Top Five Wide Receivers in the 2021 NFL Draft
By John Blair
2021 NFL Draft wide receiver rankings
3. Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
The most explosive player in this year’s draft regardless of position is Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. In just four healthy games this year Waddle accounted for 557 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Waddle was only able to play in those four games during the regular season as he had an ankle injury that kept him out until the National Championship game.
When looking at how his skills translate to the NFL, the first thing that flashes is his speed. Waddle timed a 4.37 40-yard dash coming out of high school and I would not be shocked if he is even faster now. To go along with his blazing speed Waddle also shows amazing agility.
He is a human joystick on the field and is extremely hard for anyone to tackle in the open field. His ability to return kicks will also help his draft stock.
While teams will obviously be concerned about Waddle’s health, he has a few other issues that also concern me. The first one being that he is not the most refined route runner, and seemed to win a lot of matchups in college based on pure ability.
This is a concern as it makes me question if he can be an every-down receiver at the next level, or if he is more of a gadget type player. The answer to this question will depend on what system he goes to.
One team that might pull the trigger on Waddle is the New York Giants with the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.