WRU: Schools That Produce the Best Wide Receivers in the NFL

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

•Amari Cooper (Browns)

•Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins)

•Jerry Jeudy (Broncos)

•Devonta Smith (Eagles)

•Julio Jones (Free Agent)

•Calvin Ridley (Falcons/Suspended)

•Cam Sims (Commanders)

•Robert Foster (Giants)

•Jameson Williams (Lions)

•John Metchie lll (Texans)

Alabama and Ohio State not even cracking the top two? I can feel the anger already, but allow me to explain. The Crimson Tide have been churning out top wide receivers consistently for years, as is evident by this stat: Alabama has seven first-round wide receivers currently in the NFL, and all of them besides Calvin Ridley (No. 26 overall) were taken within the top 15. Jaylen Waddle just had one of the best rookie seasons of any wide receiver in NFL history, and shows no sign of slowing down heading into his second season. The questions with the rest of the group are aplenty. Julio is one of the best to ever play the game, but as of this writing, he still does not have a team for the upcoming 2022 season. Furthermore, Ridley was suspended for the entirety of the season after a betting scandal came to light. Amari Cooper is still a very good player, but it is uncertain who will be throwing him the football. Young guns like Jerry Jeudy and Devonta Smith are favorites to break out, but neither has a 1000-yard season yet, although Smith came very close in 2021. Jameson Williams and John Metchie lll are next in line after hearing their names called early on in the 2022 NFL Draft. This is potentially the best group moving forward, but the number of question marks heading into the season holds them back just a bit.

2. Clemson Tigers

•Deandre Hopkins (Cardinals/Suspended)

•Tee Higgins (Bengals)

•Mike Williams (Chargers)

•Hunter Renfrow (Raiders)

•Sammy Watkins (Packers)

•Amari Rodgers (Packers)

In conversations that I had preparing for this article, I found that Clemson is largely forgotten about the WRU landscape. They have one of the best wide receivers of the past decade in Deandre Hopkins, albeit with a six-game suspension to open the 2022 season looming. When he is on the field and healthy, he might be the best in the game. Even taking the suspension into account, 2021 was such a productive year for Clemson alumni. Tee Higgins tallied 74 catches for 1091 yards, and cemented his reputation in living rooms everywhere with a historic playoff run. Mike Williams saw himself put together the best season of his career in 2021, leading to a lucrative long-term deal keeping him tied to the Chargers going forward. The third guy to get 1000 yards on the season is Hunter Renfrow, becoming only the third player in Raiders franchise history to reach the century mark. The jury is still very much out on Amari Rodgers, and to a lesser degree, Sammy Watkins. Both guys are in Green Bay and with loads of targets available, there’s a real chance that Rodgers finds his footing and Watkins fully realizes his potential. The production for last season was too much to ignore. Clemson deserves credit for it, but they still fall just short of the top spot.