NFL Draft Primer: Ranking the Wide Receiver Destinations

Dan Meylor

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With the NFL draft getting closer with each day that passes, the age old debate amongst dynasty owners of what is more important when scouting incoming rookies – a player’s overall talent or his opportunity – will raise its ugly head once again.

Like most, I’m of the opinion that talent always wins in the end so I always try to take the situation a player is drafted into out of the equation when I’m on the clock. In time, a supremely talented player who ends up in a less than desirable situation is much more worthy of being chosen in a rookie draft than a less-talented player who’s drafted into an ideal situation. With that said, completely ignoring those prime situations (especially at this point in the process) would be irresponsible.

With free agency having run its course for the most part and NFL franchises preparing to add the latest class of rookies to their rosters, now is an ideal time to identify the best (and worst) landing spots for dynasty purposes. If nothing else, it gives us all something to debate while we wait for draft weekend.

I already covered the best and worst quarterback landing spots and Ryan McDowell did the same with the running back position. Now let’s see how all 32 teams rank as far as the potential situation for the incoming rookies. Each of the teams is placed into tiers from four stars (great situation) all the way down to one star (poor.)

Four Stars

New Orleans Saints

I know everybody sees the Saints as a “run first” team now that they traded away Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills and added C.J. Spiller as well as one of the best centers in the league, Max Unger. Sean Payton didn’t wake up one day this off-season and decide he was going to take the ball away from his best player though. Brees is still going to sling it to Brandin Cooks and Marques Colston (who are both best in the slot) but they are in desperate need of an outside playmaker. The Saints the top destination for a rookie wide out, particularly if they can get one of the top receivers with one of their two first round picks.

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Philadelphia Eagles

After Jordan Matthews, the Eagles’ wide receiver situation is a mess. Riley Cooper is overpaid and under-good (that’s right) and second-year wide out Josh Huff hasn’t been tested. There’s room for at least one receiver in Philadelphia. With what should be an excellent running game now that DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews are in town, a rookie could make a splash similar to Matthews’ a year ago and have a bright future in the City of Brotherly Love.

Dallas Cowboys

With veteran Tony Romo under center and one of the top wide outs in the league Dez Bryant already in place, Dallas makes for one of the prime landing spots for a rookie receiver. And no, Terrence Williams is not a good reason to pass on one. Dynasty owners are more focused on the Cowboys’ massive need at running back for good reason but Dallas is also a prime spot for a rookie pass catcher. Any of the top rookie receivers would look great getting single coverage and catching passes from Romo for the next handful of seasons.

Carolina Panthers

At this point it’s obvious that Kelvin Benjamin is the only Carolina receiver worthy of the starting lineup which means the Panthers present one of the easiest paths to playing time for a rookie at the position. With Cam Newton under center and Benjamin as well as Greg Olsen taking away defensive attention, a rookie would have the potential to make a big splash as early as this season in Carolina.

New England Patriots

Although Bill Belichick has struggled in the draft finding quality receivers, that’s not because New England is a bad destination for young wide outs. With Tom Brady still playing like he’s in his prime and room behind Julian Edelman for snaps out wide with only Brandon LaFell, Danny Ammendola and Aaron Dobson, New England makes for a prime destination for a playmaking receiver.

Baltimore Ravens

The loss of Torrey Smith leaves a big hole in the Baltimore receiving corps. After the ageless Steve Smith, only Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown would stand in the way of any rookie wide out seeing the field. With a quality quarterback (Joe Flacco) and a good offensive coordinator (Mark Trestman), Baltimore is one of the top destinations for a first year receiver.

Three Stars

Miami Dolphins

With young wide receivers like Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills, many may not consider Miami a very attractive destination for a rookie wide receiver. The Dolphins’ offense is rising though and Joe Philbin wants to employ more three wide receiver sets for Ryan Tannehill. Miami needs a big wide out that can make plays in the red zone along their two speedsters and would make for a good place for any rookie receiver that fits that profile.

Oakland Raiders

Call me crazy, but I no longer see the Black Hole as a black plague on fantasy players. The Raiders have a good, albeit developing, quarterback now with Derek Carr under center and they’re attempting to put some talent around him. With James Jones, Andre Holmes, Michael Crabtree and Latavius Murray in place as well as one of the top pass blocking offensive lines in the league last year according to footballoutsiders.com, Oakland has an improving offense with room for a playmaking wide out to make an impact.

San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers is in a contract year but is still one of the top quarterbacks in the league and Keenan Allen is a legitimate threat on the outside. The Chargers are in desperate need of another option to take the pressure off Allen and give Rivers another weapon. They signed Stevie Johnson and already have Malcom Floyd but both could give way to a rookie relatively easily. The long term prospects of a rookie wide out hinge on Rivers staying with the team. But San Diego would be a nice spot for a wide receiver in the draft.

Minnesota Vikings

The emergence of Charles Johnson and addition of Mike Wallace gives the Vikings a formidable duo at receiver but it’s still possible Minnesota will be looking to add another playmaker on the outside. Committed to giving Teddy Bridgewater the weapons to be successful, a rookie wide receiver with skills around the goal line would do wonders for the Vikings’ offense – especially if Adrian Peterson is still with the team.

Atlanta Falcons

The entire Falcons roster is full of holes. Although they could a third option behind Julio Jones and the aging Roddy White, wide receiver isn’t very high on the wish list. If Thomas Dimitroff decides to add a quick slot man however, he would fit in nicely as an underneath option for Matt Ryan. Atlanta wouldn’t be an awful landing spot for a receiver on day two of the draft or early in day three.

New York Giants

The Giants already have Odell Beckham, Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle to go along with the developing Corey Washington and they have bigger needs in the draft. Even with all that though, Ben McAdoo envisions the New York offense to become something like the one he had in Green Bay and that means a plentiful supply of quality receivers. That along with the scary patellar tendon injury that Cruz suffered last year makes the Giants a sneaky good destination for a rookie wide out.

Two Stars

Cincinnati Bengals

Any wide receiver playing across from A.J. Green has the potential to do a lot of damage for fantasy owners, but any wide out relying on Andy Dalton to get him the ball better be as talented as Green to realize that potential. Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu are pretty well cemented behind Green. There are better places for a rookie wide out to end up.

Detroit Lions

Technically there’s room for a third wide receiver to be productive in Detroit. But Golden Tate playing Robin to Calvin Johnson’s Batman and the possible emergence of Eric Ebron, there are already enough mouths to feed in the Motor City. The Lions need depth at the position as injury insurance and to mix into three receiver sets so there’s some upside for a rookie. But there are also better spots for one as well.

Jacksonville Jaguars

With last year’s high draft picks Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee already in place as well as the potential for Justin Blackmon to return, seeing the field will be an uphill climb for a rookie wide out. If Blake Bortles continues to grow however, this could be a rising offense now that Julius Thomas is in Jacksonville.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers already have Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson as well as Austin Seferian-Jenkins and have far more pressing needs than receiver early in the draft. With unproven players like Louis Murphy and Robert Herron behind the top two wide outs on the depth chart they may address the position late in the draft to get some depth for their rookie quarterback, but considering the uphill battle for quality playing time and the question marks surrounding a rookie passer there are better landing spots.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks have a depth chart that features the likes of Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson and Chris Matthews yet they still have an offense that scores points. Now that Graham is in town they have a true number one pass catcher in place. Seattle has proven they don’t need a top-tier wide out to be successful and that spreading the ball out is their chosen game plan. It’s unlikely they’ll veer off that path for Graham, let alone a newly drafted wide out.

New York Jets

The Jets already have Eric Decker and newly acquired Brandon Marshall on the outside and Jeremy Kerley in the slot. They also have question marks throughout the rest of their offense, topped by the quarterback position where the uninspiring tandem of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith will likely duel this summer to start under center. All that makes New York a less than attractive landing spot for a rookie receiver.

Denver Broncos

Despite having one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history under center and losing slot man Wes Welker, the Broncos aren’t a very desirable destination for a rookie. Peyton Manning won’t be around very long and last year’s second round pick Cody Latimer is poised to fill the role of third wide receiver alongside Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Denver certainly isn’t a horrible landing spot for a rookie wide out. But there are a pile of other NFL cities that dynasty owners can be more excited about.

Cleveland Browns

A depth chart topped with Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins means a rookie wide out wouldn’t have a hard time seeing the field in Cleveland. That same depth chart has Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel on it however, meaning the rookie wide out may have a hard time seeing an accurate pass coming his way. Cleveland is a mess. No matter the position, any rookie drafted by the Browns will have an uphill climb to make a sizeable fantasy impact anytime soon.

Houston Texans

The only true threat at receiver in Houston is DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans tried to add depth with Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington but both are replaceable. There’s a good chance that a rookie could make an impact in Houston but the muddled quarterback situation featuring Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer keep the Texans from being higher on this list.

Chicago Bears

After trading Marshall to the Jets, the Bears must fill a void across from Alshon Jeffery. Fantasy sleeper Marquess Wilson is the frontrunner to take over and John Fox has promised a run first attack in the windy city, so an incoming rookie wide out would have an uphill climb to fantasy prevalence.

Tennessee Titans

There are question marks everywhere in Tennessee and a rookie wide receiver would be walking into a mess. The coach will be on the hot seat, the offense is full of underperformers including Bishop Sankey and Justin Hunter, and the quarterback situation is up in the air. The question under center will be answered after the second overall pick in the draft but none of the trio of Zach Mettenberger, Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota will help the situation quickly in Tennessee. Despite potentially being able to see the field early for the Titans with only Kendall Wright as a legitimate starter, there are far better landing spots than Tennessee for a rookie wide out.

Pittsburgh Steelers

With two young prospects already behind Antonio Brown in Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton, it’d be difficult for a rookie to get playing time. The potential to play with Ben Roethlisberger and always see single coverage is attractive however. The Steelers have a solid franchise so although Pittsburgh’s lineup wouldn’t be easy to crack it isn’t the worst potential landing spot for a rookie pass catcher.

One Star

Kansas City Chiefs

With a professional dink-and-dunk passer like Alex Smith at the helm, it’s difficult to get too excited about Kansas City as a potential landing spot for a rookie pass catcher despite having just one noteworthy wide receiver in Jeremy Maclin. Feeding Maclin along with Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce is too much already for Smith. There aren’t any more quality targets to go around in Kansas City.

Buffalo Bills

Rex Ryan has promised a ground and pound attack now that LeSean McCoy is a Bill. Add to that Buffalo’s lack of a real NFL starting quarterback and their investment in Sammy Watkins a year ago as well as already having Percy Harvin and Robert Woods and it’s easy to see why the Bills don’t offer a lot for a rookie wide out.

Green Bay Packers

Now that Randall Cobb is back in Titletown to pair with Jordy Nelson and up-and-comer Davante Adams is in place as the third option for Aaron Rodgers, the Packers don’t have a very demanding need at receiver. Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis add young depth with upside so there isn’t room for much more at the position.

Indianapolis Colts

Any rookie picked by Indy will be buried behind T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson and Donte Moncrief and will have to fight Duron Carter and Vincent Brown for a roster spot. With that said, much like in Green Bay with Rodgers, any receiver with in line to play with Andrew Luck has long term upside.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have their top three receivers in place with Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. Reports out of the desert say they’re also high in fourth wide out, Jaron Brown. Any rookie would have to climb a relatively solid depth chart in the short term and the eventual loss of Carson Palmer, who is 35, puts the long term upside of a rookie wide out landing in Arizona in question.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins are difficult to figure out. They seem content with the trio of DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Andre Roberts but outside of Jackson, there isn’t much there for dynasty owners to get excited about considering the question marks surrounding Robert Griffin III and his apparent feud with the coaching staff. The questionable front office headed by owner Dan Snyder to go along with what is looking like an upcoming messy divorce between coach and quarterback makes Washington a less than desirable landing spot for any rookie.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams are an unknown. The change to Nick Foles under center shouldn’t give dynasty owners much confidence and the wide receiver corps is already full of upside with Brian Quick, Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt. A rookie wide out would likely just make the situation even cloudier in St. Louis. Unless you have a lot of confidence in Foles, it’s difficult to be excited about the prospect of another highly touted receiver becoming a part of the Rams’ offense.

San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco’s offense promises to feature a ground and pound attack under new coach Jim Tomsula, Colin Kaepernick is more known for his legs than his arm, and the 49ers already have Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin and a slot man with potential, Bruce Ellington. Dynasty owners shouldn’t get excited about a wideout landing in San Francisco.

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dan meylor