Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, and Malik Nabers lead an elite 2024 NFL Draft wide receiver class

2024 NFL Draft wide receiver class ranking No. 17-20

17. Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

You often hear prospects compared to Deebo Samuel going into the draft, but one of the players who best fits that mold is Ainias Smith. Like Samuel, Smith is a versatile player who led the team in catches and yards this season and also an elite punt returning having averaged 13 yards per punt return this season. He also has experience working in the backfield having rushed for 293 yards in 2020 and has 72 career carries. One more similarity is that both are physical blockers and will do whatever is asked of them. While Smith could be used in a similar way to how Samuel does he does have some deficiencies in his game including a small catch radius. He also has missed significant time during his Aggie career including missing most of the 2022 season due to injuries. Draft Grade: Fourth Round

18. Ricky Pearsall, Florida

Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall made the catch of the year this season, and is also a receiver who carries a high day three grade. The reason he carries this good of a grade is he is a smart receiver who runs great rout routes. He also shows good versatility and can play either inside or outside at the next level. One more positive with him is his experience returning punts having averaged 11.5 yards per punt return this season. One concern I have with him is that at times his lack of concentration can cause him to drop the easy catch from time to time. He also posses only solid speed, and is not a receiver who is going to be a threat to stretch a defense. Draft Grade: Fourth Round

19. Johnny Wilson, Florida State

The biggest wide receiver in the NFL Draft is Florida State’s Johnny Wilson who comes in at a massive 6-foot-7 and 237 pounds. Despite this size though he can be outmuscled at the catch point and is not as dominant as he should be on the jump ball. He also should be more of a red zone threat but his eight career touchdowns say otherwise. While these are concerns there are some positive traits that stand out as well. One of these is how fast he is for someone his size displaying the ability to be a vertical threat down the field having averaged 17.2 yard per catch during his college career. His size also will likely make him a matchup problem for smaller wide receivers. Draft Grade: Fifth Round

20. Tahj Washington, USC

Joining Adonai Mitchell on Inside the War Room’s preseason All-Underrated team is USC’s Tahj Washington. Washington showed why he was give that honor with the best season of his career setting carrer highs in receptions (59), yards (1,062), yards per catch (18) and touchdowns (8). In terms of NFL potential he will likely find a role as a slot wide receiver. In this role he can use his impressive quickness to consistently gain separation, and his eluisivness to pick up yards after the catch. He also should be able to return kicks in the NFL, having averaged 19 yards per kick return last year. Draft Grade: Fifth Round