2022 NFL Draft: Ohio State wideouts Top Preseason WR Rankings
3. Treylon Burks, Arkansas
Not many guys play the game like Treylon Burks does, especially at 6’3″ and 225 pounds. Burks is an incredibly fluid mover for that size, and has the play speed and functional athleticism to be dangerous in the passing game.
His usage is fun to watch, as Arkansas lines him up in the slot and outside, and he gets touches on jet sweeps and wide receiver screens to take advantage of his speed, balance, and toughness after the catch. Burks keeps that play speed through the catch point and in all phases of his game, and is a threat to score every time he has the ball. His catch radius, body control, and concentration to make highlight reel catches is impressive.
He’s physical through his stems, but seeing Burks find a role on the perimeter and create for himself will be what leads to a massive jump in the 2022 NFL Draft, and in the wide receiver rankings.
4. Zay Flowers, Boston College
This will likely be the biggest shocker on the list, as Zay Flowers is an undersized guy at 5’11” and 178 pounds. However, his ability to create on his own matches up with nearly everyone in the 2022 NFL Draft right now.
Flowers is incredibly dynamic, which shows up everywhere on the field. His speed release is excellent, as he squares up quickly and accelerates into his stem in a blink of an eye. He eats up cushion quickly, and has incredible flexibility and bend to change direction and create separation through his breaks. Flowers is a dynamic deep threat because of the stop/start quickness he has as his abilities to sell and confuse defenders with double moves, along with plus tracking.
His agility and quickness after the catch is tremendous, and he can make anyone miss in tight quarters. His speed is impressive to challenge angles and his deception makes him extremely difficult to tackle.
He needs to work on moving away from body catches and become a true plucker of the football, and his size won’t do him any favors, but separation is the name of the game in the NFL and Flowers can do it.
5. John Metchie III, Alabama
It’s like a broken record at this point, but here comes another Alabama Crimson Tide receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft, and John Metchie III comes in at five in these early wide receiver rankings.
Metchie is a more technical receiver who has a great understanding of leverage and separation. He uses his head and shoulders well to deceive corners, and has an incredibly quick speed release. Metchie eats up cushion well and is a stacking extraordinaire on a vertical plane. He has the burst and hand usage to get through contact in his stem, and is always in good position with intermediate routes. He tracks the ball well while keeping good positioning and has the short area burst after the catch.
Seeing a more diverse tree will be crucial for Metchie in 2021, and he needs to work on attacking and securing the football in contested spots while also holding on to the ball.
6. Justyn Ross, Clemson
Justyn Ross had a fantastic season as a freshman in 2018, and was solid once again in 2019. Unfortunately, a neck injury forced him to miss a season and potentially not play football again. It’s great to see Ross back healthy for 2021, and he could make some noise in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Ross has a good blend of size and quickness, and is an efficient route runner with crisp breaks and stays sharp on in breaking and out breaking routes, never drifting down the field and giving his quarterback an easier throw. Speaking of an easier throw, Ross has a massive catch radius and has great hands, body control, and sideline awareness. He uses his hands well to shed contact and create some separation. Ross is also more elusive after the catch at times than given credit for.
Ross won’t have the top end speed of others in this class, and is a bit of a short strider. He can afford to improve his release as well. Still, it’s just great to see him back.