Re-Examining Wide Receivers in the 2019 NFL Draft

The Tennessee Titans struck gold with A.J. Brown at 51st overall. Photo Credit: USA Today

2019 was not wide receiver heavy like 2020 is, but there were still some notable players that had breakout seasons. This position is always really interesting in the draft, because a lot of times it can be hard to gauge out of college. Last year, mistakes were made all across the board. Let's review...

WR's Drafted in Order (plus notable undrafted rookies):

----- bold names had 300+ receiving yards in 2019 -----

1. Marquise Brown, Oklahoma (1--25) ----- Baltimore Ravens

2. N'Keal Harry, Arizona State (1--32) ----- New England Patriots

3. Deebo Samuel, South Carolina (2--36) ----- San Francisco 49ers

4. A.J. Brown, Ole Miss (2--51) ----- Tennessee Titans

5. Mecole Hardman, Georgia (2--56) ----- Kansas City Chiefs

6. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford (2--57) ----- Philadelphia Eagles

7. Parris Campbell, Ohio State (2--59) ----- Indianapolis Colts

8. Andy Isabella, UMass (2--62) ----- Arizona Cardinals

9. DK Metcalf, Ole Miss (2--64) ----- Seattle Seahawks

10. Diontae Johnson, Toledo (3--66) ----- Pittsburgh Steelers

11. Jalen Hurd, Baylor (3--67) ----- San Francisco 49ers

12. Terry McLaurin, Ohio State (3--76) ----- Washington Redskins

13. Miles Boykin, Notre Dame (3--93) ----- Baltimore Ravens

14. Hakeem Butler, Iowa State (4--103) ----- Arizona Cardinals

15. Gary Jennings Jr., West Virginia (4--120) ----- Seattle Seahawks

16. Riley Ridley, Georgia (4--126) ----- Chicago Bears

17. Hunter Renfrow, Clemson (5--149) ----- Oakland Raiders

18. Darius Slayton, Auburn (5--171) ----- New York Giants

19. KeeSean Johnson, Fresno State (6--174) ----- Arizona Cardinals

20. Travis Fulgham, Old Dominion (6--184) ----- Detroit Lions

21. Juwann Winfree, Colorado (6--187) ----- Denver Broncos

22. Marcus Green, Louisiana-Monroe (6--203) ----- Atlanta Falcons

23. Kelvin Harmon, NC State (6--206) ----- Washington Redskins

24. Scott Miller, Bowling Green (6--208) ----- Tampa Bay Buccaneers

25. John Ursua, Hawaii (7--236) ----- Seattle Seahawks

26. Terry Godwin, Georgia (7--237) ----- Carolina Panthers

27. Dillon Mitchell, Oregon (7--239) ----- Minnesota Vikings

28. Bisi Johnson, Colorado State (7--247) ----- Minnesota Vikings

29. Preston Williams, Colorado State (undrafted) ----- Miami Dolphins

30. Gunner Olszewski, Bemidji State (undrafted) ----- New England Patriots

31. Jakobi Meyers, NC State (undrafted) ----- New England Patriots

32. Deonte Harris, Assumption College (undrafted) ----- New Orleans Saints

33. Steven Sims, Kansas (undrafted) ----- Washington Redskins

When considering that every bold name denotes a 300+ yard receiver, there are clearly some big-time busts on this list, and also some big-time sleepers. One glance at the list above tells you that, but it'll be more fun to highlight and rank the top 8 players in each category.

SLEEPERS/VALUE PICKS:

1. A.J. Brown- The only rookie wide-out to top 1,000 yards receiving in 2019 (1,100-plus total yards), Brown was an immediate upgrade on former first round Titans bust, Corey Davis. With explosive speed not to mention above-average size and speed, the less-hyped Ole Miss prospect has been the jewel of this draft class so far.

Hats off to the Redskins for drafting 2019's number one draft sleeper at WR. Photo Credit: Bet the Prop

2. Terry McLaurin- Probably the most influential WR sleeper in this draft, McLaurin finished with over 900 yards receiving as the 76th overall draft pick... quality selection by Washington. Unfortunately, the constant back and forth at quarterback slowed the rookies breakout season. Who knows what he might have accomplished on a different roster.

3. DK Metcalf- The hulking Ole Miss #2 had all the hype after the combine, due to his massive frame and impressive physique, but he actually slipped pretty deep in the draft despite the internet buzz. The last pick of the second round, Metcalf proved he could catch in Seattle, amassing 900 receiving yards in year one.

4. Deebo Samuel- Not necessarily a sleeper (he was drafted early second round) but a really solid draft pick by San Francisco. Shanahan knew exactly what he wanted when he grabbed Deebo, a unique versatile playmaker that acted as a sort of Swiss Army talent for the Niners. With 800 yards through the air, 159 on the ground and a trusty 70.4 percent catch rate, Samuel has already elevated himself to the Niners' number two offensive weapon behind Kittle.

5. Darius Slayton- The second biggest draft status sleeper behind McLaurin, the Auburn Tiger went in the 5th round to Big Blue. Despite that, Slayton proved a viable target for Daniel Jones during the second half of the season. He finished with 740 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns.

6. Hunter Renfrow- As a fifth rounder just ahead of Slayton in the draft, Renfrow was all Oakland could ask for in the slot. The 5'10" Clemson grad was made fun of by QB Derek Carr in Hard Knocks for having an unathletic-looking "Dad bod," but Carr soon realized Renfrow's route-running ability was no joke as the partnership connected for 605 yards in 2019 (69 percent catch rate).

Williams didn't get the recognition he deserved in 2019, he was a beast up until his injury. Photo Credit: Miami Dolphins

7. Preston Williams- The former Colorado State wide receiver might have been the number one sleeper of this entire class before his season-ending injury. An instant menace alongside Devante Parker for the Dolphins, the undrafted prospect helped the Miami offense transform from a zero to an upset special under quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. We'll see how Williams can bounce back from the time off in year two.

8. Diontae Johnson- The third round Toledo product had a better season than meets the eye (680 yards and a 64.1 percent catch rate). You might forget that the Steelers receivers were victim to some of the worst quarterback play in the NFL in 2019 with Big Ben out. Pittsburgh scouting is famous for finding sleepers at WR, before allowing them to walk after their rookie deals expire. Don't sleep on Johnson in 2020, he might just be the next star for the black and yellow.

BUSTS (top 100 only):

1. N'Keal Harry- The books not out on Harry yet, but so far the Arizona State first round pick has been a full-on bust for New England. Missing most of his rookie campaign with injury, Harry did return in time for the Pats second-half playoff run. Thrust into a larger role in the Josh McDaniels system with five starts and seven appearances, Harry was almost nonexistent on the field. He finished with 12 catches for 105 yards and a 50 percent catch rate.

When all is said and done, will Arcega-Whiteside go down as the biggest WR bust of the 2019 draft class? Photo Credit: NBC Sports

2. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside- This is my candidate for biggest 2019 draft bust as of now. I have much more faith in Harry turning things around than JJAW based on what I've witnessed. The tall wide-outs lack of speed, explosiveness and hands concern me (45.5 percent catch rate). The Eagles had a wide open depth chart at WR last season after all the injuries and JJAW was outperformed by practice squad level talents. Metcalf and McLaurin may haunt Philly for awhile.

3. Parris Campbell- I was actually really high on Campbell in the draft and I was surprised by how little he factored with Indy. Out-shined by Ohio State teammate McLaurin on the pro-stage in every way possible, the speedy playmaker struggled to beat out players like Marcus Johnson and Chester Rogers for snaps. A 75 percent catch rate at least shows some future promise for Campbell.

4. Andy Isabella- Similar to Campbell, the slot option Isabella had trouble getting targets in a crowded Cardinals offense. When he did get the looks, the UMass grad caught 69.2 percent of balls thrown in his direction. With Hopkins joining Arizona, Isabella's 2020 outlook seems bleak.

5. Jalen Hurd- Did not factor or play for San Francisco in any way. Considering McLaurin, Renfrow, Slayton, Harmon and more were drafted below Hurd, this seems like a total waste.

6. Miles Boykin- Out of camp, Boykin had the feel and hype of a sleeper draft pick for Baltimore. His actual season was less notable, finishing with 198 yards. The Ravens don't throw the ball much, but Boykin doesn't look like more than depth option at this point.

relative busts:

Is Hollywood Brown a WR1 or a complementary piece? Photo Credit: News Break

7. Marquise Brown- Drafted as the top wide receiver in 2019, Hollywood got a ton of hype for being a deep ball threat and AB's cousin. The actual numbers were less dynamic than the media coverage would entail (584 receiving yards in 14 games). I liked Brown out of college as a fantasy sleeper too, but he turned out to be really one-dimensional in his first season. Hollywood will continue to be a big-play guy for the Ravens moving forward, but will he ever become a WR1 as his draft status would imply?

8. Mecole Hardman- A worse version of Marquise Brown in many ways, Hardman was underused in the Super Bowl Champion offense. He displayed many talents as a burner and returner that frequented in KC trick plays, but showed less skill as a route runner and receiver.

If you could go back, would you prefer your team picked a different wide receiver in 2019? Well 2020 could be that opportunity. It's supposed to be a generational class of talent, and I'll be recapping all the best fits after they're drafted. See you then!