Ranking The 2019 NFL Draft WR Class In Year Three: Who Tops The List?
Who From The 2019 NFL Draft Has Struggled?
The NFL Draft is never straightforward. If it was, there would be nothing to talk about. First round picks would dominate, mid-rounders would be role players, and UDFAs wouldn’t make it. That’s what makes the draft so interesting. It’s figuring out why things worked for some and not for others. The 2019 wide receiver class is no different.
One of the more polarizing players from this class was N’Keal Harry. Harry’s production was excellent at Arizona State, and the analytics community loved him, and for fair reasons. However, it was how Harry won that drew concerns. He was winning at the catch point and after the catch with mostly athletic gifts.
For Harry, hanging your hat on winning at the catch point is tough to translate, as is winning after the catch with contact balance and limited twitch. He’s struggled to be a consistent separator, an issue that was there in college.
Hakeem Butler was another darling in the draft community, with insane explosion, highlight reel catches, and some juice to win in a straight line after the catch. It was surprising to many to see Butler fall to day three of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he never really got traction in the NFL. Butler was another who struggled technically, but there were also concerns with his dedication that came up after the draft and once camp started.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside was a surprising selection by the Eagles, as a player with some twitch at the line of scrimmage and the ability to win deep with good acceleration and long speed. His combine 40 contributed to the jump in draft stock, and the Eagles took him late in the second. Drops and a struggle to win anywhere than on a vertical plane have been the reason he never took off.
Miles Boykin tested well athletically, but never honed in on the athletic gifts to become technically refined. Jalen Hurd struggled to make the move from running back to receiver, and injuries and others developing made it hard for him to carve out a role. Riley Ridley was a film Twitter darling, but he wasn’t super dynamic or athletic to enhance his separation skills. Andy Isabella was all speed, but his hands and struggles through contact made carving out a role difficult.