The Tennessee Titans have a massive offseason ahead of themselves, as new general manager, Ran Carthon, will have a lot of interesting decisions to make over the coming months.
One of the most important items on the upcoming agenda will be to add more talent to a wide receivers room that desperately needs it. It’s a pretty safe bet that the Titans will be adding a playmaker or two at the position this offseason.
Tennessee is currently slated to have the No. 11 overall pick; however, as we know all too well by now, an unforeseen trade can suddenly change everything by the time draft weekend rolls around.
Last week, we covered the strengths and weaknesses of the top-five offensive tackles in the 2023 NFL draft as ranked by Pro Football Focus, and this week we are shifting our attention to the wide receiver position.
Let’s go ahead and dive right in to see the good and bad of each.
No. 1: WR Quentin Johnston, TCU
Measurables
- Height: 6’4”
- Weight: 212 lbs
2022 PFF grades and stats:
- Overall grade: 76.2
- Two-year average grade: 76.1
- Receiving Grade: 77.0
- Yards per Route Run: 3.05
- Drop Rate: 11.8 percent
- Contested Catch Rate: 34.8 percent
- Grade vs. Man Coverage: 73.9
- Targets: 97
- Catches: 60
- Vertical: 42″
- Yards: 1,069
- Touchdowns: 6
Johnston’s strengths
- Massive ceiling due to his ridiculous athleticism.
- Possesses an ideal blend of size, speed, and explosiveness for a wide receiver.
- Natural playmaking instincts on all three levels.
- Three-year starter in which he was the team’s leading receiver each season.
- Impressive body control and ball skills when the ball is in the air.
First WR prospect of the week:
WR Quentin Johnston, @TCUFootballI personally think the Titans should go OL in Round 1 if either of the top tackles is there at 11, but you won’t get many complaints out of me if Tennessee goes this route instead.#GoFrogs #Titans pic.twitter.com/51ivZvgpnT
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) January 16, 2023
Johnston’s weaknesses
- Very raw route-runner that needs to understand leverages.
- Occasionally struggles to sink his hips when breaking, often leading to rounded-off routes.
- Can be overly-reliant on his physical traits instead of trying to become technically sound with his routes and releases.
- Inconsistent with catching routine passes at times.
No. 2: WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
Measurables
- Height: 5’10”
- Weight: 172 lbs
2022 PFF grades and stats:
- Overall grade: 75.5
- Two-year average grade: 74.25
- Receiving Grade: 76.1
- Yards per Route Run: 2.22
- Drop Rate: 10.3 percent
- Contested Catch Rate: 58.3 percent
- Grade vs. Man Coverage: 59.4
- Targets: 124
- Catches: 78
- Yards: 1,077
- Touchdowns: 12
Flowers’ strengths
- Has the ability to produce video-game-like highlights once the ball is in his hands.
- Possesses legitimate 4.2-4.3 speed.
- Arguably the best separator in the entire class.
- Capable of playing both inside or outside.
- Three-level weapon that can score from anywhere on the field.
- Elite balance and change of directions skills.
- Does surprisingly well in situations where he must make a contested catch.
Today’s receiver prospect is the dynamic playmaker out of @BCFootball:
WR Zay Flowers#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/1pKqP5Itho— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) January 19, 2023
Flowers’ weaknesses
- Small build will lead to durability questions until proven otherwise.
- Can struggle when facing man coverage, in particular with defensive backs that are brave enough to get physical with him early in the route.
- Had nine drops in 2022 alone.
- Needs to become more consistent with his fundamentals.
- Will need to develop a way to counter defensive backs that are physically superior to him.
- Lacks functional strength to be a sufficient blocker in the run game.
No. 3: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Measurables
- Height: 6′
- Weight: 198 lbs
*2021 PFF grades and stats:
- Overall grade: 91.7
- Two-year average grade: 73.4
- Receiving Grade: 91.9
- Yards per Route Run: 4.01
- Drop Rate: 5.9 percent
- Contested Catch Rate: 90.0 percent
- Targets: 112
- Catches: 95
- Yards: 1,606 yards
- Touchdowns: nine
*Note: Smith-Njigba missed the majority of the 2022 season with a hamstring injury.
Smith-Njigba’s strengths
- Ridiculous route-running ability that allows him to separate with ease.
- Fundamentally sound wide receiver.
- Understands how to use his leverage to his advantage.
- Has a knack for finding ways to get open regardless of the situation.
- Fluid body movements that make him difficult to cover.
- Consistent hands and ball skills that make him a reliable receiver when targeted.
- Was arguably the best wide receiver on an Ohio State offense that had Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.
- Works to uncover during unscripted scrambling situations, always giving his quarterback a security blanket in a time of need.
- Three-level receiving threat.
- Savvy release packages allow him to win early in his routes.
Today's WR prospect:
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, @OhioStateFB🚨 There were significant updates to the @PFF rankings over the last 24 hours 👀 pic.twitter.com/4yeNorjQNO
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) January 18, 2023
Smith-Njigba’s weaknesses
- Isn’t explosive with the ball in his hands.
- Lacks the type of top-end speed to pull away from defenders.
- Missed practically the entire 2022 season with a hamstring injury.
- Will have to prove that he can still produce at a high level when getting challenged by a physical defensive back.
- Won’t have the luxury of free releases in the pros.
- Primarily played in the slot, only accounting for 88 snaps on the outside over the last three years.
No. 4: WR Jordan Addison, USC
Measurables
- Height: 6′
- Weight: 175 lbs
2022 PFF grades and stats:
- Overall grade: 81.5
- Two-year average grade: 85.15
- Receiving Grade: 82.4
- Yards per Route Run: 2.78
- Drop Rate: 3.3 percent
- Contested Catch Rate: 22.2 percent
- Grade vs. Man Coverage: 76.2
- Targets: 79
- Catches: 59
- Yards: 875 (11 games)
- Touchdowns: eight
Addison’s strengths
- Can play both inside and out.
- Very polished and manipulative route-runner that knows how to create separation.
- Lethal ability to stop on a dime.
- Cerebral player that understands how the defense is defending him.
- Produced over 100 receiving yards on 48 percent of his outings over the last two seasons (12/25 games).
- Possesses some of the best ball skills, body control, and release packages in the draft.
- Significantly improved his consistency with catching the football.
Today’s receiver prospect and another one of my personal favorites:
WR Jordan Addison, @USCFB / @Pitt_FB #FIghtOn #H2P #Titans pic.twitter.com/eFrTI5D89P— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) January 17, 2023
Addison’s weaknesses
- Will have to prove that he can operate when physically tested against technically sound defensive backs at the NFL level.
- Doesn’t possess game-breaking speed that you would hope for with a receiver of his stature.
- Doesn’t offer much in the run game.
- Only reeled in two contested catches last season.
No. 5: WR Josh Downs, North Carolina
2022 PFF grades and stats:
- Overall grade: 82.8
- Two-year average grade: 82.1
- Receiving Grade: 86.5
- Yards per Route Run: 2.17
- Drop Rate: 3.1%
- Contested Catch Rate: 72.2%
- Grade vs. Man Coverage: 92.1
- Targets: 116
- Catches: 94
- Yards: 1,029
- Touchdowns: 11
Downs’ strengths
- Dynamic three-level weapon.
- Possesses one of the highest contested catch rates in the class (72.2 percent) after reeling in 13 contested catches in total last season.
- Has a rare ability to stress defenders out with his explosive acceleration and lateral quickness.
- Can reach his top gear at a moment’s notice while also being able to stop just as quickly.
- Very manipulative and polished route-runner.
- Has fluid hips and an ability to suddenly change directions.
- Understands how to attack leverages.
- Owns the highest grade against man coverage in the draft (92.3).
Final prospect breakdown of the week:
WR Josh Downs, @UNCFootball #CarolinaFootball 🐏 pic.twitter.com/yFKB4jH9s8— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) January 20, 2023
Downs’ weaknesses
- Limited to the slot in all likelihood.
- Needs to prove that he’ll be able to beat press coverage in the pros.
- Can be knocked off his route stem when encountering an aggressive defender.
- Limited play strength makes him a liability as a blocker.
- Not as fast as you would think once he reaches his top gear.
- Will likely need to be schemed open at times (free releases, motions, etc.).
