2021 NFL Draft Preview: Wide receiver sleepers and Broncos fits

Last year was the year to get a wide receiver – and the Broncos got two in the 2020 NFL Draft. Jerry Jeudy was their first-round pick and K.J. Hamler was their second-round pick in 2020, and we got to see flashes from both as rookies. This year’s class is top heavy with talent, but it’s not as deep or overall talented as the group that came into the league a year ago.

The Broncos have Courtland Sutton returning from injury and they kept restricted free agent Tim Patrick, giving them one of the deepest wide receiving corps in the league. Even though they’re deep at the position, Sutton and Patrick may move on next year in free agency. Jeudy and Hamler have upside, but adding more talent to the room might be in the cards for the Broncos.

In this article, I will look at the market for the position. I’ll also write about sleepers at the wide receiver position and some players who could fit what the Broncos need in the 2021 NFL Draft.

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Market Watch

The quarterback crunch is going to cause some top-10 wide receivers to slide a bit in the draft. There are three wide receivers, Jaylen Waddle (Alabama), Ja’Marr Chase (LSU) and DeVonta Smith (Alabama) with the talent and skill to be among the first 10 players selected. We could see one or two of them go in the top 10, but there’s a chance that one of them falls a bit past that as quarterback desperate teams pass on them early in the draft.

Waddle is my favorite receiver in this class. It’s splitting hairs between him, Chase and Smith, but it’s what you’ve got to do. Waddle stands out to me because of his explosive playmaking ability. He gets off the line of scrimmage in a hurry and it doesn’t take long for him to reach full speed. His separation skills are elite, but even in situations where Waddle had to fight for a catch, he looked good.

Chase has no problem making plays. He tracks the ball down the field and has “late hands,” so he doesn’t tip off defenders that a pass is coming in. Chase is a beast after the catch and can break tackles with ease. He’s not a shifty wide receiver, but when he gets into his route, he’s tough to stop.

Smith won the Heisman Trophy, the first wide receiver to do so in more than 20 years, and he brings plenty of speed to the field. That’s the best part of his game, but he’s more than just a straight-line speed guy. Smith is a circus-catch freak, and he can make crazy catches look routine. He’s a slim receiver, so scouts are concerned about his play against more physical corners.

In addition to the “Big 3” at wide receiver, I think there are four other receivers who could be considered first-round talents by NFL teams. Rashod Bateman (Minnesota), Kadarius Toney (Florida), Terrance Marshall Jr. (LSU) and Rondale Moore (Purdue) could go on day one or early on day two in the draft.

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Sleepers

When I attended the week of practice for the Senior Bowl earlier this year, I came away impressed with some receivers I’d consider sleepers in this draft class. Frank Darby (Arizona State), Cade Johnson (South Dakota State) and Shi Smith (South Carolina) stood out to me most every day in practice.

Darby was arguably the best receiver at the Senior Bowl. He was a deep ball receiver in college for the Sun Devils and that’s where he’ll best fit in at the pro level. Darby did show at the Senior Bowl that he could cut a rug and running a full route tree. He’s a physical freak in terms of size/speed combination but some scouts are concerned that he’s just an athlete playing football. While Darby is not a polished wide receiver, his physical skill set is going to make him a nice developmental prospect.

Johnson is a player I compared to Spiderman. He was so good every day at the Senior Bowl, and Johnson regularly made defenders tasked with covering him look silly. He can move in ways that seem unnatural, and Johnson has crazy body control to make difficult sideline catches. Johnson also looks in the ball well over his shoulder and hauled in a couple of one-handed catches with defenders draped all over him.

Smith is a player that smart teams will be considering late in the draft. He’s electric with the ball in his hands and has lightning quick moves before and after the catch. Smith is more than just a slot guy and at the Senior Bowl proved that he could run more complete routes. The slot is his best home at the pro level, and his shiftiness makes him an option to be a security blanket receiver for his quarterback.

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Broncos Fits

Even though they don’t need a receiver, the Broncos have looked at Moore. In fact, they’ve had a Zoom meeting with him and attended his pro day. It doesn’t mean they’ll take Moore at the end of the first round, where I have him graded, but I think if he’s there with their second-round pick then perhaps that’s a direction they’ll go.

Moore does have injury concerns which could cause him to slide a bit in the draft. Hamstring and knee problems were the reasons why he only played seven games over the last two seasons. If he is healthy, Moore could prove to be a valuable pick for any NFL team.

Pro Football Focus has compared him to former Panthers/Ravens great Steve Smith, and that’s not an outlandish comparison. Like Smith, Moore is a tough receiver even though he’s only 180 pounds. He isn’t afraid of anything, whether that’s physical play from a corner, a big hit from a safety or speedy defenders who can stay with him down the field (and those are few and far between).

Moore is, well, more than just a speed receiver. His elite-level quickness and vision make him a great option on jet sweeps and as a return man. Yes, Hamler should do those things for the Broncos but when has adding more speed in the NFL been a bad thing? I don’t think the Broncos will take Moore unless he slides perhaps into the third round – and I don’t see that happening. He does fit, they do like him, so perhaps I’ll be wrong and they’ll scoop him up in the late first or early second round.

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