Giardi: Patriots have so many options at WRs (and they do need 'em)

If there was ever a year to need a wide receiver (or two) from the upcoming NFL Draft, this is it. I've had at least a half dozen front office and scouts put between 15 and 18 wideouts in the top 100. Yes, please.

This group likely won't top the 2004 class, with seven players in the first round, but it has unparalleled high-end depth. Because of that, teams are still sorting out how to attack the position. Do you pass on one in round one because you feel good about the next wave of talent to come off the board? Or do you look at the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze and say, 'The hell with waiting. I'm taking one of these guys now.' One thing is certain: based on how they've operated this offseason, the Patriots need to invest in this spot - and hit. N'Keal Harrys, Aaron Dobsons, and Tyquan Thorntons (perhaps there's still hope?) need not apply.

What I thought I'd do here — and several more times in the weeks before the draft — is share with you the intel I've gathered on certain players and positions, starting with WRs. I won't be the only one on Boston Sports Journal to offer their assessments (Ric began his series yesterday with safeties). We're talking scheme-fit, we're talking talent, we're talking need. I separated the players into tiers. These are my tiers.

TOP TIER

Harrison, Ohio State
Nabers, LSU
Odunze, Washington

"All can and will be number ones," said one AFC assistant GM. "Don't overthink it."

"Whatever order you put 'em in, I can live with," said a college scouting director, adding that he goes Harrison, Odunze, then Nabers because he prefers the physicality the first two bring. 

"Field tilters," an NFL assistant coach told me. "Want to make life easier for your QB and the rest of the passing game? Insert one of these dudes into the mix."

All three are excellent, but admittedly, I have a thing for Odunze. Why? I'm glad you asked. There isn't anything he does - release, ability to deal with press coverage, route precision, hands - that doesn't scream elite. But his competitiveness also stands out, even on plays not to him.

SECOND TIER

Brian Thomas, LSU
Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Ladd McConkey, Georgia
Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Roman Wilson, Michigan
Troy Franklin, Oregon

So, this next tier is about what flavors you like/need. Do you want a boundary receiver? A field stretcher? A wizard in the slot? Some positional versatility (but not considerable dropoff from one spot to the next)? It's all in here.

- Thomas reminds me so much of Tee Higgins. His 17 TDs led FBS, and despite being 6-foot-3, Thomas has some quicks, wiggle, and bend to his game that you might not see at this size. 

"He's still a little raw, but he possesses everything you need to be a number one or a two," said one college scout who has seen Thomas play in person several times. "He gets from zero to 4.3 in a couple strides. It's impressive." 

The Pats won't be in Thomas's range unless they trade up. 

- Mitchell is the prototypical "X" receiver. He can get vertical, tracks the ball well, and is known for winning 50/50 balls. But the Longhorn also knows how to work the sidelines (take lessons, Kayshon Boutte). He's too much of a body catcher for me, and you don't always see full effort on every snap (it happens a little too much for my liking). For you analytic folks, Mitchell's are bad. The tape is — at points — great.

- McConkey is one of my favorite players in the draft. He knows how to get open and does so with a plan, and he can snap off routes like a boss. He's not perfect. You're not throwing jump balls to him, and he has dealt with some injuries this past season, but McConkey has more fans than just me.

"He understands leverage, sets up defenders, and is a tough cookie," said an NFC assistant GM, noting McConkey isn't just a slot (in fact, he played more outside than inside this past year at Georgia).

"He's going to eat targets. I could see him catching five or six balls a game for the next five or six years," an AFC scout told me. 

- Pearsall is a taller slot (6-1, 189), and you probably can't find a legit scouting report on him that doesn't use the word "loose." His hips, legs, torso, and how he adjusts to off-target throws = loose. Similar to McConkey as a route runner and overall feel versus defenders. One of my favorites in this class as well.

- Franklin is super lean and fast. He feels like Tyquan 2.0. 

- Wilson showed at the Senior Bowl that he had more in his bag than the Michigan passing attack let him show. He, too, is not confined to slot only and can motor. There is an explosive element to his game and plenty of toughness. He gets YAC because of it.

THIRD TIER

Xavier Worthy, Texas
Xavier Legette, South Carolina
Keon Coleman, Florida State
Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
Ja'Lynn Polk, Washington

- I'm out on Worthy. 165 pounds? I don't care how fast you are; there is no way he's surviving running anything inside the hashes. Yes, I know they asked him to do that at Texas. The NFL doesn't have any Texas Techs in it.

- Corley is a running back who plays wide receiver. He is a shorter Deebo Samuel. Do you want to talk about YAC? Corley makes his living off it. You'll need a plan for him early and hope he develops as a receiver/route runner. Teams love his physicality and toughness.

- Coleman "isn't much of a separator, but it didn't matter in college," said an AFC scout. "He Moss'd a bunch of defenders who were in good position, and he would have had better numbers had the QB (Jordan Travis) put more air under the ball."

Despite not being turbo-charged, Coleman was the Seminoles punt returner and an excellent athlete. I don't love the overall profile, but at the very least, he's a red-zone threat.

- Legette is a one-year stud. He still needs refinement as a route runner. There are extra steps in his breaks left and right, even before the foot/ankle injury that bothered him at the Senior Bowl. But physically, Legette is a "bully," said an NFC college scouting director. "He's so strong (6-1, 223 pounds)." 

"Get him moving on crossers and watch guys bounce off him," said the AFC scout. "It's a fun watch."

I've seen comps to D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown. I'm not sure I can get there, but the speed and strength combo is enticing.

- Maybe I watched Washington football too much this year, but I also love Polk. He goes and gets the ball. In fact, I'd say he's a poor man's Odunze. He ran a 4.52 40 at the combine, and you can see that lack of explosion coming in and out of breaks and when he turns into a runner.

FOURTH TIER

Jermaine Burton, Alabama
Jalen McMillan, Washington    
Devontez Walker, North Carolina    
Javon Baker, South Florida
Luke McCaffrey, Rice

Jamari Thrash, Louisville

- Walker's athletic profile is what you want. The tape, however, is hit-or-miss. "He's a weak route runner on the short to intermediate stuff. I watched him wait for comebacks to come to him instead of attacking the ball," said an NFC scout. "But get him down the field, and that's where he plays."

- On McCaffrey, the same scout says, "He's just scratching the surface. Only has two years at the position, runs well, understands what defenses are trying to do to him (he's a former QB) and, you know, he's got those good genes in him (his brother is Christian, father Ed)."

- McMillan is a bigger slot who has thrived in the Huskies West Coast system. Not a burner (4.47 40) but is an explosive athlete (broad jump 10'7") and a savvy route runner. "He's not a one-trick pony" and "will get dirty" in the run game, per an AFC assistant GM, though he does add "will need to improve versus press."

FIFTH TIER

Johnny Wilson, FSU

- I don't know what to do with Wilson. He's 6-6 and weighs 231 pounds. Could he be Mike Gesicki (6-6, 245)? Or is he Devin Funchess? Or should he have been a small forward? In the end, I don't trust his quickness.

OTHERS

Brenden Rice, USC (Father is Hall of Famer Jerry Rice)
Jacob Cowing, Arizona
Josh Cephus, UTSA
Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
Malik Washington, Virginia

- Washington is intriguing. He's barely 5-8 but a thick 190 pounds. "He is like a pinball out there," according to an NFC scout. "There's a lot of power in that body."