NFL Draft Deep Dive - Potential Day 2 WR's to Watch

As we transition into Bowl Season, the college football landscape begins to fixate on the transfer portal and the players fortunate enough to declare for the NFL Draft. That small percentage of upper echelon talent is going to be intensely evaluated from couch GM’s like myself over the next few months. We’ve consistently seen underrated gems come out of the 2nd and 3rd round the past few years, especially at the WR position. Utilizing a blend of advanced stats and multiple games of film watched on each prospect, we did our best to briefly describe the players listed and make their case for relevancy at the next level. Look out for Tight End spotlight in the next few weeks and eventually our 1st 2024 NFL Mock Draft.

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#1 Troy Franklin // Oregon Ducks // 6’3 // 187

Games Watched: Oregon St. ‘23 // Texas Tech ‘23

Player Comp: Shiftier DJ Chark

A big play burner for the Ducks, what else is new? Franklin features a lean frame with great length and a smooth playstyle. His speed is up there with the best in the class with most anticipating a 40 time in the 4.3’s. The downfield threat is apparent with his physical attributes but he can also win in the short- intermediate game with an underrated release package that can fend off press coverage from bigger corners. He’s a younger receiver who’s expected to enter the NFL Draft after just turning 21. Despite his age he displays great football IQ, consistently creating separation and attacking the right spots in zone coverage. He has the twitch and shiftiness in open field situations to turn 10 yard routes into home run plays. His hand strength and frame are the only glaring flaws I’ve noticed, despite that he seems like a lock for the 2nd round in this year's draft if he declares.

#2 Malachi Corley // Western Kentucky // 5’11 / 210

Games Watched: Ohio St. ‘23 // FAU ‘22

Player Comp: It’s Lazy.. but has to be Deebo

Malachi Corley is a pure bully with the ball in his hands. His stature is immediately on display once he steps onto the field and he fits the “Get him the ball and watch him work” playstyle. Corley doesn’t shy away from contact and excels at forcing missed tackles and repelling arm tackles. He’s earned the nickname “YAC God”, leading the FBS in yards after catch in 2022. He’s also done his part in finishing drives, finding the endzone 29 times in the last 3 seasons for Western Kentucky. You’ll hear the Deebo comps left and right as he entered college as a running back and is extremely versatile with elite balance. Scouts have described him as a player who’s a nightmare to bring down and a threat in both the open field and redzone. Corley’s route tree isn’t at an elite level but his acceleration flashes instantly on tape. He’s the type of player that can turn simple plays behind the line of scrimmage into productive offense and is one of my favorite Day 2 WR’s.

#3 Tory Horton // Colorado State // 6’2 // 190

Games Watched: Colorado ‘23 // Wyoming ‘22

Player Comp: Allen Robinson II

Tory Horton was thrusted into the spotlight earlier this season after a 16 catch performance against the Colorado Buffaloes on ESPN. He isn’t someone I see as a future Top 15 WR, but I do think Horton has a chance to be in the league for a very long time as a complement to elite talent. Horton has the underrated ability to consistently find soft spots in zone coverage and leverage his +speed to create value off of simple throws. He’s shifty enough in the open field (punt returner in college) to make NFL level defenders miss. Showed multiple instances of being able to work back towards an escaping QB and provide a safety outlet on broken plays. Steady hands, especially around the 1st down marker and does a tremendous job at tracking the ball down field. Horton strikes me as a late day 2 / early day 3 pick, if he can build his frame and continue to play with high IQ we could be watching him on Sundays for a long time.

#4 Jermaine Burton // Alabama // 6’0 // 194

Games Watched: Auburn ‘23 // Texas A&M ‘23

Player Comp: Physical Will Fuller

Jermaine Burton plays angry with explosive cuts and good intermediate-deep route running. He’s only dropped 2 passes in the past 3 years (140 targets) and has great body control to pair with reliable hands. Great sideline awareness and consistently makes the acrobatic plays downfield you expect out of a vertical threat. Not a big yards after catch threat which is fine for his playstyle, he’ll rely more on downfield separation and winning 1 on 1 on clear pass downs. Expect a phenomenal 40 time here (Sub 4.4) and his stock to rise due to blocking upside and ability to haul in contested catches. If he can develop his game with the ball in his hands I can see him being a very productive NFL receiver. We’re lucky to get a little more film against elite talent in the upcoming weeks but as it stands now he should be a day 2 pick, likely in the middle of the 3rd round.

Honorable Mention Day 3 Pick

Tre Harris // Ole Miss // 6’2 // 205

Player Comp: Pierre Garcon

At this point it would be a disservice to not look at the top WR coming out of Ole Miss, and yes as most would expect Tre Harris is a physical specimen. He’s another “bully” on this list but I wouldn’t put him in the same category as some of the current NFL YAC leaders. He’s able to create separation early with a great release package at the line of scrimmage and can work through arm tackles to earn extra yards. Harris has a knack for the spectacular catch but that comes with the downside of consistently being contested 20+ yards down field. That being said, he's a true vertical threat (18.1 YPC) and will have the ability to hurt you at every level of the field. He can go missing if a team is running a disciplined zone coverage but overall he’s always a chunk play threat with a great blend of size and speed. He’s currently being projected much later than the rest of the guys on this list, watch out for Tre on day 3.

Sites used: Playerprofiler.com / PFF.com / NflDraftBuzz.com / ProFootballNetwork.com