The 2014 wide receiver draft class has only a year in the books, but is on track to become the best ever. Ten rookies each had more than 500 yards receiving; three of those surpassed 1,000. Although the success of these players is incredible, it can hardly be called surprising. Not only did scouts predict a big year for rookie receivers, but Football Outsiders' system for projecting wide receivers -- Playmaker Score -- anticipated that the 2014 class was loaded with ones who were likely to be successful in the pros.
Can the 2015 draft class match its predecessor's accomplishments? According to Playmaker Score, probably not. Although the 2015 class includes some strong prospects and a sprinkling of interesting sleepers, there are also a number of players with bust potential, rated higher by scouts than by Playmaker Score. It adds up to a potentially good, but not great, class of pass-catchers.
What follows is a ranking of the top receiver prospects for 2015 according to our model, including a projection for the average number of regular-season receiving yards that each will gain in his first five NFL seasons (for a full explanation of how Playmaker Score works, you can find the criteria at the bottom of this article):
1. Amari Cooper, Alabama
Projected yards per first five seasons: 643
Scouts Inc. rank: No. 3 overall
Similar historical prospects: Marvin Harrison, A.J. Green
