2022 NFL Draft: Ohio State wideouts Top Preseason WR Rankings
Two Buckeyes lead the way in the preseason 2022 NFL Draft wide receiver rankings.
The past two draft classes at the wide receiver position have been excellent. 2020 showed off incredible depth, and 2021 had excellent talent at the top with some gems on the second day as well. It looked like the 2022 NFL Draft wouldn’t be up to snuff with the two previous classes, but that was probably an undersell on this writer’s part.
After plenty of summer scouting, this receiver group, while not likely to beat the previous two, has plenty of good talent in it. From elite separators to undersized speedsters, and potential alphas at “X”, these wide receiver rankings have a bit of everything. Let’s dive in!
Previous Rankings
1. Garrett Wilson, Ohio State
The Buckeyes get the top spot early in these rankings with Garrett Wilson. Listed at just 5’11” and 188 pounds, it may not seem like Wilson could profile as an “X” receiver, but he certainly can be with the traits he possesses.
There may not be a real weakness with Wilson. He’s got a strong release package, and stays diverse with his pacing. He shows off the speed, stick, and shuffle release to establish leverage early in his stem. Wilson has incredible change of direction skills and sinks his hips with ease with his flexibility. He utilizes a hop near the top of his stem to freeze defenders and has great explosion off of his plant foot. Wilson uses his hands well to clear contact.
Wilson has a good pair of hands and has very good ball skills. He high points the ball well with great explosion and can slow his stride while maintaining leverage to track the ball well into his hands. Wilson can also make great adjustments and has impressive body control.
After the catch, Wilson has great agility to make defenders miss and stays tough with a stiff arm. He can hit another gear with short area burst and is good at manipulating space.
Wilson looks like he’s in his own tier for the 2022 NFL Draft at this point.
2. Chris Olave, Ohio State
Chris Olave had the option to declare last year, but opted to return to the Buckeyes for his senior season. It could prove to be worth it and there’s a good chance he leaps into the first round conversation in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Like his teammate, Olave has a good release game, showing off a very good speed release, great hesitation, and a good jab step that helps him with early leverage. Olave has the requisite straight line speed to stack corners and win vertically down the field and to eat up cushion versus off coverage. His routes are more smooth than crisp, but he’s still efficient at the top of his stem and attacks blind spots well to create late separation. He’s excellent on a vertical plane and is solid on a horizontal plane.
Olave has some of the best hands in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he tracks it well while also making plays in tough spots down the field and in the red zone. After the catch, Olave has the speed and patience to create.
Olave doesn’t have many holes, other than lacking a bit in the dynamism department and his hand usage against press, but Olave can be an elite WR2 for any team in the NFL.