A four-star recruit out of Southside High School in Youngsville, Louisiana, Nabers was a football, basketball, and track star in high school, and chose Mississippi State over Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Penn State and Texas A&M before changing his mind and committing to the Tigers. Nabers made Freshman All-SEC in 2021, but the ceiling really rose in 2022, when he caught 72 passes on 100 targets for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns.

Nabers absolutely torched the field in his third season with the Tigers, catching 89 balls on 128 targets for 1,568 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023. On passes of 20 or more air yards from Jayden Daniels, who may have been the NCAA’s best deep thrower in the 2023 season, Nabers had 19 catches on 29 targets for 624 yards and nine touchdowns, and his NFL team could give him even more deep-ball volume, depending on the offense. Nabers primarily ran go, seam, and hitch routes in 2023, but he’s got enough tape doing other things to point to route versatility, which will be of paramount importance for any receiver with his explosive profile.

If you’re looking for the next great speed receiver in the Tyreek Hill mold, you might have to wait in line for this guy.

PLUSES

— Legit home run speed to any area of the field; can just as easily run by a cornerback for 60 yards as he can turn a hitch or stop route into a 50-yard touchdown.

— Leans into his route stems subtly and professionally and doesn’t lose a lot of speed when doing so.

— Unafraid to catch the ball in traffic; he’ll get the grimy yards after the catch.

— Changes the geometry of the defense; your safeties are playing back nervously.

MINUSES

— Not a blocker of note, but that’s not why you want him on the field.

— Could work to expand his catch radius; he’s more capable of getting the ball clean and turning it into a car chase.

— Focus and timing drops are notable enough for it to be a small coaching point at the NFL level.

— 50/50 balls are about 50/50; he’s not your ideal contested-catch target.

The combination of pure speed and route understanding could have Nabers as the top WR in this class. If Marvin Harrison Jr. is No. 1 on anybody’s board, Nabers should be at least 1A for his own special reasons.

NFL Comparison: Justin Jefferson. Nabers is the most complete receiver in this class. He’s got legitimate third-level speed, he’s a dawg in traffic, and you can have him run just about every route. Those traits bring Justin Jefferson, the Minnesota Vikings’ star, especially Nabers’ ability make his speed cuts upfield without slowing his gait. That’s tough for cornerbacks to deal with.

Marvin Harrison Jr., the son of the former Indianapolis Colts receiver who totaled 1,102 catches on 1,781 targets for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns over 13 seasons from 1996 through 2008, was a four-star recruit out of St. Joseph’s High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He chose Ohio State over Syracuse (his father’s alma mater), Florida, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

Harrison, thought by most to be the No. 1 receiver prospect in this class, caught 67 passes on 114 targets for the Buckeyes last season for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. On throws of 20 or more air yards, he caught 15 passes on 24 targets for 598 yards and five touchdowns. Harrison is capable of burning defenders on any route, but he ran primarily go, dig, hitch, post, drag, and seam routes.

PLUSES

— Contested-catch artist who can wriggle out of press coverage by slow-playing cornerbacks and adjusting his moves off the line of scrimmage.

— Has an impeccable understanding of voids in zone/man/match; he’ll become his NFL quarterback’s best friend.

— His release into route stems is absolutely filthy. Basically, covering him all day just sucks.

— Catch radius is also ridiculous. He’ll do as much as any receiver to mitigate inaccurate throws.

MINUSES

— Doesn’t have Tyreek Hill-level burner speed, but it won’t matter because he has so many ways to get open downfield.

— Focus drops can be a problem, even after he’s tied a poor cornerback into knots.

— Could work on blocking.

Harrison is absolutely plug-and-play in the NFL from Day 1. If he had a fifth gear at the third level of a defense, he might be the best player in this class, regardless of position. He has just about everything else.

NFL Comparison: Larry Fitzgerald. In Harrison’s case, there’s everything in the world to like except for the fact that he doesn’t have absolute third-level speed to scald safeties downfield. But as a route-runner with pinpoint understanding of every nuance, toughness in traffic, and the ability to get open in all kinds of ways, he brings Larry Fitzgerald to mind. Fitzgerald was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2004 draft, and put up 58 catches for 780 yards and eight touchdowns in his rookie season. In 2005, he bagged a league-high 103 receptions for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns — the first of many remarkable seasons for the future Hall of Famer. Like Harrison, Fitzgerald had all the tools you could want… except that his speed was more gliding than explosive.

A four-star recruit from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Rome Odunze chose Washington after a dalliance with Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley, and he succeeded through three different head coaches (Chris Peterson, Jimmy Lake, Kalen DeBoer). He redshirted in the COVID-shortened season of 2020, fought through injuries in 2021, and then went viral with 75 catches on 110 targets for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns.

Odunze then upped the ante in 2023 with 92 passes on 140 targets last season for 1,639 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a deep target, Odunze caught 23 of 49 passes of 20 or more air yards for 783 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Odunze feasted on go, seam, post, and hitch routes, but there really isn’t any route he can’t run.

PLUSES

— Contested-catch monster who seems to welcome converging defensive backs and close-in situations.

— Arm-tackling him is an exercise in futility; you’d better wrap him up after the catch.

— “Drifts” really well on posts and fades and has late hands to give him an advantage if the CB isn’t playing the ball.

— Outstanding end zone target who can subtly re-distribute defenders to keep him open in short areas.

— Finds the voids in coverage, and then he wants to beat people up to stay open.

MINUSES

— Doesn’t have third-level breakaway speed, but go tell him it’s a problem.

— Speed off the snap is generated more by route concepts than pure vertical ability.

— Effort and intent as a blocker, but the technique is a bit iffy.

Odunze has every attribute you want at the position except for downfield accelerant speed, and as much else as he brings to the field, that shouldn’t be an issue.

NFL Comparison: DeAndre Hopkins. Odunze is as ruthlessly competitive as any receiver (heck, any player) in this draft class, and his physical abilities allow him to win contested catches by just going Full Godzilla right over defenders. In that regard, he’s very much like DeAndre Hopkins, selected by the Houston Texans with the 27th pick in the 2013 draft. In his prime, Hopkins put up his numbers by bullying cornerbacks, running sharp routes, and winning downfield… though nobody would call him a pure burner. That’s Odunze’s playing profile to a T.

A four-star recruit out of Walker High School in Walker, Louisiana, Thomas was a football and basketball star at that level, and received offers from big-time programs in both sports. He chose football, and he chose LSU over Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M.

After two seasons of middling production, and with Jayden Daniels as his quarterback, Thomas caught 68 passes on 87 targets for 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2023. On passes of 20 or more air yards, Thomas caught 15 passes on 22 targets for 670 yards and 12 touchdowns. Thomas did most of his work on go, seam, dig, and hitch routes, often against defenses that were playing off to respect the Tigers’ deep passing game. And he was more than just Malik Nabers’ backup.

PLUSES

— He’s creeping death on go and seam routes; nice build-up speed, and then whammo — he’s gone.

— Extensive library of foot fakes both at the line of scrimmage and when in open space; he knows how to get open.

— Leans into and out of his routes to create openings, and the burner speed comes right back up.

— Leverages his routes to coverage; would work well in any option route offense.

— Great at slow-playing cornerbacks off the line of scrimmage before turning on the jets.

MINUSES

— Could be more sudden on quick cuts.

— Drops show up on tape and could be an issue at the next level.

— Will face a crapton more press coverage than he did in college.

— Not a contested-catch receiver per se; his game is about getting free from those situations.

— Can he feast on more than go/seam and hitch stuff? Remains to be seen.

I love Thomas as a complementary speed target. I’m not sure if he’s ready to be a true WR1 just yet, but as those designations are different for every NFL team, the right system could give him a boost.

NFL Comparison: Brandon Aiyuk. Brandon Aiyuk has become one of the NFL’s most well-developed receivers, and Thomas has that same sort of potential. Thomas feasted on go and hitch routes from Jayden Daniels last season, with a nice side of dig routes he could take upfield. In time, he could have not only Aiyuk’s athletic and route profile, but his refinements as well. It’s a bit of a projection, but when Aiyuk was selected with the 25th pick in the 2020 draft, he wasn’t necessarily seen as a top-tier receiver, either.

Troy Franklin was a four-star recruit out of Menlo-Atherton High School in East Palo Alto, California, and he chose the Ducks over Alabama, Arizona State, LSU, USC and Washington.

When Greg Cosell and I recently watched tape with Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, the one receiver who came up more often than any other in the plays we sorted was Franklin. And for good reason — last season, Franklin caught 81 passes on 114 targets for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns. More specifically (and key for his playing profile), Franklin caught 14 passes of 20 or more air yards on 25 targets for 558 yards and seven touchdowns, and that’s what his game is about — deep speed, and understanding how to use it to tear a pass defense apart.

In today’s NFL, it’s all about creating and defending explosive plays. Franklin is more than adept at creating them, and if you’re trying to defend him… well, good luck. Franklin has a few things to work out before he’ll be able to realize his full NFL potential, but it’s hard not to be excited about what he brings to the field.

PLUSES

— Oregon ran a ton of hi/lo concepts last season, and Franklin proved to be one of the NCAA’s best receivers when taking the top off a defense on post/go/over routes.

— Gliding vertical speed with a discernible extra gear to get to the deep ball.

— Has a great understanding of how and when to slip into voids in zone coverage.

— Speed cuts are immediate and nasty; Franklin can leave a cornerback high and dry with one simple move.

MINUSES

— Nine drops last season, and a lot of them were on simple screens, slants, and comebacks. He’ll need to get his eyes and hands together at the next level.

— Contested catches are hit-and-miss; he’ll lose a 50/50 battle for every one he wins.

— YAC ability is more about winning in the open field than breaking tackles with physicality.

— Could use a bit more suddenness against press coverage from the snap; he’s certainly got all the speed necessary to blow by cornerbacks in the open field, but they’ll stick with him off the line.  The 14-yard catch against Washington State below is the ideal example of how he could win vs. press more often.

Franklin is a top receiver if you understand exactly what he is at this point in his development, and where he still needs work. With some time in the weight room and work on focus drops, he has WR1 potential with X-iso attributes. For now, put him in a heavy 3×1/2×2 offense and watch him work the deep third to your team’s advantage.

NFL Comparison: Terry McLaurin. Oregon’s offense was less about explosive plays downfield and more about timing and rhythm, but Franklin still managed 18 explosive receptions last season. His combination of downfield speed and slippery route acumen brings Washington’s Terry McLaurin to mind. McLaurin has become a great receiver in the league; he’ll be even more productive if he ever gets an above-average quarterback throwing him the ball.

Adonai Mitchell was a four-star recruit from Cane Ridge High School in Missouri City, Texas, and he chose Kirby Smart’s Georgia program over offers from multiple major programs, and an original commitment to Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss program. Before the 2023 season, he transferred to Texas to be closer to his daughter, who was being raised by his parents while he attended school.

Between Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas quarterbacks certainly weren’t lacking for targets in the 2023 season. And Mitchell, who caught 55 passes on 86 targets for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first season with the Longhorns after those two seasons at Georgia in which he was underutilized, proved to be the most complete receiver of that impressive group.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Mitchell ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, and that is well in line with the explosive nature of his play. Last season, he bagged eight receptions of 20 or more air yards on 22 targets for 302 yards and three touchdowns, and with an NFL team in possession of a more credible deep passing game, that reception total could easily double sooner than later.

Able to beat cornerbacks over the top as well as he’s able to scorch defenders on quick hitches and slants, Mitchell should be a first-round pick in the upcoming draft, and he’s a few little tweaks away from true No. 1 receiver status at the next level. The upside is pretty fierce here.

PLUSES

— Great vertical speed, but it’s Mitchell’s speed cuts that will put defenders in blenders; he can cut and re-set at full speed without losing ground, which is a rare attribute. That speed also allows him to cross a cornerback’s face before the cornerback knows what to do about it.

— Sinks into his breaks on digs and slants like a five-year NFL veteran; he’s really well-formed and practiced as a route-runner overall.

— Can be a YAC addition to a receiver room with open space in front of him; Mitchell is especially tough to deal with on hitches and comebacks.

— Has an extra gear in the open field, and will accentuate it with subtle movements as deep defenders converge.

MINUSES

— Mitchell’s contested catches are made more through speed and separation than force; you can take him out with physicality to a degree.

— Let’s just say that he’s not the first guy you’ll have in mind when it comes to blocking for other receivers on screens and run plays.

— Not especially physical in traffic. He doesn’t dry up and blow away with defenders converging, but it’s not an attribute.

— Had just 11 explosive receptions last season, but I could see that total double in the right NFL offense; there were only so many deep balls to go around with Texas’ roadrunners.

Mitchell is one of My Guys this year. I love his ability to get free with moves that a lot of NFL receivers haven’t mastered yet. As long as you scheme him into space to a point and let him cook, he can be a devastating explosive weapon. Not a small guy at 6′ 2¼” and 205, and if he can develop a bit more dawg in him, he absolutely has X-iso potential at the next level.

NFL Comparison: Jordan Addison. Mitchell caught 55 passes on 86 targets for the Longhorns last season for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he projects very well to the next level as a downfield weapon with speed cuts for days. Addison, selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 23rd pick in the 2023 draft, was able to use his own estimable deep speed to work well in Kevin O’Connell’s complex passing game last season, and in the right system, Mitchell could easily be a similar vertical component.

Let’s be frank about it: If you’re a smaller white receiver, people are going to want to compare you to every smaller white receiver, put you in a box labeled “Gritty Slot Guy,” and move on to the next. Those who wish to typecast Georgia receiver Ladd McConkey thusly are really missing out.

Over three seasons with the Bulldogs, McConkey caught 119 passes on 158 targets for 1,692 yards and 14 touchdowns. Injuries limited his 2023 productivity to a degree, but he still caught 30 passes on 37 targets for 483 yards and two touchdowns. 70% of his targets came outside, while 23% came from the slot, and 6% from the backfield, so this isn’t just another guy limited to two-way goes from the inside.

McConkey is faster than you might think, tougher than you might think, and his route awareness is NFL-plus right now. Don’t penalize him because he isn’t the typical X-iso outside receiver; focus on all the things he can do for your passing game. And in that realm, he does contain multitudes.

PLUSES

— Route mastery is clear from his tape; McConkey has the full route tree at his disposal, and he can take that right to the NFL.

— McConkey uses an impressive burst off the line of scrimmage to set cornerbacks up in press or off coverage, and then, those cornerbacks are going to have issues with his sudden cuts into and out of his breaks.

— Has a great sense of how to force the defender into a spot, and then will break away quickly to get open.

— Especially for his size (6-foot-0, 186), McConkey has no issue getting grimy catches in traffic, or breaking tackles on an end-around.

— Not at all limited to the slot; he had 485 wide snaps and 204 slot snaps through his Georgia career.

MINUSES

— McConkey doesn’t project as an X-iso receiver per se; he can get boxed out of contested catch situations, especially at the boundary.

— He’s at his best when he has space to create, and while he has the foot movement and short-area quickness to beat press off the line, that could be an adjustment in the NFL.

— Bigger, more aggressive NFL cornerbacks could give him fits for a while; he might need a couple more techniques to get free from those guys.

Every passing game is better with one of those “death by a thousand paper cuts” receivers who can get you that 6-8 yards on third-and-whatever. McConkey is absolutely that guy. And if he’s in an offense where designed openings are the order of the day, he’ll use his understanding of the nuances of the position to become a great asset. He’s more than just a little slot guy at the next level.

NFL Comparison: Amon-Ra St. Brown. McConkey might be the best route-runner in this class, and since he’s white, he’s been compared to everyone from Cooper Kupp to Julian Edelman. Those comps are easy to make, but when I studied McConkey’s tape, I was reminded of Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has become the Detroit Lions’ volume target since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of USC. Like St. Brown, McConkey has the potential to be an NFL team’s No. 1 receiver despite the fact that he doesn’t resemble one from a size/speed perspective. What both players have is a seamless ability to get open all over the field, and the tenaciousness to win contested balls that other, bigger receivers might struggle to catch.

It took South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette a while to stand out, but when he did, he really did. Legette caught 71 passes on 97 targets for 1.255 yards and seven touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ 2023 season after totaling 42 catches on 76 targets for 423 yards and five touchdowns in his previous four seasons… combined.

When it hit for Legette, he showed characteristics on the field that put him right up there with the NCAA’s best receivers in terms of productivity and explosiveness. Legette had 13 catches last season of 20 or more air yards for 554 yards and four touchdowns, and there’s more meat on that bone at the NFL level as Legette continues to refine his route palette.

“The coaches put me in place for those routes, man,” Legette said at the scouting combine of his breakout season. “Just working on those things. I had ways that I worked on those things all throughout the week. I’d go out there and work on the stuff I feel like I needed to work on Monday through Thursday, and that’s what helped me build my route tree.”

Legette is also close with 49ers receiver (and South Carolina alum) Deebo Samuel, whose play style he clearly favors.

“I’ve been talking to him since I got to South Carolina. Oh, man. Deebo, man, he ain’t taking it easy on me. He tells me, ‘If you don’t do this,’ then he’s going to be mad at me. I just try to keep him happy.”

Legette might take a second to get the hang of NFL defenses, but he’s already shown that he’s worth consideration as a late bloomer who brings a lot to a passing game.

PLUSES

— 6-foot-1, 221-pound frame, and plays bigger on the field. He’s a nightmare to cover on contested targets because he’ll just Godzilla his way over the defender.

— Nice get-up speed and acceleration downfield; can turn a drag route into a house call. Uses his stride length as a weapon.

— Can easily detach from man and match coverage; with some footwork development, he could be a real bear against press coverage.

— Has a good sense of how to get under zones to make timing and rhythm catches.

— Tackling him with anything but a square-up is a bad idea when he’s downfield; arm-tackles aren’t going to do it.

MINUSES

— One-year star who totaled 1,255 receiving yards in his 2023 season, and 423 the four seasons before. Some of the rawness comes from there.

— Needs development in his route nuances, though he does have nice short-area movement for his size. There’s an extra tick on a lot of his routes that will need to be squared off.

— Tends to fall apart on screens and swing passes that should be gimmes for someone of his stature.

— The Deebo Samuel comps are instructive, but he’s not that type of runner just yet.

I absolutely love the high points of Legette’s tape. Yes, he’s a somewhat raw prospect, but he’s a more than worthy investment.

NFL Comparison: A.J. Brown. You can throw Deebo Samuel in here as well, because at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, Legette did NOT make life easy for opposing defenders when he was South Carolina’s top target in 2023. But I’m reminded of A.J. Brown when I watch Legette’s ability to win contested catches up the field. and the ability to turn just about any play into a house call. Legette caught 71 passes on 97 targets for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns last season, and he does project as an unholy combination of those two star receivers.

A four-star recruit out of Central East High School in Fresno, California, Xavier Worthy originally committed to Michigan, but academic issues delayed that process, and after considering Alabama, Worthy then chose to roll with Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian because he liked the ways in which Sarkisian utilized DeVonta Smith, another smaller speed receiver, as Alabama’s offensive coordinator.

Speed is the important word here. Speed kills, and absolute speed kills absolutely. Worthy has absolute speed.

It was easy enough to diagnose that from watching his game tape, but when Worthy went to the 2024 scouting combine and set the record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, that was the clincher. And it was not the only instance in which Worthy put up preposterous numbers.

Now, the height/weight profile could be a problem. There are other smaller speed receivers who have succeeded in the NFL, but the guys who have done it in the modern era generally check in a bit heavier — more on the 180-pound scale.

So, will Worthy’s NFL team stick with his weight as is, or try to beef him up a bit without losing any of that explosive potential? We can but wait and see.

PLUSES

— Record-breaking speed shows up on the field; Worthy can house a handoff or a quick screen, and he’s very adept at gaining separation in a straight line downfield.

— Has a nice sense of foot feints to get off press at the line of scrimmage and will then head into Acceleration Mode.

— Turns into his routes with little need to slow down and re-accelerate.

— Wins with late hands to the ball as it’s coming in.

— His ability to get open and up to top speed out of motion could make him a terrifying target in the right NFL offense.

— Not just a go/post/seam guy, Worthy will stick his foot in the ground to re-direct, and he’s got a pretty diverse route profile.

MINUSES

— For all his explosive potential, Worthy had just six catches of 20 or more air yards last season on 23 targets for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

— Focus drops are a legitimate issue; Worthy doesn’t have much of a catch radius, and he isn’t excited about heading into traffic.

— Blocking is more performative than effective.

— Creates YAC with speed as opposed to any sort of physicality; he’s not a contested catch player in the traditional sense, and his after-contact potential is iffy.

Worthy is more of a nuanced receiver than the speed numbers would have you believe. On the other hand, he isn’t as explosively effective as you’d like for a guy with his rare traits. A lot of that can be worked through with NFL coaching, but 5′ 11¼” and 165 pounds is what it is. Worthy’s NFL team had best have a clear plan for his schematic success.

NFL Comparison: DeVonta Smith. The NFL is more open to smaller speed receivers than it was in previous eras; you need look no further than the three-year, $75 million contract extension recently signed by Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith. At 6-foot-0 and 170 pounds, Smith’s frame would have older NFL guys thinking that he’d dry up and blow away at the highest level, but that’s not been the case. Worthy choosing Texas specifically because he wanted to be developed by head coach Steve Sarkisian as Sarkisian developed Smith back when Sark was Alabama’s offensive coordinator tells you that he understood how he’d have to develop to be seen as more than a gimmicky outlier at the NFL level.