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Having finished up on the quarterbacks and running backs, we now move on the college football's premiere pass-catchers. This is a stacked group, with some players not even making the cut, even though they will likely be first-round NFL draft picks down the road.
As I have said with the previous two positions, I tried to judge the players individually and based on what they have put on tape up to this point, while considering their potential for 2019. We have a lot of different body types and styles of play but in the end a talented group of receivers.
#1 Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
In only his first season as a starter, Jerry Jeudy won the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the best receiver in the country, as he caught 68 passes for over 1300 yards and 14 touchdowns, giving him an average of 19.3 yards per reception.
Jeudy is a very smooth route-runner with the hips to make any quickly and the speed to quickly burn defenses. He understands how to pace his routes and truly attacks the ball in the air. You set up defenders with jab-steps and leave them behind in the dust, he can be the X single receiver, line up in the slot or even as the number three receiver.
Jeudy is very advanced in his hand-work, has a feel for creating separation and uses subtle push-offs if he does have a defender on his hip, while also quickly stacking his corner on go-routes.
He displays excellent ball-tracking and comfort in tight spaces to go with the timing he utilizes. Jeudy is a highly creative open-field runner who makes some ridiculous jukes, including backwards jump-cuts, dead-legs and all that kind of stuff.
He is amongst the highest graded 2020 draft prospects of all eligible players and should be the first receiver off the board next April.
#2 Laviska Shenault, Colorado
At 6’2”, 220 pounds, this young man is almost built like a linebacker. After catching only seven passes the year before, he jumped onto the scene like nobody else. Over the first six games of last season, Shenault amassed 867 yards and five touchdowns from scrimmage. Unfortunately, he banged up his toe and wasn’t himself when he returned for the final three weeks of the year.
However, he can run routes like sub-six feet guys, go over the top over defenders with size and just take the top of the opposition. He lines up out wide by himself, in the slot, is put in stacks, runs jet sweeps and even bangs into the endzone as a wildcat QB. He makes the tough catches with defenders draped over him or putting a hit on him as the ball arrives.
While he is not nearly as schooled with his releases or route-running as Jeudy and allows some defenders to get back into the picture, the talent is off the charts. Shenault is as strong a runner at the wide receiver position as you will ever see, just blasting through a couple of awaiting defenders or dragging them on his back for a couple of extra yards.
He forced 29 missed tackles in 2018 and averaged 7.4 yards after the catch on average. He is not nearly the type of physical blocker he probably could be, but some of that probably has to do with the volume of touches he receives and how the Buffs just motioned him around.
#3 Rondale Moore, Purdue
While he doesn’t even come close to prototype measurements at 5’9”, 180 pounds, this little dynamite can produce big plays in all facets pretty much like nobody else in the country can. Moore is very sudden out of his breaks and just doesn’t drop the ball (92 percent catch rate on catchable passes). Purdue lets him run a lot of out-routes, drags and screens, where they know he can gain separation and make things happen after the catch.
Moore is so elusive in the open field that you would think he is glazed with butter and he has better contact balance than you would think from a 180-pound receiver. That’s probably because he routinely squats 600 pounds! You see spins, hesitation moves and foot-fakes, He forced an FBS-high 37 missed tackles and gained 892 yards after the catch in 2018, with over 2000 all-purpose yards, Moore was not always used as an every-down receiver.
However, while he started as more of a gadget player and still might be as dangerous as a return man than anything else, he is growing as a receiver and will only become more of a headache on offense.
#4 Ceedee Lamb, Oklahoma
Unlike Marquise Brown back in April, nobody should question Lamb’s size at 6’2”, close to 200 pounds. While he doesn’t have the flat-out speed of “Hollywood”, you could certainly argue that Lamb is a better all-around receiver and his speed is still plenty good.
He led the high-flying Big XII with 2.94 yards per route run and recorded a passer rating of 145.2 when targeted in 2018, while also averaging a stupid 12.7 yards per target, which manifested itself in catching 65 passes for 1158 yards and 11 touchdowns, giving him an average of 17.8 yards per catch.
What I really like about Lamb’s game are the different gears he uses on his routes and how physical he can get. He really understands how to adjust his routes on the fly in that Lincoln Riley Air-Raid system and comes back to the ball aggressively on routes along the sidelines. Not only is Lamb highly flexible and makes tough catches look easy, but he also tracks the ball and adjusts his body mid-air very well, shielding the ball from the defender’s swipes.
#5 Justyn Ross, Clemson
While everybody is talking about quarterback Trevor Lawrence – and deservedly so – nobody dominated the College Football Playoff quite like this guy as a freshman. Ross caught 12 passes for 301 yards and three scores on over 25 yards per grab in those two games combined.
Over the course of the full season, he recorded an unprecedented 4.98 yards per route run in 2018. While it “only” measured up for exactly 1000 yards, he needed only 46 receptions to get there and converted a fifth of them into touchdowns. The way Ross came up with huge plays on third down in that national title game was unbelievable.
At 6’4”, 205 pounds with his speed, strength, and hands combined with who throws him the ball could make him the most dangerous weapon on the outside in all of college football this season and put him all the way at number two on my list.
He has just blazing speed and slaloms around defenders with subtle jukes. Tee Higgins deserves his fair share of targets on the opposite side as well, but this kid is a different breed.
Just outside: Tylan Wallace (Oklahoma State), Tee Higgins (Clemson), Jalen Reagor (TCU) and Henry Ruggs III (Alabama)
