2011 NFL Mock Draft: Sorting Through the Wide Receiver Class, Part 1

Perhaps it would make sense to just start forming some sort of big board.  Looking at the wide receiver class, I would probably rank them as follows:

1. A.J. Green, Georgia
2. Julio Jones, Alabama
3. Randall Cobb, Kentucky
4. Torrey Smith, Maryland
5. Leonard Hankerson, Miami-FL
6. Titus Young, Boise State
7. Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
8. Tandon Doss, Indiana
9. Greg Salas, Hawaii
10. Greg Little, North Carolina
11. Denarius Moore, Tennessee
12. Austin Pettis, Boise State
13. Edmund Gates, Abilene Christian
14. Niles Paul, Nebraska
15. Terrance Toliver, LSU
16. Vincent Brown, San Diego State
17. Jeremy Kerley, TCU
18. Cecil Shorts, Mount Union
19. Ronald Johnson, USC
20. Dwayne Harris, East Carolina

What strikes me is how deep that group goes.  I'm not saying that all of these players are starters, but rather that there are players easily capable of making NFL contributions all throughout this wide receiver class.  Heck, I left out Stanford's Ryan Whalen (who is in my Top 25), and Whalen will make a good WR4 or WR5 for some team.

Green and Jones are in a class by themselves, obviously, and untouched by anyone else in the class.  I'll edge Green over Jones like the rest of the experts, but don't be surprised if both go in the top six.  There's not a lot separating them.  Both are dynamic playmakers.

In that second-third round stretch, my favorite receivers are Cobb, Smith, Doss and Salas.  Cobb can do just about anything asked of him on the football field.  He can throw, run, catch and block.  If the New England Patriots don't draft Cobb, I will be shocked.  Hes a do-everything type that creative offenses should be able to utilize in multiple roles.

Smith is just your solid flanker type.  Good speed, good hands, good route-running ability.  I think he'll surprise some his rookie year and make some big plays from the wideout position.  I like Smith as an occasional highlight reel player his first year that has a real shot at being an impact player going forward.

Doss is one of my favorite receivers in the 2011 NFL Draft.  He doesn't seem to be a well-known prospect outside of Indiana, but he's everything you would look for in a pro receiver.  Great hands -- Todd McShay says they're among the best in the draft -- solid route-running skills, physical, good speed.  Models his game after the Indianapolis Colts' Reggie Wayne.  Ran the ball a bit at IU, was one of the Big Ten's top return men.  Doss is a guy who could play any of the three receiver positions and be effective.  I look for him to be a solid pro.

Finally, Salas.  I've never been unimpressed with his game.  He's deceptively quick, has great down-the-sideline speed and soft hands.  Reminds me of a Kevin Walter (Houston Texans) type of receiver.  He's never going to be spectacular, but he's always going to work the sideline and find a way to get open.  

Beyond that tier, I like Toliver, who had to spend a lot of his LSU career catching passes from lackluster quarterbacks, Kerley, who was quietly efficient at TCU and Shorts, who has a chance to be a DIII sleeper pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Part 2 continued in 15 minutes...

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