Not every year produces multiple high-quality wide receivers at the top of the NFL draft. The 2014 draft brought us superstars Odell Beckham Jr. and Mike Evans, along with 1,000-yard receivers such as Allen Robinson, Kelvin Benjamin and Brandin Cooks. Far more common are drafts such as the 2013 class, which included only one superstar in the first round (DeAndre Hopkins), a midround steal (Keenan Allen) and a small collection of busts.
This year's draft is far more likely to follow the pattern of the 2013 class than the 2014 one. Football Outsiders' system for projecting wide receivers, Playmaker Score, is highly uncertain about the highly rated pass-catchers available in this year's draft. Although one or more of these players could turn out to be quality wide receivers, Playmaker suggests that teams should skip the highly rated pass-catchers and go bargain-hunting in the later rounds.
Playmaker Score's primary output projects the average number of regular-season receiving yards that a wide receiver will gain per season during his first five NFL seasons. For more on how Playmaker Score is calculated, click here for the methodology.
Here's a look at how Playmaker Score judges some of this year's top prospects.
