2023 NFL Scouting Combine Winners and Losers: Wide Receivers

Zay Flowers

Bruce Matson Posted On March 8, 2023

This year’s wide receiver class is considered not as strong as previous classes. It’s not as deep with talent and there aren’t any generational must-get prospects at the top of the draft. With that being said, there will still be enough talent on the board to help build dynasty rosters. This is just the year dynasty gamers will need to be more frugal when drafting wide receivers.

It’s a bad sign when the top wide receivers in the class rank at the bottom in speed score. Size-adjusted speed matters. If you are light in the pants, then you have to be fast to offset the lack of size. There are not many productive wide receivers in NFL who weigh 185 pounds, let alone smaller wide receivers who struggle to run in the low 4.4s.

We do have some under-the-radar wide receivers who are very athletic. This should allow them to get additional looks during the scouting process. They are also players to watch during the NFL Draft to see when they get selected. The good thing here is that it builds much-needed depth at the bottom of the class.

WINNERS

Zay Flowers, Boston College

Flowers is a candidate to get drafted in the first round of the draft. His performance at the combine might have solidified his draft capital. He measured 5-foot-9 and weighed 182 pounds. He ran an official 4.42-second 40-yard dash. This makes him very comparable to veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Not only do they compare athletically, but their styles of play are also very similar.

Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

He made a smart business decision by not running at the combine. However, he did participate in the other drills. We saw him post an elite 6.57 three-cone and a 3.93 20-yard shuttle. These numbers transfer to how he wins laterally in small spaces while breaking down routes – one of the reasons why he can easily create separation from defenders. He also had a modest 35-inch vertical.

Marvin Mims, Oklahoma

Mims has been climbing draft boards this draft season. He proved he belonged to be in the discussion as one of the top receivers in this year’s draft class by running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at 183 pounds. Not to mention he posted a solid 6.90 three-cone. Mims has the deep speed and short-area quickness to make an impact for his new NFL team. Combine his athleticism with his ball skills and you have a future playmaker.

Quentin Johnston, TCU

Johnston came into the combine measuring 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds. He did not participate in the 40-yard dash. His vertical was outstanding at 40.5 inches which not only indicates that he can jump out of the building but he’s also a very explosive athlete. We received confirmation of this when he posted an 11-foot-2 broad jump. He also had one catch in the drills where he showcased his vertical by leaping insanely high to make the catch.

Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

Hyatt did not live up to expectations, but he didn’t fail the combine. The hype was telling us that he would run in the 4.3s or possibly even the 4.2s, but his official time for the 40-yard dash was an anticlimactic 4.40. What was impressive was his 40-inch vertical and his 11-foot-3 broad jump. This means he has a lot of burst along with long speed. He just doesn’t have generational deep speed.

Trey Palmer, Nebraska

Palmer has been slowly climbing people’s draft boards all off-season. He posted a 39.36% market share of Nebraska’s passing offense in 2022. At the combine, he ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at 192 pounds. Coming out of high school Palmer was a four-star recruit who was getting offers from all the top power five schools before signing with LSU. He spent a few years there, but he didn’t flash until he transferred to Nebraska. His draft stock is on the rise and dynasty gamers need to monitor where he goes in the draft.

Bryce Ford-Wheaton, West Virginia

There’s always going to be an under-the-radar wide receiver who shows up and blows up the combine. This year it was Ford-Wheaton. He posted the numbers that dynasty gamers go crazy about. For starters, he is 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds and ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. Then he posted a 41-inch vertical. His 6.97 three-cone is good for a wide receiver over 220 pounds. Look for him to be your hyper-athletic dart-throw wide receiver in the late rounds of rookie drafts.

Andrei Iosivas, Princeton

Everyone was excited to see him play at the Senior Bowl, but his performance at the combine was very underrated. He measured in at 6-foot-3 and weighed 205 pounds while running a 4.43 40-yard dash. He also has a 39-inch vertical and a 6.85 three-cone. It looks like he’s going to be the “Jeff Janis” of this class – a small school prospect who is hyper-athletic that many dynasty players will take a shot on with their last pick in rookie drafts.

LOSERS

Jordan Addison, USC

Addison came to the combine a little bit smaller than his listed weight at 173 pounds. Then he ran his first 40-yard dash at 4.55. His second attempt was timed at 4.49 seconds which is considered slow for a guy of his stature. We were hoping that his official time would increase, but it stayed at 4.49 seconds.

His 40-time could have been worse and it’s not low enough to affect his draft stock. It probably shouldn’t impact his dynasty value. However, it gives a gateway to how he could be successful as a fantasy asset at the next level. He profiles as a slot receiver who can win on the outside with nuance.

He will need to land in an optimal situation for him to reach his upside. His tape along with his production stats indicate the odds are very good that he’s not going to develop into a bust. Just those top-end seasons that you hope to get from the wide receiver you draft in the first round might be limited unless he gets some juice from his offensive system, quarterback, or other players around him.

Josh Downs, North Carolina

In this year’s wide receiver class, all you have to do is post the numbers that correlate to your tape to be considered a winner. Downs came in at his listed weight of 171 pounds. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash which was very predictable when compared to his tape. In high school, he had a 38-inch vertical. He improved on that number total with a 38.5-inch vertical on Saturday.

Downs projects as a dynamic slot receiver at the next level. His size-speed ratio makes him perfect for the inside. He’s a very nuanced route-runner with good ball skills and will be able to create separation from defenders.

The odds are stacked against him competing consistently on the outside without playing the majority of his snaps in the slot. His size-adjusted speed caps his upside in fantasy, making him very situation dependent.

Tank Dell, Houston

We knew he wasn’t a big wide receiver, but at 165 he didn’t melt faces with his 40-yard dash. That did not happen. Instead, we got a 4.49 time which is very underwhelming when you consider his size-adjusted speed. There are not many wide receivers in the league who are producing at a high level at his size and timed speed. This is a big concern for his long-term player value.

Kayshon Boutte, LSU

Boutte failed the combine. He was in interviews stating he was going to run a 4.3 and he was far from it with a 4.50 official time. His second percentile 29-inch vertical is very alarming. I can’t imagine that his performance at the combine doesn’t affect his draft capital to some degree. He was one of the top wide receivers in college football before injuring his ankle during his sophomore season. Hopefully, he can turn things around soon, or his professional career might not be long.

Author
Recent Posts

Bruce Matson

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

I'm a financial counselor for a hospital in South Central Ohio. I graduated from Muskingum University with a bachelor's in business while minoring in Economics and Accounting. I won my first fantasy football title with Jake Plummer as my quarterback.