Ask Farrell: Will five WRs get drafted in first round?
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The college football season is officially finished and now it’s time to turn to the predraft process, which will bring up numerous debates, arguments and storylines heading into April’s NFL Draft.
Eric Edholm at Yahoo Sports released his first mock draft after the season wrapped up on Monday night and he has four quarterbacks going in the first round: LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Utah State’s Jordan Love.
Even more interesting is that there are five receivers taken in the first 32 picks, but none in the top 10.
The first receiver off the board in Edholm’s mock draft is Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy at No. 11 to the New York Jets. The former five-star led the Crimson Tide with 77 receptions this season, but he was second to DeVonta Smith in both yards and touchdowns as Jeudy had 1,163 yards and 10 scores.
Right behind Jeudy is Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb at No. 12 to the Raiders. Lamb was by far the top target in the Sooners’ offense with 62 catches for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns this season while averaging more than 21 yards per catch.
Going back to Alabama, Edholm has Henry Ruggs going No. 15 - ahead of Clemson’s Tee Higgins, Colorado’s Laviska Shenault and others - even though he was third on the Crimson Tide with 40 catches for 746 yards and seven TDs.
Higgins is slotted at No. 20 to Jacksonville and Shenault goes No. 22 to Buffalo.
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell if he believes this wide receiver class is good enough to justify five going in the first round and whether that order - Jeudy, Lamb, Ruggs, Higgins and Shenault - is how he would have it.
“Yes, it’s good enough to have five wide receivers taken. I think this is an outstanding wide receiver group and teams will jump on guys, especially late in the first round," he said. "The only player I disagree on is Higgins, as I don’t see him as a first-rounder anymore. He’s been injured here and there and lacks great route-running and separation skills. He’s a big kid and a physical specimen, but he needs to really wow with his testing times to land in Round 1. We’ll see another receiver emerge based on a 40 time, just watch, and that will likely bump Higgins down to the second round.
"And there are some big, intriguing receivers, so someone might take a shot on a player such as Justin Jefferson, Tyler Johnson, Michael Pittman, Chase Claypool and Collin Johnson. I’m not saying those guys will run like first-rounders, but they have size and could sneak in there with solid testing and great pro days.”