Michael Crabtree is not expected to run at the combine, which puts additional pressure on the third-year sophomore to deliver a respectable time at Texas Tech's pro day next month. Crabtree's game is not predicated on speed, so as long as he runs the 40-yard dash in the 4.5-second range and checks out physically, it's hard to imagine Crabtree dropping beyond the first 10 picks in April's NFL draft.
Game-breaking speed is, however, the common thread between the next three receivers on our board -- Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Maclin has the best combination of receiving skills and return ability in this class. Harvin is just as dangerous with the ball in his hands, but durability issues and inexperience as a route runner could cause him to slip within the first round. Inconsistency plagued Heyward-Bey's college career but he's the most dangerous vertical weapon of the three speedsters.
Hakeem Nicks and Kenny Britt round out a strong crop of first-day underclassman pass catchers. Nicks lacks ideal top-end speed but he's a strong, physical receiver with excellent hand-eye coordination. Britt is taller and a bit faster, but questionable work habits could haunt him on draft weekend.
Preparing for the Combine
The only seniors who could sneak into the latter portion of Day 1 are Juaquin Iglesias, Brandon Tate, Derrick Williams and Brian Robiskie. Iglesias is the most consistent of the group but he needs to answer questions regarding his speed by running well at the combine. Robiskie has a track background, so he's expected to run the 40-yard dash in the 4.4-second range. He does not play that fast, though. Tate and Williams are both versatile playmakers. Tate is the more explosive of the two, but his durability will be heavily scrutinized after a knee injury cut his senior season short.
Pat White is in a category of his own. Despite the recent buzz to the contrary, we maintain his best chance of making a career in the NFL is in a versatile role as a slot-receiver/returner/Wildcat triggerman. Regardless, he should come off the board early on Day 2.
The majority of the remaining Day 2 prospects can be separated into the five categories below.
Unpolished talents: The element of risk cannot be overlooked when evaluating these promising, but still undeveloped talents -- Ramses Barden, Mohamed Massaquoi, Brooks Foster, Kevin Ogletree, Andrew Means, Mike Wallace, Quinten Lawrence and David Richmond.
Utility men: These receivers may never crack a NFL starting lineup but they'll earn paychecks by contributing in multiple areas on offense and/or special teams -- Mike Thomas, Sammie Stroughter, Deon Butler, and Quan Cosby.
Home run hitters: These receivers possess big-play potential, vertically and/or after-the-catch, but won't offer much in the way of intermediate route-running skills and overall versatility -- Louis Murphy, Darius Passmore, Johnny Knox, Dominique Edison and Brennan Marion.
Chain movers: Basically the opposite of the home run hitters. These players are polished route runners capable of picking up first downs but don't expect many game-breaking plays from them in the NFL -- Brandon Gibson, Austin Collie, Kenny McKinley, Demetrius Byrd, Jarett Dillard, Taurus Johnson, Jeremy Childs, Tiquan Underwood, and Jordan Norwood.
Is bigger better? These receivers are blessed with the size to generate one-on-one mismatches but the rest of their respective games leave much to be desired -- Marko Mitchell, Aaron Kelly, Greg Orton, Patrick Turner, Jaison Williams and Nate Swift.
Ranking the WRs at the NFL scouting combine
Player School Ht. Wt. Grade
1. Michael Crabtree* Texas Tech 6-3 214 98
2. Jeremy Maclin* Missouri 6-1 200 94
3. Percy Harvin* Florida 5-11 195 90
4. Darrius Heyward-Bey* Maryland 6-1⅞ 203 89
5. Hakeem Nicks* North Carolina 6-1 210 88
6. Kenny Britt* Rutgers 6-4 215 81
7. Juaquin Iglesias Oklahoma 6-0½ 204 79
8. Brandon Tate North Carolina 6-1 195 78
9. Derrick Williams Penn State 5-11¼ 197 76
10. Brian Robiskie Ohio State 6-2⅞ 207 75
11. Ramses Barden Cal Poly 6-6 227 74
12. Pat White West Virginia 6-0 192 72
13. Mohamed Massaquoi Georgia 6-1⅜ 210 70
14. Louis Murphy Florida 6-2½ 205 65
15. Brandon Gibson Washington State 6-0⅜ 204 66
16. Brooks Foster North Carolina 6-0⅝ 204 65
17. Austin Collie BYU 6-2 206 64
18. Kenny McKinley South Carolina 5-11⅝ 182 63
19. Demetrius Byrd LSU 6-0⅝ 200 62
20. Mike Thomas Arizona 5-8 187 61
21. Jarett Dillard Rice 5-10¼ 185 60
22. Quan Cosby Texas 5-8¾ 191 59
23. Sammie Stroughter Oregon State 5-9⅜ 182 57
24. Darius Passmore Marshall 6-0½ 188 54
25. Deon Butler Penn State 5-10⅜ 168 51
26. Patrick Turner USC 6-5⅛ 221 50
27. Marko Mitchell Nevada 6-3½ 204 49
28. Aaron Kelly Clemson 6-4⅞ 190 47
29. Taurus Johnson South Florida 6-0⅛ 205 46
30. Manuel Johnson Oklahoma 5-10¾ 206 43
31. Kevin Ogletree* Virginia 6-2 190 42
32. Greg Orton Purdue 6-2½ 199 42
33. Mike Wallace Mississippi 6-0⅛ 189 41
34. Andrew Means* Indiana 6-0 215 41
35. Brian Hartline* Ohio State 6-2 186 38
36. Brennan Marion Tulsa 5-11⅝ 185 37
37. Jeremy Childs* Boise State 6-0 196 35
38. Tiquan Underwood Rutgers 6-0¼ 196 35
39. Jordan Norwood Penn State 5-9 170 32
40. Jaison Williams Oregon 6-4⅜ 239 31
41. Johnny Knox Abilene Christian 5-11⅝ 186 30
42. Quinten Lawrence McNeese State 6-4 179 30
43. Nate Swift Nebraska 6-4 200 30
44. Dominique Edison Stephen F. Austin 6-2 199 30
45. David Richmond San Jose State 6-1⅞ 192 30
* Denotes junior prospect
Top 5 WRs not invited to combine
Player School Ht. Wt. Grade
1. Gregory Carr Florida State 5-11⅝ 217 48
2. Jamarko Simmons Western Michigan 6-2 241 44
3. Quentin Chaney Oklahoma 5-11⅝ 203 39
4. Michael Jones Arizona State 6-3¾ 205 36
5. Jeremy Gilchrist Hampton 5-8¾ 171 33
Day 1 WRs in 2008 NFL draft
Player School NFL team Round (Overall)
1. Donnie Avery Houston St. Louis Rams 2 (33)
2. Devin Thomas Michigan State Washington Redskins 2 (34)
3. Jordy Nelson Kansas State Green Bay Packers 2 (36)
4. James Hardy Indiana Buffalo Bills 2 (41)
5. Eddie Royal Virginia Tech Denver Broncos 2 (42)
6. Jerome Simpson Coastal Carolina Cincinnati Bengals 2 (46)
7. DeSean Jackson Cal Philadelphia Eagles 2 (49)
8. Malcolm Kelly Oklahoma Washington Redskins 2 (51)
9. Limas Sweed Texas Pittsburgh Steelers 2 (53)
10. Dexter Jackson Appalachian State Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 (58)
The following is a graphic representation of the number of wide receivers selected in each round of the previous three NFL drafts. Most NFL teams use this type of chart to study position trends when setting up their respective draft boards each year.
Wide Receivers
Round 2008 2007 2006 Average
1 0 6 1 2.3
2 10 3 3 5.3
3 5 8 5 6
4 5 3 7 5
5 2 5 2 3
6 6 3 5 4.6
7 7 7 7 7
Total 35 35 30 33.3
Todd McShay is the director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc. He has been evaluating prospects for the NFL draft since 1998.
