As an exciting offseason event known as the NFL Scouting Combine is about to unfold, it is fun to take a look at this year’s NFL prospects as they stand. With this data looming, as well as draft capital and NFL landing spots, it is important to note that these players are not locked in where they currently stand. 

Your author has broken down his pre-combine rookie rankings into positional rankings with tier designations to help you better view the dynasty rookie draft landscape. It is important to remember these rankings are created with fantasy football purposes in mind. We will dive eight players deep with the QB and TE positions and ten players deep with the RB and WR positions. Up next, the WR position is detailed for the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. 

Tier 1 

1. Garrett Wilson, WR Ohio State

The next in a long-running line of NFL WRs to develop at Ohio State, Garrett Wilson tops the list of the 2022 WR class. While he does not possess elite-level size or athleticism, he has the highest floor and is the safest pick in the draft at the WR position. Your author normally does not strongly recommend or get excited about WRs that do not have alpha WR traits or athleticism, but Wilson is an outlier that offers plenty of other exceptional skills and talents at the position. That is not to say Wilson lacks athleticism, as he was also offered Division 1 basketball scholarships coming out of high school.  

Wilson is a surgical route runner already at this point in his career. Although he will not be called a burner, he has great speed and should time in the low 4.4s. Wilson has two years of incredible production at the highest level and in the biggest games and moments in his college football career. He has excellent body control and moves smoothly in and out of breaks and cuts when running. He accelerates quickly and has the tools to become a similar player to Calvin Ridley. Wilson will need to add strength to help get off press coverage at the next level, but Wilson appears to be a can’t-miss WR prospect. 

2. Treylon Burks, WR Arkansas 

While Treylon Burks certainly deserves to be in the top-tier of the 2022 WR class with his upside, it is important to note that there may be a WR or two lower on this list that garners higher draft capital. In some ways Burks still has refinement and elements of his game, such as route running, blocking, and pad-level, to be developed. However, Burks is a freak of nature athlete and can be considered a D.K. Metcalf-lite prospect. 

Burks can use his massive frame and jumping ability to make acrobatic catches well above opposing defensive backs. He has many highlight-reel catches that remind you of some of Chase Claypool’s gifted circus catches. He should run in the 4.3s, so he is a legitimate threat to take the top off of the defense on a given play. Burks has been criticized for not giving his best effort on every play when he knows he will not get the ball, but we have seen in the past that players routinely can fix that. Burks is a worthy first-round dynasty rookie draft pick at the WR position. 

Tier 2

3. Jameson Williams, WR Alabama

As mentioned, some of the players in tier 2 might find themselves drafted before Treylon Burks depending on a franchise’s preference. The first WR of the mid-first to early-second round range is Crimson Tide WR Jameson Williams. Williams transferred from Ohio State to start outside for the Tide in 2021. He exploded onto the scene, carving up SEC defenses all year to the tune of 1572 yards and 15 TDs. He elected to enter the NFL Draft this season as an early-declare (you will notice the top-five players on this list are all early-declares) and rightfully so. 

Williams is 6’3” and some reports say he is approaching 200 lbs. He is the best deep-threat in the 2022 WR class, which is saying a lot when you see some of the other players that come later on this list. He projects to run in the low 4.3s but unfortunately tore his ACL in the National Championship game. Hopefully, this will provide a discount opportunity for fantasy owners to select Williams at the end of the first round in their dynasty rookie drafts. He has immense upside as a large-body WR with excellent hands who make contested catches in traffic and routinely beats defensive backs from sideline to sideline and endzone to endzone. 

4. a) David Bell, WR Purdue 

Long a favorite of your author (he already owns 4 devy shares), David Bell checks in at a tie for WR4 in the draft class. Bell could land anywhere in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft, but his style of play and his ability offer a safe floor both for an NFL team and fantasy manager alike. Bell will not blow anyone away at the combine or his pro day and projects somewhere in the 4.5s. He is an excellent outside possession receiver, who runs great routes, creates great releases off the line, possesses great hands, and utilizes his large frame to be physical and make contested catches. 

The biggest knock on Bell is he has very little experience running from the slot, so he lacks versatility in how he can be utilized in an NFL offense at this stage of his career. Still, for a player who does not possess great speed, Bell is both elusive and physical before and after the catch. He is deserving of this ranking and should develop into a reliable starter. 

 4. b) Drake London, WR USC

Drake London is currently a favorite in the fantasy community due in part to an other-worldly 2021 season. The 6’5” 210 lbs. WR compiled 1084 yards and 7 TDs in just 8 games this season while almost exclusively facing double coverage. London’s jump-ball and contested-catch abilities are at the top of this WR class alongside Treylon Burks. While he will run a time in the middle of the pack for the WR group, he still finds ways to create large amounts of separation, despite his size. 

The knocks on London are a lack of acceleration and explosiveness. The latter is hardly a trait to hold against him when you consider his length and the anatomy of movement in general. London also has a poor, up-right release off the line of scrimmage and needs to learn to bend his knees and lower his pad-level to explode out of his release and reduce the amount of time it takes him to get open. He is an excellent blocker and deep threat and offers everything you would expect out of a big-bodied receiver. 

Tier 3

5. Chris Olave, WR Ohio State 

Chris Olave does a lot of the things that Garrett Wilson does, but just not quite as well. Additionally, he could have declared for the NFL Draft last season (and probably been drafted in a similar position) but he opted to return to Ohio State. Olave had an excellent 2021 season and probably did improve his draft stock minimally, which gets him paid more sooner, but he is the first WR on our list who is not an early-declare. He runs great routes, has good speed, moves fluidly in and out of breaks, and offers a surprising catch radius with excellent hands.

Olave does not project as an alpha receiver at the next level and your author feels he will certainly become a WR2 for his NFL team. At 6’1″ and 189 lbs., he lacks ideal size and the physicality to consistently win on the outside in the NFL. Still, he will be a productive NFL receiver for many years. We may see Olave slide into the end of the first round in the draft but there are other WRs on this list ahead of him that offer more fantasy potential. 

6. John Metchie III, WR Alabama 

We have now hit the second-to-third-round draft capital range with our receivers. John Metchie III is a player your author is a big fan of, already owning three devy shares. We will never know if he would have run as fast (due to his ACL injury just two games before Williams’), but his style is reminiscent of a T.Y Hilton with more size, strength, and physicality. Metchie is a sudden athlete, who has quick-twitch movements and excellent change-of-direction. 

Metchie was good enough to start alongside fellow Alabama alumni and first-round picks Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith in 2020. In 2021, Metchie was relied upon to be the Crimson Tide’s go-to receiver, a role he was effective in until teammate Jameson Williams stormed onto the scene. He combines high football IQ with exceptional route running and releases. While Metchie doesn’t possess exceptional hands or Williams’ athleticism, he understands the game and is a gritty competitor both with and without the ball in his hands.

7. Justyn Ross, WR Clemson 

It is hard to believe that just a few years ago Justyn Ross for a brief time held a spot as your author’s devy WR1. Ross, who missed the 2020 season after undergoing surgery to correct a congenital fusion in his neck, has worked hard to earn his way back to relevance. It is no secret that he does not look like the same player today that he once was–noticeably less explosive and perhaps a step slower. Only time will tell if this lapse in athleticism is permanent. 

As a current prospect, Ross is an instinctive and natural playmaker and possesses a high football IQ. He has some of the best hands in this draft class. He has the experience and versatility to line up at any receiver position. Ross possesses an ideal frame for the WR position at 6’4 205lbs. and rivals Burks and London with his leaping ability. He makes for an excellent red-zone threat at the very least, but the concerns about his durability, and now his speed, are legitimate.  

8. George Pickens, WR Georgia 

Another outstanding receiver who will not run well at the combine is George Pickens. Pickens has displayed rare physical gifts in short spurts throughout his collegiate career. He possesses the size, strength, instincts, and grit to potentially be dominant at the next level. However, Pickens is probably the biggest boom-or-bust prospect in the draft class. He was never a very fast player, both in terms of his deep speed and his release off the line, and he is still recovering from an ACL injury, which will only make this a bigger issue. 

Pickens has developed as a route runner and appears capable of running a full route tree. He can dominate defensive back with his size and physicality. Unfortunately, he also comes with red flags for character, as he was once suspended for violating team rules and has been ejected for punching another player, among numerous other personal fouls. Still, Pickens offers as much fantasy upside as any WR in the 2022 Draft. 

Tier 4

9. Jahan Dotson, WR Penn State 

At tier 4, we are now looking at WRs who should be drafted in either round three or day three of the NFL Draft. Penn State’s Jahan Dotson tops the ranks from this tier. Dotson will run well at the combine and is probably the second or third best deep threat in the class, vying with the next two players on this list, for the top spot behind Jameson Williams. Dotson is a slippery route runner with elusive footwork both off the LOS and within routes. He wastes no movement between the reception and his burst upfield and projects to be a YAC monster. 

While he also possesses great hand, Dotson may have an issue transitioning to the NFL at just 5’11” and 184 lbs. It is also important to note that Dotson was kept off the field by former teammate K.J. Hamler in 2018 and 2019, and didn’t have a break-out season until he was a senior in 2021. Admittedly, he was hamstrung by questionable QB play the last two seasons. 

10. a) Skyy Moore, WR Western Michigan

Skyy Moore is an exciting prospect that will be the only one to realistically push for a 40-time in the 4.2s. Like Dotson, he is very sudden and electric when moving, both with and without the ball in his hands. Moore has excellent hands for a deep-threat and speed guy. He also possesses elite acceleration and can get cranked up to top speed very quickly. As a route runner, Moore is accomplished and has made easy work of all the defensive backs he has faced in the MAC over his career. 

As is often the case for prospects with Olympic-level speed, Moore is a little undersized for the NFL. He also hasn’t been tested by a lot of top-level talent and so his NFL production remains far from certain. Though he has been willing to venture into traffic and work the middle of the field, he will be knocked around off of his routes by NFL defenders. Still, Moore is a player who can win you a week in fantasy with just two or three big plays. 

10. b) Christian Watson, WR North Dakota State 

Although he shares similar height-weight measurements with Drake London, Christian Watson is a very different player. Watson should run in the upper 4.3s at the combine and is a proven deep-threat with the likes of Jahan Dotson and Skyy Moore. Watson also displays jump-ball ability, with a tremendous ability to elevate above defenders. He completely dominated the FCS competition in 2021, as his QB rating when he targetted was graded out at 142.9. 

Watson has shown scouts some concerns with drops over his career and poses the question of whether they are concentration-related or hands-related. He also has a lot of work to do to develop as a route runner, as he was not asked to do as much at NDSU. The level of competition he faced will also be a concern. The raw tools though for this developmental WR are undeniable, and he can make a difference in his first season as a deep-threat alone. 

Come back tomorrow for the pre-combine 2022 rookie TE rankings! 

Positional Rankings

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

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