As your New Orleans Saints prepare for the 2022 NFL Draft, we take a look at the top 10 ranked players at various positions. The 2022 NFL Draft big board rankings are reflective of Bucky Brooks' top five 2022 NFL Draft prospects by position 1.0 and ESPN's NFL Draft "Best Available" list.
Here are the top 10 ranked draft prospects at receiver:
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 1 Drake London | USC
Drake London is regarded as the No. 1 receiver on both ESPN's Best Available and Bucky Brooks' Top 5 on NFL.com. London spent time playing basketball, so his athletic ability grants him significant advantages in one-on-one matchups. He did not participate in the NFL Combine as he is rehabbing an ankle injury, but he is planning to participate in his pro day. Either way, he has proven to be an athletic force with the demeanor of a professional. His biggest knock entering the draft is his mobility when running routes, with some even drawing comparisons to an athletic tight end. London will likely be a first-round pick despite this, however.
Height: 6 feet 4
Weight: 219 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.34
NFL.com Overview: "Big, long possession receiver with the ability to play outside or from the slot...London was a top-flight basketball player so angles to the ball, body positioning and high-pointing come very naturally to him, turning a 50-50 ball into a 70-30 advantage. While he has the size and skill to dominate the catch phase, his one-speed route-running and lack of separation burst means a career full of contested catches. London's pro career would benefit from playing with a diverse receiving corps that allows play-callers to play to London's strengths."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 2 Jameson Williams | Alabama
Jameson Williams is a prospect with outstanding athletic ability, setting records in high school hurdles. He was having a standout season at Alabama last year until it all came to a halt when he tore his ACL in the national title game. Williams is still expected to be a Day 1 draft pick, but the injury will raise some concerns. He did not participate in the Combine due to his injury, but scouts will likely have enough film to make a decision about where he should be drafted. Williams is listed at the fifth best prospect on ESPN and the second on NFL.com.
Height: 6 feet 1 1/2
Weight: 179 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.48
NFL.com Overview: "Linear route-runner with electric long speed to impact a game as a home-run hitter or decoy drawing defenders away from other elements of the offense. Williams ruins man coverage but faces some limitations...He has all the juice to find consistent separation on vertical, over and post/corner routes and could see monstrous production if paired with a high-end talent at quarterback. The ACL tear could play a role in determining his ultimate draft destination, but it's unlikely to change his game."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 3 Garrett Wilson | Ohio State
Garrett Wilson is deceptively fast, which is why he is ranked third on NFL.com and second on ESPN's Best Available. He has the ability to surprise defenders in a one-on-one coverage and bring in some contested catches. While he has speed, though, his route running needs work. Sloppy footwork and lack of route adjustments in traffic could make him a little more of a developmental project for the team that drafts him. Wilson ran a blazing fast 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine, and he added to that a vertical jump of 36 and a broad jump of 123.
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 183 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.50
NFL.com Overview: "Wilson's game is lacking in polish, but some scouts believe his play strength and run-after-catch ability make him a more valuable draft commodity than Ohio State teammate Chris Olave. He's a linear, inside/outside receiver with trouble eluding press cleanly and is very inefficient with routes over the first two levels...Wilson needs to work on his ability to consistently uncover on all three levels, but he has the traits to become a very good WR2 if he tightens up areas of concern."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 4 Jahan Dotson | Penn State
Jahan Dotson is an agile, shifty receiver who has the ability to change speeds seemingly with ease. He is not as comfortable in the middle of the field, and sometimes can stumble if his upper body gets ahead of his legs, making it easier for defenders to bring him down. He is listed as the fourth best prospect on NFL.com and the sixth best on ESPN. At the Combine, he ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash, and he had a vertical jump of 36 and a broad jump of 121.
Height: 5 feet 11
Weight: 178 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.33
NFL.com Overview: "Finesse wideout with good speed and great athleticism who is fully operational on all three levels of the field...His route-running is smooth but features speed changes and his in-air athleticism and ball skills look effortless. His confidence and competitiveness are just average against physical coverage and he's likely to see a lot more press looks as a pro..."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 5 Treylon Burks | Arkansas
Treylon Burks may not have had the Combine performance many were hoping for or expecting, but he is still coming in as the fifth best prospect according to NFL.com. ESPN has him listed as the fourth best, so scouts seem to believe that his performance was not indicative of how well he will do in the league. In his seemingly uncharacteristic Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, had a vertical jump of 33, and a broad jump of 122. Burks has strong hands and an ideal speed to size ratio, but needs to maintain his playing weight and become more consistent when going for contested passes.
Height: 6 feet 2
Weight: 225 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.50
NFL.com Overview: "Big, smooth and natural, Burks possesses the versatility to operate from wherever you want and get to wherever you need no matter the competition. He's a mismatch receiver combining size, strength and competitiveness similar to the Titans' A.J. Brown, but his speed testing at the NFL Scouting Combine did not meet expectations...The tape is extremely exciting with real NFL skills jumping off the screen, but his potential to become a high-volume, three-level target is a little more cloudy after a relatively disappointing showing at the combine."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 6 Chris Olave | Ohio State
Chris Olave is ranked as the third best prospect on ESPN's Best Available, and he has the upside to make an immediate impact on a receiver-needy team. He has special teams experience both as a gunner and blocker, and he's blocked two punts in his career. As a receiver, he scrambles with his quarterback and has the speed to make an impact on all three levels. He is not known as a blocking receiver, and sometimes he can be run through, especially on run blocks. At the Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39, had a vertical jump of 32, and posted a broad jump of 124.
Height: 6 feet 0
Weight: 187 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.46
NFL.com Overview: "The quiet storm of the Ohio State wide receiver corps, Olave is smooth, steady and makes things happen. His movements are fluid and easy from snap to the catch and all points between. He's fast but efficient and plays with the bend and foot agility to uncover on all three levels. Olave possesses natural, well-rounded ball skills but needs to add play strength to ward off the physical challenges that are headed his way..."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 7 Skyy Moore | Western Michigan
Skyy Moore has been garnering more attention recently, and he is climbing the ranks in the best available receivers. A week ago, he was outside of ESPN's top 10, but now he finds himself at No. 7 with the potential to rise higher as the draft approaches. He was consistently good in each of his three college seasons, has good pace, and can create space with his speed and route running (he ran a 4.41 at the NFL Combine in the 40-yard dash). He needs to work on standing out more, as he was held to only two catches for 22 yards against Michigan, meaning he could be outmatched by NFL corners. He is currently expected to land on a team as a backup with a chance to move to starter if he continues to put in work.
Height: 5 feet 10
Weight: 195 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.19
NFL.com Overview: "Productive three-year starter with decent athleticism and good ball skills but just average separation potential. Moore is courageous working into the teeth of the defense and tenacious to come up with contested catches from anywhere on the field. He's a one-note route-runner lacking acceleration out of break points but showed off impressive vertical speed at the NFL Scouting Combine..."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 8 George Pickens | Georgia
George Pickens' 2021 stats are a bit skewed as he only played the final four games of the season due to an ACL tear he suffered in training. He worked extremely hard to get back on the field, and was rewarded by getting to play the final few games of the season. He plays hungry for the end zone, has great focus and has great stop-and-turn routes that allow the quarterback to find him in open windows. Although he battled back from the ACL tear, his injury history does raise some concern for NFL scouts. He also can allow some defenders to bully him off of his route. He has risen in the ranks recently, climbing to the eighth best prospect on ESPN's Best Available. At the Combine, he ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash, had a vertical jump of 33, and posted a broad jump of 125.
Height: 6 feet 3
Weight: 195 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.23
NFL.com Overview: "Lanky perimeter wideout with exciting ball skills but in desperate need of additional play strength and a clean bill of health. Resilient to make it back so quickly after an ACL tear, but needs to show quick-cutting ability for route-running. Pickens possesses borderline elite ball skills with in-air adjustments, strong hands and an enormous catch radius. However, he fails to put defenders on his hip and command the catch space to make his work less cluttered..."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 9 John Metchie III | Alabama
John Metchie III suffered a torn ACL in December, which has caused his draft stock to slip a bit. Because of the injury, he was not able to compete in the NFL Combine. At Alabama, he showed toughness and an ability to rack up yards after catch. He uses his body more to catch than his hands, which sometimes causes him to lose focus and drop passes due to him looking to run upfield and make a play.
Height: 5 feet 11
Weight: 187 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.18
NFL.com Overview: "NFL slot projection with good polish but a lack of noteworthy elements in his game...He can play multiple receiver spots and has the ability to take what the scheme provides him. As long as his recovery from an ACL tear goes smoothly, Metchie has a chance to become a starting slot receiver with a relatively modest ceiling."
2022 NFL Draft prospects - Receiver | No. 10 Christian Watson | North Dakota State
Christian Watson comes from an athletic family, and his father played safety in the NFL. He has a good blend of size, speed and length and offers touchdown potential through air, ground, or special teams. His knock has been his ability to sometimes be overshadowed by defenders. At times, he has mistimed a jump, causing an incompletion or lost focus on the catch, resulting in a drop. At the Combine, he ran a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash. He also had a vertical jump of 38.5 and a broad jump of 136. He comes into the draft as the 10th prospect on ESPN's Best Available.
Height: 6 feet 4
Weight: 208 pounds
NFL.com Draft Grade: 6.21
NFL.com Overview: "A receiver prospect with intriguing measurables and a strong belief in the team aspect of the game...He plays hard and fast but needs to add a few more pounds and learn to impose his frame on the coverage. He's a field-stretching option requiring a linear route tree and projects as a capable WR3/4 with more work."
