This past week we asked you which rookie running back would finish with the most yards in 2021, and now we’re turning our attention to the wide receivers. This year’s wideout class was a great one, with three going in the top ten picks.
Two more then went later in the first round, and then five were off the board in the second. The crop included reigning Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, and LSU star Ja’Marr Chase who was reunited in Cincinnati with college teammate Joe Burrow.
Chase became the first receiver off the board when the Bengals nabbed him with the fifth overall pick. He should already have great chemistry with Burrow, so he’s got that working in his favor. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are still there, but the team moving on from A.J. Green this offseason means Chase should see plenty of opportunity right away. Will his rapport with Burrow and a potentially improved Cincy O-line be enough for him to seize the rookie receiving title?
The following pick, the Dolphins took Jaylen Waddle from Alabama at number six. Waddle is also reconnecting with an old college quarterback as he’ll re-team with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. His blazing fast speed gives him plenty of upside, although working against him is the fact that he missed a good chunk of the 2020 season due to injury. Will Fuller will have to sit out the first game of the 2021 season with a suspension, but DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki will also be competing for targets.
Smith *also* is getting paired back up with a familiar face under center. The Heisman winner played with Eagles second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts at Alabama. Despite winning the award for best college football player in the country, Smith was the third wideout taken. Will he use that as added motivation and come out with a chip on his shoulder? He certainly shouldn’t struggle for playing time with Philly’s receiving depth chart being thin as ever. Jalen Reagor, Travis Fulgham, and Greg Ward Jr. are all he has to compete with.
The other two first-rounders were Kadarius Toney from Florida to the Giants at 20 and Rashod Bateman from Minnesota to the Ravens at 27. Toney surprised New York by skipping OTAs and apparently might begin the year in a gadget role as he’s buried behind Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, and Evan Engram in the pecking order, so he’s got his work cut out for him. Bateman has a path to a breakout with Baltimore in desperate need of receiving help, but the Ravens’ passing game is going to be a wild card.
Elijah Moore was the next big name, with the Ole Miss product going to the Jets at 34. He’s also got upside, but has a few guys ahead of him and will have a rookie quarterback throwing to him. Rondale Moore (Purdue) to the Cardinals at 49, D’Wayne Eskridge (Western Michigan) to the Seahawks at 56, Tutu Atwell (Louisville) to the Rams at 57, and Terrace Marshall Jr. (LSU) to the Panthers at 59 round out the rest of the round two receivers.
So, what do you think? Which receiver will rack up the most yards in 2021? Who are the later-round candidates or UDFAs who can join these players as early contributors? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Kyle Pitts
is not a wide receiver
If Pitts doesn’t count, I’d have to think Rondale Moore is in the best situation to produce big numbers
I guess you’ve never seen a Ravens game in the last few years.
Rondale Moore was drafted by the Cardinals…?
I think he meant Rashod Bateman
I get that, but why would Bateman be relevant to Moore in this example?
“Rondale Moore with the Cards should be in a good position to gain yardage.”
“Yeah, but the Ravens suck at passing.”
I don’t get it.
Juju
I feel like some of the rookies will have more receiving yards than the Big Ben will have passing yards.
A’Ron St Brown has the most opportunity/upside of any rookie WR.
Really? Wow!!
Yup. Chase/Smith/Waddle all have young QBs who have to prove they can start in this league. Burrow is prob the best of the 3 but coming off knee injury and has a suspect o-line. Moore has a rookie QB and plays the slot and Crowder restructured. Bateman plays for Balt and they play balanced football. Hollywood has shown flashes but I don’t see Bateman having much upside year 1. Toney is the clear 4th WR in NY. Ahead of St Brown in Detroit is Ty Williams and B Perriman. Goff may have washed out in LA but he fed two 1K yard WRs annually. St Brown could potentially be the #1 WR on a team that will lose a good bit and negative game script should mean lots of throwing the ball late. I think he has the clearest path to success this season.
Pretty good argument, unclesock. I respect the insight. I have yet to know what to expect from Campbell’s offense, so it’s hard for me to predict what I personally think they’ll do, but I think you make a strong case.
On Baltimore, Balanced is a nice way to say run heavy. The ravens are so bad at passing that the last time they had a wide receiver eclipse 800 yards was Mike Wallace in 2016 with 1,017 yards. So it’s not a Lamar issue it’s a ravens problem.
It is balanced in a league that is ultra pass heavy.
Smith bby
1067% of voters agree with me. Chase.
Elijah Moore
I’m glad 1472% voters were thinking what I was…..
Dyani Brown! Skins baby!
Ehh, a lot of this comes down to competition for catches in the respective offenses. I suspect that Elijah Moore will have a better chance than it would initially appear.
The Jets do not have a good enough O-line to have their QB sit and wait in the pocket for complex routes to develop, and Wilson is not really in the mold of a traditional pocket passer as is. Moore does not have much competition from his fellow wideouts to take catches from him, and fits best with a lot of what the Jets will likely run. He is a RAC oriented receiver who will be playing with an in provisional QB who, as a rookie, will likely be throwing short routes that rely on his receiver to make yardage. Simple routes that allow Wilson to either get the ball out quickly or use his feet to move out from the pass rush and dump it to a streaking receiver will benefit Moore stats-wide, and the Jets don’t really have someone entrenched as responsible for that role right now.
I will have to go with Rodgers of the Packers
This is what I was thinking as well. Randell Cobb like player in an offense that was lacking play at this position for years
Devonte Smith will, out all of those receivers, be the only one who will likely walk in as the number one receiver from day one. Moore, as I said previously (couldn’t edit it), will be in a good position to take that role as well. Terrace Marshall with Carolina should have a good chance to be productive as well. He’s got more size than their current wideout corps and was a good all around receiver in Baton Rouge. The Panthers need someone to make tough catches as a two. As for Smith, it remains to be seen how prolific the Hurts led offense will be passing-wise, which could really impact his statistics, so I am hesitant to say that he will lead in yardage. Hurts does tend to develop strong favorites receiving wise, so I do not doubt that he’ll become a number one wideout, but I don’t know if the stats will reflect it.
Elijah Moore is on the Jets.
Open up the comments on the vaccine article. Foment discourse
Why? It’s a website about football. No one needs our dumb discussion about a vaccine.
with all due respect, it does involve the sport in this case.
Poll , the one with the better QB and O’line and all 3 don’t get hurt. What are we looking for filler space on a slow day. Oh wait the next important article on who the Texans signed this day 5 years ago.
Man, you really hate football.
Fuck the NFL
Fuck the commie sportsball!
Devonta Smith. Hands down. No question.