Top 8 Wr
Top 8 Wide Receivers in class of 2023
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#1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The Ohio State wideouts crafty route running, body control, hands and ball concentration solidifies himself as the top wr in the class. Njigba although a slot wr does a great job of getting the DB off their platform and attacking their leverage. Violent snap in and out of breaks. Finds soft spots in zone and has strength to fight of physical dbs. Great use of late hands. Quick twitch covers lack of speed and agility. Sneaky ability in yards after catch.
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#2. Josh Downs
Downs displays excellent ball concentration and ability to high point ball despite his lack of size. Has low center of gravity on cuts and has great use of tempo and agility in route running. Uses hips, head and shoulders to "sell" routes and are in sync. Majority of his routes appear the same with well rounded creativity. More than willing to sacrifice body for catch. Elusive after the catch. Issue of size, ability to beat press and release package.
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#5. Nathaniel Dell
One of the best route runners in the class and despite size has shown ability to win outside. Ability to win outside is result of twitch and well developed release package. Violent in and out of breaks. Textbook "snap down" on routes. Elusive after the catch. Height and low center of gravity make him difficult to tackle. Uses hips, head, shoulders to sell routes. Loved the inside comeback route at Senior Bowl. Great release package and route tree. Concerned about catch radius and size. Has to add size.
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#3. Zay Flowers
Without a doubt the most dynamic wr in this class with the ball in his hands. Good pad level when running routes. Sharp cuts and gets out of breaks in a hurry. Positions body to get out of breaks quickly. Flowers high points the ball and displays late hands to avoid dbs from poking out ball. An offensive coordinators dream in terms of mismatches. Lack of size. Would love to see route running creativity and release package. Nice spilt and speed release.
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#6. Xavier Hutchinson
At listed size and weight shows nice combination of route running, physicality and jump ball ability. Quick footwork to win off the line using a split release. Uses diamond release and physicality to win at goal line and shield defenders. Makes spectacular catches with ball concentration and hands. Nice body control to be able to adjust for ball in mid air. Can snap down at top of break and make sharp cuts. Good in contested catch scenarios. Lacks ability to get over top and stack db. Runs upright at times
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#4. Jordan Addison
Utilizes the dbs "blind spot" really well. Very good split release at the line of scrimmage. Good after the catch but lacks ability to break tackles. The whip and Colorado route is his best. Good speed and deep threat ability. Displays good twitch but lacks ability to beat press. Nice job of setting db up on post routes. Inconsistent in ability to sink hips and get out of breaks. Good route runner but needs more polishing. Rounds cuts at times. Will have to add muscle to fight of defenders. Will raise pad level and indicate break at times.
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#7. Quentin Johnston
Exceptional athlete for his size and has very good diamond and split release. However Johnston lets ball get to body too many times which allows defender to deflect pass. Doesn't display physicality or ability to high point ball given his size. Good breakaway speed and loves to utilize spin move after the catch. Does play upright which leaves him susceptible to being jammed at line of scrimmage. Also making it tough to snap down at top of route. Needs to eliminate steps at top and get out of breaks quicker. Inconsistent at times and shows potential but will need to refine his route running and hands.
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#8. Jalin Hyatt
Hyatt has game changing speed and can take the top off of defenses. Hyatt rarely faced press coverage mostly because of his speed. Most of Hyatt's production was due to busted coverages on switch releases. Nonetheless Hyatt needs to prove that he can become more than a deep threat at the next level.