NFL Draft stock report: WRs
The college football season is close to finished so there's no better time to look at the NFL Draft Watch as players move up and down the board. The third item in our series is an in-depth look at the wide receiver position.
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The skinny: The three-star receiver from Mansfield (Texas) Legacy picked Wyoming over Duke and Tulsa out of high school. He transferred to TCU after his freshman season.
Season overview: Doctson finished his season with 79 receptions for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging more than 132 receiving yards per outing. He is out for the season with a wrist injury.
Farrell's take: Doctson didn't make our initial WR watch list and that's on us. He high-points the ball better than anyone and reminds me a lot of A.J. Green when it comes to body control and his ability in traffic. Hard to believe this was a three-star kid who had only a Wyoming offer out of high school.
Honorable Mention
WR
Farrell's take: We are keeping Fuller in here despite his desire to return for his last year at Notre Dame simply because anything can happen. He's improved in every aspect, but the extra year could provide added strength and size. Carroo was always a big, long threat out of high school, but he's taken his game to the next level as the one offensive threat on his team. Both are former four stars and Rivals250 members.
STOCK STEADY
WR
The skinny: Out of Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft, Thomas was a four-star prospect and the No. 36 wide receiver in the 2011 class. In his prep year, Thomas was rated fourth in the postseason prep school rankings. He roomed with Cardale Jones at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy and now both are with the Buckeyes.
Season overview: Thomas leads the Buckeyes with 47 catches for 659 yards and eight touchdowns.
Farrell's take: After making potential first-round cornerback Kendall Fuller look foolish in the opener, we now realize that Fuller had a serious knee injury he was battling and that Thomas isn't quite as dominant and consistent as we hoped. However, his physical skills aren't in question which is why he hasn't fallen and as a big receiver he will be coveted. The former four-star is still a first-round talent.
WR
The skinny: The four-star from Richardson (Texas) Pearce was rated No. 38 at receiver and No. 232 in the 2012 class. The success of Kendall Wright at Baylor was a big factor in Coleman's decision to pick the Bears over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and others.
Season overview: Coleman has 66 catches for 1,306 yards and 20 touchdowns so far this season. He's averaging nearly 20 yards per reception and more than 130 receiving yards per outing.
Farrell's take: I love Coleman and think he could be part Tavon Austin and part Steve Smith Sr. in the NFL, but his size will be questioned on draft day. The former four-star has shown his track speed and the ability to cut on a dime and could only be slowed by losing his quarterback to injury.
Honorable Mention
WR
Farrell's take: I wasn't very high on Cooper out of high school until he dominated the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and showed off his ability after the catch and in space. He's one of the rare prospects that went from two-star to three-star to four-star and is playing like a five-star in college. Burbridge has great size, big, reliable hands and is very productive, but his speed will be questioned. As a possession receiver, the former four-star could be elite.
STOCK DOWN
WR
The skinny: Williams was the top-rated JUCO prospect and a five-star recruit out of Perkinston (Miss.) Gulf Coast C.C. in the 2014 class. A former LSU pledge, Williams committed to Auburn over LSU, Alabama, Miami, Florida State and many others during his official visit.
Season overview: In five games, Williams had 12 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown. The JUCO transfer was dismissed from the Auburn team in early October.
Farrell's take: What else can be said? Dude has so much talent, but we wrote up our concerns about his off-field issues in our first list and he ended up getting booted from Auburn, which could drop him out of the draft altogether. So far he's a waste of amazing talent.
WR
The skinny: Higgins was a two-star prospect out of Mesquite, Texas, in the 2013 class. He picked Colorado State over Louisiana-Monroe and some others.
Season overview: Higgins has 65 catches for 909 yards and eight touchdowns this season and although those are strong numbers, they pale in comparison to his sophomore stats.
Farrell's take: Higgins had it made last year with a future NFL quarterback and a genius coach in Garrett Grayson and Jim McElwain, and now his numbers have dropped off considerably. He was always a bit of a stretch for first- or second-round NFL draft status because he's not a burner and he has average size, but now he's dropping quite a bit.
Honorable Mention
WR
Farrell's take: Pitt fans won't like seeing Boyd, a former four-star and a great high school player, on this list, but he has been schemed against and shut down at times and he hasn't added the size or speed needed this year. The first round grades many still have on him is a stretch, even though he'll be a good NFL player in the right system. As for Williams, it's simply a question about that injury. Whenever you hear "neck injury", you take pause.
Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
Adam Gorney
National Recruiting Analyst
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