We’ve started off these rankings by breaking down the top-10 wideouts in this class and then WRs 11-20 as a follow-up. Make sure to check out that intro piece on WRs 1-10 to gauge more of the methodology on what goes into these early ranks. You can also find the rest of the rookie rankings and all other 2020 rankings for seasonal and dynasty formats as they arrive in our 2020 rankings hub as they arrive and are updated throughout the offseason.

This is a strong wide receiver and there’s intrigue among a number of wideouts outside of the top-20 at the position, but there’s no doubt that they carry lower odds at future success unless we get some surprises in team investment come April. Despite some allure here, this group is filled with a ton of non-early declare wideouts with lacking profiles in either production, athleticism or both. With that in mind, we’re going to go with more of a rapid-fire approach here to bring things home at the position. 

2020 Pre-NFL Draft Wide Receiver Rankings

  1. Joe Reed, Virginia, (Model Rank WR24): Reed has the prototype size (6’0, 224) and athleticism (86th percentile) to get drafted higher than his career production suggests while he has the most career kickoff return yards (3,042) with five touchdowns to carve out an early roster spot. Reed’s 11.4 yards per catch ranked 53rd in this class, but he did rank fourth in red zone targets (24) in 2019.
  2. Quez Watkins, Southern Mississippi (MR WR17):  Slender (6’0”, 185) burner (4.35 40) who tallied 15.1 yards per catch and 20.3 yards per punt return over his collegiate career. His 2.69 yards per team attempt ranked 12th in this class.
  3. Lynn Bowden, Kentucky, Final Year Age:22.3 (Model Rank WR49): Bowden gets no love from the model because he played everywhere, including quarterback in 2019. His fantasy output may be sporadic, but Bowden notched 1,530 career rushing yards, 1,303 receiving yards, and 1,827 returns yards at Kentucky. Bowden accounted for 35.6% of Kentucky’s yards from scrimmage in 2019, ranking fifth in the nation. If a team wants to take the next step in evolving the “Taysom Hill Role”, Bowden is that player.
  4. Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin, FY Age: 21.8 (MR WR25): Cephus has a support group and was 13th in this class in yards per team attempt (2.57) on his way to 32.2% of the Wisconsin receiving yards and 38.9% of the touchdowns. 18th percentile physical profile hurt his stock some while the ghosts of Big-10 WR scouting hopefuls in Stanley Morgan and DeAngelo Yancey linger. 
  5. Collin Johnson, Texas, FY Age: 22.4 (MR WR26): Big body (6’6”, 222) who averaged 5.4-79.9-0.4 per game in 2019 in just seven games played. 
  6. John Hightower, Boise State (MR WR23): Big-play receiver that averaged 17.6 yards per catch over two seasons at Boise while tacking on 23.3 yards per kickoff return. 
  7. James Proche, SMU, FY Age: 23.3 (MR WR22): Has the largest production portfolio of this class with 301 career receptions, including 204 over the past two seasons to go along with experience on special teams (81 career kickoff and punt returns). But on the older scale while checking in the 20th percentile in physical profile. 
  8. Trishton Jackson, Syracuse, FY Age:21.8 (MR WR28): Former Michigan State transfer had 66-1,023-11 in 2019 after playing in just 11 career games prior to 2019. Accounted for 47.8% of the Syracuse receiving touchdowns, which ranked third in the country.
  9. KJ Hill, Ohio State, FY Age: 22.4 (MR WR37): A scout favorite to develop as an NFL slot man, but checks no objective boxes in production, size and athleticism (20th percentile).
  10. Cody White, Michigan State (MR WR30): White accounted for 37.1% of Spartan receiving yards and 35.3% of their passing touchdowns as a junior. 19th percentile physical profile. 
  11. Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt, FY Age: 22.3 (MR WR31): Had 17 touchdowns over his sophomore and junior seasons. Lost ground off a strong 2018 (97-916-9) when the Vandy passing game crumbled in 2019 (47-511-3). Averaged just 11.9 yards per catch over four years 
  12. Van Jefferson, Florida, FY Age: 23.5 (MR WR39): Jefferson earned buzz at the combine, but is a five-ear wideout with fewer than 700 yards from scrimmage in every year of his collegiate career. To compound matters on his early outlook, Jefferson has a Jones fracture that will sideline him throughout the recruiting process.
  13. Dezmon Patmon, Washington State (MR WR29): Patmon has a light production profile in four years playing in the pass-heavy Washington State offense, but has ideal size (6’4”, 226) and a strong athletic profile after scoring in the 90th percentile in speed score with a 4.48 40 to go along with a 36” vertical and 11’1” broad jump. 
  14. Darnell Mooney, Tulane (MR WR35): Mooney averaged 17.6, 20.7, and 14.9 yards per catch over his final three seasons while running a 4.38 40 at the combine. Unfortunately checked in at just 176 pounds with no career return production to go along with that speed.
  15. Quartney Davis, Texas A&M, FY Age: 21.3 (MR WR36): An early declare after a light breakout with 20.1% (616 total) of the A&M receiving yards in 2019 to go along with four touchdowns. Was a below-average tester in all drills he participated in at the combine. 
  16. Isaiah Coulter, Rhode Island (MR WR32): Came in just under teammate Aaron Parker with 72-1,039-8 as a junior compared Parker’s fourth year, but similar question marks in athleticism (17th percentile) and competition at Rhode Island remain.
  17. Aaron Parker, Rhode Island (MR WR20): Intriguing size (6’2” and 209 pounds) to go along with 81-1,224-9 in 2019, but competition as a four-year player is in question paired with 29th percentile physical profile.
  18. Tyrie Cleveland, Florida, FY Age: 22.4 (WR WR53): Another Florida wideout with an extremely limited production profile (79-1,271-8) through four years, but Cleveland registered in the 72nd percentile athletically in Indy. 
  19. Jauan Jennings, Tennessee, FY Age: 22.6 (WR WR33): Fifth-year senior tallied 1,020 total yards in 2019 after 1,226 through four seasons at Tennessee. Jennings had one of the roughest combines, posting a 12th percentile speed score to go with an 11th percentile explosion score.
  20. Marquez Callaway, Tennessee, (MR WR40): Callaway improved his yardage in each of his four seasons at Tennessee, but his apex season reached just 635 yards and six touchdowns this past year. On marginal opportunity (92 career receptions) he did prove to be a big-play threat, averaging 17.9 yards per catch while having three career punt return touchdowns and 13.6 yards per return. 
  21. Binjimen Victor, Ohio State, FY Age: 21.0 (MR WR45): Victor never lived up to expectations at Ohio State as other future NFL talent always overshadowed him. But when he did catch the ball, he made it count. Victor averaged 16.1 yards per catch for his career while 18 of his 83 receptions (21.7%) went for touchdowns, the fourth-highest rate in the class.
  22. Juwan Johnson, Oregon, FY Age: 23.4 (MR WR44): The transfer from Penn State averaged 15.6 yards per catch prior to injury in 2019. Johnson is a hulking 6’4”, 230 pounds, but managed just six career touchdowns on 111 receptions (5.4%), 53rd in this class.
  23. Lawrence Cager, Georgia (MR WR42): 6’5” and 220 pounds with 33 3/8” arms will have some teams intrigued, but never surpassed 476 yards in any of his four seasons playing in crowded pass-catching units. 
  24. K.J. Osborn, Miami (MR WR41): Yards per catch (10.9) dropped off this season from 16.8 in 2018 in his step up in competition transferring to Miami after leaving Buffalo. Has return game experience, handling 33 career kickoff returns (19.6 yards) and 49 punt returns (12.1) despite no house calls on those returns. 
  25. Omar Bayless, Arkansas State, FY Age: 23.0 (MR WR27): Major production in 2019, accounting for 41.1% of his team receiving yards (1,653) and 45.9% of their passing scores (17). Strength of competition and age likely played a major role in his career season as he was in the 15th percentile in physical profile post combine. 
  26. Freddie Swain, Florida (MR WR48): Swain only caught 68 passes over his four seasons, but did manage to turn 15 of those (22.1%) into touchdowns.
  27. Aaron Fuller, Washington (MR WR43): With an 18th percentile career production score to go along with an eighth percentile physical profile, the odds are stacked against the four-year contributor.
  28. Darrell Stewart, Michigan State (MR WR34): Fifth-year season turned in a career-best 49-697-4 in 2019. Just seven of Stewart’s 150 receptions went for a touchdown (4.7%), the lowest rate in this class. But Stewart had some versatility, averaging 24.0 yards per kickoff return with an added 154 rushing yards over his career.
  29. Jeff Thomas, Miami (MR WR50): Thomas has a marginal receiving profile, with season highs of 35 receptions, 563 yards and three touchdowns over his three seasons at Miami. With a smaller frame (5’9”, 170 pounds) teams will be looking more at his 22.6 yards per kickoff return on 54 returns and 18.9 yards per punt return on 14 returns.  
  30. Stephen Guidry, Mississippi State, FY Age: 22.8 (MR WR46): Guidry has speed, running a 4.47 40 at 201 pounds, wasn’t able to put together much a production profile, catching 49 passes for 827 yards and eight touchdowns over his two seasons at Mississippi State. 
  31. Tony Brown, Colorado, FY Age:22.0 (MR WR47): Brown had as many receptions (56) as teammate Laviska Shenault this past season for 707 yards and five scores. Downside is that was by far his best season while registering in the ninth percentile in physical profiles at the combine.
  32. Chris Finke, Notre Dame (MR WR51): At 5’9” and 186 pounds, Finke is another wideout with limited receiving production as a fifth-year senior (106-1,251-8 for his career) but has experience in the return game, handling 73 career punt returns.
  33. Kendrick Rogers, Texas A&M (MR WR52): Rogers is an early declare that has the size (6’4” and 208 pounds) and some speed (4.51 40), but managed just 68 receptions for 786 yards and seven touchdowns over three seasons at A&M. 
  34. Austin Mack, FY Age: 22.4 (MR WR54): Mack was another Ohio State wideout who just failed to stack production, catching 79 passes for 1,050 yards and six touchdowns over his four seasons while he scored in the 22nd percentile in WR physical profiles. 
  35. Malcolm Perry, Navy (MR WR55): Perry was the quarterback at Navy for the past three seasons, rushing for 4,359 yards. Making the move to wide receiver, Perry checked in undersized 5’9” and 186 pounds while in the sixth percentile in physical profiles.