Having played both tight end and defensive end at an elite level in high school, Sanders (6'4/245) was a five-star, positionless recruit for Texas. He was deemed a tight end ahead of his freshman season but spent the bulk of his time on special teams. Sanders was promoted to a starting role in 2022 and returned the favor with 54 grabs for 614 yards and five scores. With Adonai Mitchell transferring to Texas for an immediate breakout season, Sanders’ cut of the passing game took a hit in his final season. He caught nine fewer passes and saw his touchdown total drop by three. However, the diverted attention from defenses allowed his efficiency to take a leap. His YPC jumped from 11.4 to 15.2. He also made gains in yards per route run and yards after the catch. Sanders shows good long speed on tape and leverages his frame to win contested targets at a high clip. His 4.69 40-yard dash was a strong start at the combine, but eight reps on the bench press and a 30-inch vertical tanked his RAS down to a 5.65. Though he may lack the athleticism to ascend to true stardom in the NFL, Sanders still projects to be a versatile weapon in the passing game.

The son of Ed and younger brother to Christian, Luke McCaffrey (6’2/198) is a former quarterback who turned wide receiver ahead of the 2022 season. In just two years as a receiver at Rice, McCaffrey totaled 129 receptions for 1715 yards and 19 touchdowns and averaged 13.3 YPR. McCaffrey played primarily in the slot (75.8 percent slot rate) while at Rice, and displayed impressive hands. A 4.46 40-time and overall RAS of 9.44 makes McCaffrey a legitimate threat as far as athleticism is concerned. He’s a raw prospect as far as his experience as a receiver goes, but McCaffrey could stick around on a roster and eventually earn a role if he continues to show development.

“We’re happy with our wide receiver group,” Lynch continued. “Actually, more than happy. We’re thrilled with it. And thrilled to add Ricky (Pearsall) to it to make it stronger.” Ok, now that’s really laying it on thick. One of the league’s worst-kept secrets is that the Niners know they can’t pay both Deebo Samuel and contract-year wideout Brandon Aiyuk, but the right trade offers just never materialized. It would now appear both will remain on the roster for 2024, but perhaps the Niners will move on to “entertaining” 2025 selections.

And just like that, the Packers have re-crowded their remade, Josh Jacobs-led backfield. Spending all but one of his college seasons at South Carolina, Lloyd (5’9/220) redshirted his freshman season due to a torn ACL and transferred to USC for an efficient 2023. He rushed for 820 yards and nine touchdowns on 116 carries, adding 13 receptions for 232 yards. Lloyd was the lead back for Lincoln Riley, complementing Caleb Williams’ quarterback play with chunk gains and pass-catching utility. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine, showcasing above-average speed for a back of his size. Lloyd’s athleticism and ability to make tacklers miss in the open field should make him a contributor as both a rusher and a pass-catcher, though, with fewer than 300 carries to his name in college, he may be viewed as a committee back at the NFL level. Third downs will undoubtedly be where he begins his NFL career.

It’s not a landing spot that will produce a ton of target volume for Wilson, but the departure of Diontae Johnson to Carolina this offseason opens up a potential WR2 role in Arthur Smith’s run-first offense. Wilson (5’11/185) played 59.6 percent of his career snaps from the slot while with Michigan, and will likely see a similar role at the NFL. Playing in a run-heavy offense led by Jim Harbaugh, opportunities in the passing game were sparse for Wilson, who totaled just 107 catches for 1,707 yards and 20 touchdowns in his four-year career. The efficiency metrics of 5.5 YAC/REC and 2.29 YPRR he posted for his career are more than passable for NFL prospects. Showing off 4.39 speed at the NFL Scouting Combine, Wilson has the explosiveness and athleticism to flourish at the next level. Prior to last season, he never saw more than 37 targets come his way. It’s possible there’s still some untapped potential for Wilson to display once he’s operating in a more traditional offense. Wilson could be relevant right away in Pittsburgh.

It would appear Kyren Williams is not going to lead the NFL in rushing yards per game this season. Corum is the third RB off the board in this weak class. Arguably the draft class’ most famous runner, Corum (5’8/205) is far from 2024’s best back. You could argue it was Michigan’s “cloud of dust” system, but Corum was a genuine plodder in Ann Arbor. Of the 40 1,000-yard rushers in FBS football last season, Corum’s 4.7 yards per carry was the lowest. He also had the lowest broken tackle rate amongst the 35 highest usage backs. His 2.47 average yards after contact ranked 137-of-152 amongst backs with at least 100 carries. Corum just isn’t an explosive player. He is ridiculously strong, staying low to the ground as a runner and as artillery waiting to go off as a pass blocker. You simply cannot get lower than Corum on the blitz. As powerful and savvy as it gets in short-yardage situations, Corum can also move the chains and finish drives as a role player. He just doesn’t profile as a feature back for the modern era, especially since he’s below-average as a pass catcher. It’s a worrisome situation for Williams, as Corum’s initial calling card figures to be short-yardage work.

Burton (6’0/196) doesn’t have the kind of production profile we’ve become accustomed to seeing from recent Alabama receivers, but he’s proven to be explosive and accustomed to finding the end zone. Despite amassing more than 2,300 yards in his four-year career, Burton’s career-high in receiving yards (798) came in 2023, when he caught 39 balls for eight scores. He was targeted on 18.1 percent of his routes run during his career and has been treated primarily as a deep threat, as evidenced by his 16.8 career ADOT. A physical receiver who is capable of beating the press and hauling in contested targets (52.6 percent contested catch rate), Burton could earn early playing time on the right roster and with a solid offseason.

Corley (5’11/215) has a strong, compact frame that helped him slip 70 tackles throughout his college career. Corley played 91.6 percent of his college snaps from the slot and was often tasked with creating yards after the catch. A career 6.3 ADOT is paired with an 8.2 YAC/REC, but Corely did catch 35-of-71 intermediate and deep targets over his final two collegiate seasons while totaling 870 yards and 10 touchdowns on those targets. He was the beneficiary of manufactured touches during his days at Western Kentucky and could thrive as an outlet option for Aaron Rodgers. He won’t see an overwhelming number of targets as a rookie, but the presence of Garrett Wilson will open up space for him to beat defenses with the ball in his hands.

The Panthers gave away the 52nd, along with picks No. 142 and No. 155, to move up to No. 46 and select Brooks. Buried behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson on the depth chart in 2021-22, Brooks (6’0/216) finally emerged No. 1 triumphant in 2023 with 187/1,139/10/6.1 in 11 games. It should have been 15 games, but Brooks tore his ACL on November 11th against TCU. Supposedly already running again, Brooks looked like the complete NFL package last season, creating 63 missed tackles, producing 24 runs of 10-plus yards, and catching 25 passes. He was trusted as a genuine receiver and not just a safety valve, aligning 2.5 percent of the time in the slot and splitting out wide on a further seven percent of his routes. That means he was actually trusted to execute a route and catch the ball. Brooks is also an excellent pass blocker, perhaps the best in the entire class. If not for the knee injury, Brooks would have undoubtedly been a more hyped prospect. As it is, he remains three months shy of his 21st birthday and should be a dynasty league factor for years to come. New head coach Dave Canales has put a strong emphasis on the running game this offseason, which could make Brooks a strong value in fantasy drafts.

McConkey instantly becomes LA’s No. 1 receiver ahead of Josh Palmer and Quenton Johnston. He should see solid target volume despite playing in Greg Roman’s ultra run-heavy offense under a head coach that wants nothing more than to establish the run. A former three-star recruit, McConkey (6’/186) was redshirted for his first year at Georgia before taking on a part-time role in the offense in 2021. He excelled on his limited number of routes, leading the team’s wide receivers—which at the time included Adonai Mitchell and Jermaine Burton—with 31 catches. His role and his stats took a step forward the following year and he appeared poised for a breakout as a senior. Instead, back and ankle injuries limited him to nine appearances in which he posted a 30/478/2 receiving line. McConkey posted an elite, 3.3 yards per route run in his final season. He proved to be more than just a crafty slot receiver at the combine with a 4.39 40-yard dash. McConkey later added top-notch marks in the three-cone and short shuttle to his resume at Georgia’s Pro Day. McConkey’s combination of route-running and athleticism makes it easy to downplay his lack of production given how quickly he should adapt to the NFL’s speed and physicality.