lot of plays. Coleman is a burner, but much like the next on WR on the list he does have some issues with drops. Whether that’s a problem like Ty Montgomery (apparently fixable) or more like that WR whose name you no longer remember is yet to be seen. Coleman has upside, but with a little more development than Shepard or Thomas he loses the tie-breaker. Behind those ranked starters are a pair who truly embody the opposite ends of the spectrum. Leonte Carroo is a player who just does everything well. He doesn’t have a trait that pops as elite but he doesn’t have a fatal flaw or major weakness that you can point to and say that he’s going to fail because of it. Braxton Miller on the other hand played one year of receiver at Ohio State after playing QB for the first three seasons before shoulder troubles made continuing at QB untenable. Miller is raw, but he’s an explosive athlete with a knack for how to use his athleticism in space, and an awareness of how plays develop that comes from years of playing quarterback. Miller is going to need to work hard to refine his skills but the flashes seen in 2015 at Ohio State are really exciting. Behind Carroo & Miller is a mini-tier of two prospects before a bit of a drop-off. Those two receivers are a pair of athletic freaks who have both gone under the radar through most of the draft season. The first is Mike Thomas out of Southern Miss. A combine snub, Thomas is a big bodied, long receiver who wins well at the catch point and has overblown drops issues. He’s a dynamic playmaker, who needs refinement but he has near the highest upside in the class. The other player is Malcolm Mitchell. I know Mitchell from games I’ve watched of Georgia’s over the past couple of seasons and I like him a lot. Mitchell didn’t produce the way you want, but much like the Ohio State duo it has more to do with a grounded offense, and in Georgia’s case, atrocious QB play than Mitchell. These two both will have impacts by year 2 and possibly before. As we move outside the top ten into our final five receivers of my number 11 receiver is a player who I’ve gone back and forth on how high or low he should be. Tyler Boyd is a player who produced well for the dearth of quarterback options around him. Boyd isn’t a great athlete, he didn’t outshine his QB situation, but he does do a pretty good job at the catch point, is above average on his routes, and finds ways to get open. So yeah, he’s good at a good number of things, but doesn’t flash athletically and isn’t as developed as some would have you believe. I think I like him, but I won’t know how to feel when he’s drafted. Nelson Spruce is a lesser version of Shepard from earlier, just 3 inches taller and a bit less flashy. Spruce is a quick twitch space player who was extremely productive on bad Colorado teams. Spruce should be able to help out in the slot right away. He’s Jordan Matthews for me. My last three WR are all upside guys for me. Chris Moore is a burner who even in a high volume offense still put up 12.6 yards per target. Watching Moore’s tape you see a tough player, willing to go up take a hit and still come down with the ball. Moore needs to get better at refining his routes but he really impressed me and should be a useful 2 or 3 for someone in the NFL. Jordan Payton and Devon Cajuste are a pair of Pac-12 guys with promise. We’ll start with the lower rated Cajuste is the biggest receiver of my top 15 and one of the biggest in this year’s class. Cajuste converts his size into power with enough speed and body control to be a very good big bodied number 2. Lastly, Payton. I may be too low on him. He’s a very well rounded receiver with good hands and route running. He produced very well on while catching passes from a true freshman QB in 2015. Payton isn’t a freak twitch athlete but he converts power into speed well enough vertically to be a problem for corners.

Overall there’s some upside here, but more importantly I think there’s a deep group, with diverse skill sets, and relatively high ceilings on the group in general.

I’ll add the top ten for the tight ends here. I find them tough to balance blocking and receiving. Henry & Hooper are the only ones I’m sure on. After that, it’s a crap shoot to me.

Overall	Player	Team	Ht	Wt	Role	Grade
34	Henry, Hunter	Arkansas	76.875	250	Starter	7.5
65	Hooper, Austin	Stanford	75.75	254	Eventual Starter	7.0
79	Duarte, Thomas	UCLA	74	231	Eventual Starter	6.8
91	Vannett, Nick	Ohio State	78	257	Eventual Starter	6.6
96	Williams, Bryce	East Carolina	77.75	257	Eventual Starter	6.5
109	Higbee, Tyler	WKU	78	249	Eventual Starter	6.3
117	Braunecker, Ben	Harvard	75.375	250	Eventual Starter	6.2
169	Sandland, Beau	Montana State	76.5	253	Potential Starter	5.8
181	Scheu, Steven	Vanderbilt	76.5	253	Potential Starter	5.7
221	Weiser, Matt	Buffalo	77	255	Potential Starter	5.5