NFL Combine Review: Wide Receivers

With the NFL Combine now complete, dynasty fantasy footballers now have one more piece of data to use in their analysis of the incoming rookie class. That is what the weekend in Indy should be by the way, one more piece to the puzzle, not a defining moment for any of these players we’ve studied the past few months, or even years.

In this four-part series, I’ll review the key offensive fantasy positions, looking at players who may have helped themselves, along with some who might see their stock drop after a disappointing performance at the NFL Combine.

In this edition, I’ll look at the deep wide receiver position, in which many players surprised and impressed onlookers this weekend. Here’s the data collected at the NFL Combine.

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Key Players:

Corey Davis, Western Michigan

Dealing with an ankle injury, Western Michigan’s Corey Davis was unable to participate in any of the weekend’s drills. He is also expected to miss his pro day after undergoing surgery, though he will reportedly hold an individual workout in April. He’s still locked in as a top three pick in rookie drafts.

Mike Williams, Clemson

With Davis out, the Combine was a chance to Clemson’s Mike Williams to separate himself and prove he is the top receiver available. That didn’t exactly happen. Williams 32.5 vertical jump was a disappointment for a player who is lauded for his ability to go up and get any ball. He followed that up by opting out of the 40, which added to the concerns about his speed. While many consider Williams one of the “losers” of the Combine, he remains in the top tier of four players for dynasty drafts, though Christian McCaffrey and others are closing in on him.

John Ross, Washington

As you know by now, Washington’s John Ross was the story of the weekend. Ross broke Chris Johnson’s recent Combine record as he ran a 4.22 40, but failed to win the Adidas island after he donned Nike shoes for the run of his life. Ross also suffered a minor injury during the record-breaking run that ended his day. Ross did enough to get everyone’s attention and solidify his likely place among the players to be drafted on the draft’s opening night. Ross still carries some injury concerns and is set to undergo shoulder surgery soon, but he will be hard to pass up in the middle of the first round in rookie drafts.

Curtis Samuel, Ohio State

While the Ross run stole the show, Ohio State’s do everything Curtis Samuel logged the second fastest time among wideouts with a 4.31. While I’ve been a big fan of Samuel’s through this early part of the process, I was still quite surprised he ran so well. Logging time at both running back and wide receiver in college, there is still some question about Samuel’s actual position. The final answer will have to wait until we see how his eventual team uses him. For fantasy purposes, Samuel obviously worked out with the wideouts and is also listed as a receiver by MyFantasyLeague for the 2017 season. Samuel’s versatility opens up many possibilities and has some comparing him to Percy Harvin.

Juju Smith-Schuster, USC

Former USC star Juju Smith-Schuster has been a favorite of mine throughout his college career, but the doubters have been mounting recently. Some even suggested he would fall outside of the first round of dynasty drafts. He had a solid weekend, running an official 4.54 40 time, which paired with his early college numbers, should leave dynasty owners feeling confident about using a mid-first round pick on JSS.

Chris Godwin, Penn State

Potentially the biggest winner of the weekend was Penn State’s Chris Godwin. Film scouts had already been won over by Godwin’s play with the Nittany Lions, but he added some impressive measurable this weekend. Godwin ran a 4.42 40, which is remarkable for a receiver his size (6’1”, 201 pounds) and also notched the best short shuttle of all receivers. Godwin has gone from sleeper to likely first round dynasty rookie pick. Along with his Combine performance, he also got the vote of confidence from Reception Perception and NFL.com writer Matt Harmon.

Others to Watch:

KD Cannon, Baylor

Baylor speedster KD Cannon performed well in most drills, posting a 4.41 40, which was not a surprise. The knock on Cannon has been his ability to make the catch as he was often unable to hang onto the ball, though he showed well in the gauntlet and other receiving drills. Cannon still has a lot to prove and could fall to the third day of the draft. If that is the case, he’s likely no more than a mid-second round fantasy option.

Malachi Dupre, LSU

Although he entered college as a highly-ranked recruit and enjoyed a solid freshman season, Malachi Dupre and the entire LSU passing offense struggled in the past two years. Dupre was unproductive and has many questions to answer for both scouts and dynasty players. He measured in at smaller than expected and failed to impress through most other drills. I still believe in Dupre’s talent, but I think he lost some dynasty value this weekend.

Carlos Henderson, Louisiana Tech

Another fast rising wideout is former Louisiana Tech star Carlos Henderson, who some have ranked as high as the WR3 in the class. Henderson showed his athleticism at the Combine with gaudy vertical and broad jump numbers and his height/weight/speed combination had NFL Research Twitter account comparing him to Odell Beckham. There is little not to like about Henderson. Just hope he is still sliding under the radar in your dynasty league. Grabbing him in the late first round would not be a stretch.

Zay Jones, East Carolina

There was no knocking the college production of Zay Jones, but his speed and route running had come under question. He answered nearly every question, running a 4.45 40 and jumping 11’1” in the broad jump. Jones is yet another rising wide receivers, including Henderson and Godwin, who could routinely land in the first round of dynasty rookie drafts.

Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington

While he went to a small school, Cooper Kupp is making a big name for himself. He didn’t run all that well, notching a 4.62 official time, but few seemed concerned. Kupp also failed to impress in the other drills, but if we are to believe the reports, scouts (and dynasty owners) are smitten with Kupp’s upside. One of the oldest players in the draft, Kupp will have to prove himself quickly to maintain his dynasty value.

Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky

Lost in the workouts of some of the bigger names, Western Kentucky’s Taywan Taylor put up a quietly dominant performance. In fact, if you compare the workout numbers of Taylor and running back Christian McCaffrey, you’ll find a lot of similarities, as pointed out by ProFootballFocus writer Scott Barrett on Twitter. While the wide receiver class has been viewed as weak at the top, the sudden depth is making a strong overall rookie class even better.

Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma

It wasn’t too long ago that most dynasty owners viewed Heisman finalist Dede Westbrook as an eventual first round rookie pick. Since the season ended, things have not gone his way though. He opted out of post-season bowls and then chose not to work out this weekend. His also reportedly did poorly in team interviews and has both injury and off-field concerns. There have even been some reports that he could go undrafted next month. As a result of these rumors, his dynasty value is quickly fading.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.

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