4. The wide receivers
Mike Williams (Clemson) and Corey Davis (Western Michigan) appear to be atop the 2017 NFL Draft class at wide receiver. Both have been projected to go as high as the top 10 with one or the other being seen as the top receiver in the class. They will surely be on display in Indianapolis this week.
Though, we’re definitely going to want to see how lesser-known receivers handle the spotlight in front of the league’s 32 teams. This list includes small-school product Cooper Kupp from Eastern Washington as well as CAL’s Chad Hansen.
“Catches passes like his idol, Larry Fitzgerald. Plucks it away from his body and immediately tucks it away. Utilizes route speed variances to create deep-ball opportunities,” NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein said about Kupp recently. “Extremely confident and competitive. Bodies up cornerbacks to win contested catches. Believes he can catch every throw and is able to make the circus grab look easy at times. Excellent ball-tracker.”
This is where it gets interesting. Receivers run a drill called the Gauntlet, which allows scouts to focus on who can run the best route tree and track the ball. Should Kupp succeed here, it’s possible he could find himself selected at the end of the first round.
Considered a lesser prospect by some, Hansen was absolutely dominant for CAL this past season. He recorded 92 receptions for 1,249 yards in a pass-centric offense led by then Bears head coach Sonny Dykes. Like everything in that type of offense, stats are to be taken with a grain of salt. See: Davis Webb.
On the field and on tape, Hansen has the speed and size to be a boundary receiver in the NFL. More than individual position drills, we’re going to want to see how the 6-foot-2 receiver performs in the generic aspects of combine. Will his straight-line speed show up in the three-cone drill? Is he as fast as his 40 might seem to suggest? This will tell us a lot about where the talented youngster lands in the upcoming draft.
Overall, the NFL is now a pass-first league. This much cannot be denied. That will surely place value on talented receivers heading into the draft. Outside of the big two here, whoever shows the most in Indianapolis could climb up the board big time.