NFL Draft prospects: Ranking wide receivers heading into the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft will be held from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, MO. The first round will be held on Thursday, Friday will cover the second and third rounds, and then the remainder of the draft will be wrapped up on Saturday.

Unlike the past few years, there isn’t a wide receiver that is projected to be taken in the top 10 in this class. However, there are still plenty of strong pass-catching threats in this year’s class and a handful of them will have their names called on Day 1.

Likely first player off the board

Ohio State’s Jaxon-Smith Njigba will likely be the first wideout taken off the board and he should hear his name called in the middle portions of the first round. Sharing a receiving room with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in 2021, JNS still managed to stand out by setting a Big Ten record with 1,606 receiving yards off 95 receptions and nine touchdowns that year. The 6’1”, 196-pound prospect out of Rockwell, TX, would miss a good chunk of the 2022 season with a hamstring injury, dropping his stock as a potential top-10 draft choice. Nevertheless, some draft experts have made comparisons with him to Justin Jefferson and he’s expected to have an immediate impact in the league.

Biggest names

Sitting right behind Smith-Njigba is Boston College’s Zay Flowers, who could also be a mid-first rounder. Flowers has risen up the board throughout draft season and the speedy 5’9” prospect has the potential to be the next Tyreek Hill-esque speed demon playing out of the slot

TCU’s Quentin Johnson and USC’s Jordan Addison are two prospects who could also hear their names called on Day 1. The 6’3” Johnston played a huge role in getting TCU to the College Football Playoff title game this past season and always has big catch potential. Meanwhile, Addison has a Biletnikoff Award on his college resume and is drawing some comparisons to Tyler Lockett heading into the draft.

The Tennessee duo of Cedric Tillman and 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt are both projected as round two picks and both could play huge roles at wherever they land right out the gate. North Carolina’s Josh Downs could also be a Day 2 selection that ends up turning heads upon his arrival to the league.

Sleepers

As is the case every year, a number of under-the-radar receiving prospects could make an impact in the right situation. Some potential includes Wake Forest’s AT Perry, West Virginia Bryce Ford-Wheaton, and Michigan State’s Jayden Reed.