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Sam Wagman breaks down the best landing spots for 2022 rookie wide receivers from a fantasy football perspective. Will these WR prospects end up on favorable teams in the NFL Draft?
Have you ever read an NFL Draft article about some of your favorite prospects and wondered why they don't assign players to teams that really fit the player's strengths?
The NFL Draft is a great time of year because the prospect pool is obviously a huge shift from our normal crop of players that we see every day in the league. It gives you a chance to really dig into what makes a player successful, what he is and isn't good at, and it lets you peer into the player themselves. It's a really in-depth look at these young men who are getting ready to have their life's work recognized and a chance to change the fortune of their selves and their family's selves.
Today we get to take a look at the immensely talented wide receiver class for the 2022 Draft, going in-depth for the alpha prospects in addition to some of the guys in that still very good second tier as well. We will examine the best fits for fantasy football for each of the receivers, based specifically on the players themselves, and find the best fit possible for the player's strengths. As always, use promo code WAGS on any product on RotoBaller and you get 10% off! Let's get right into it.
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Garrett Wilson
From what I've seen recently by scouring the landscape of mock drafts and people in the know, Wilson comes off as the safest and most polished player in this class, and it is assumed that he will come off as the first wide receiver at the end of the month. For the sake of this article, we're going to stick to more realistic teams as opposed to wild speculation while still choosing the best possible landing spot, so the best spot in this range would be the Washington Commanders.
The Commanders have had only Terry McLaurin man the outside for the past few seasons and while he is a very good talent that has been inconsistent due to iffy quarterback play, he would benefit from a running mate like Wilson. Carson Wentz comes in and has no problem throwing the ball downfield, which is an area that Wilson will excel in due to his excellent long speed and separation skills. I just passed up the Falcons, here, as the QB situation is more suspect and Kyle Pitts is the true red-zone weapon there.
Jameson Williams
The great thing about Williams is he can fit on really any team. All teams want speed in this new era of extremely pass-happy football, so the only places that really aren't good for a player like Williams are non-heavy volume passing offenses, like the Baltimore Ravens. A player like Williams will thrive best playing off of another receiver who can dominate outside the numbers and open up the field for Williams' game-breaking speed, so I believe his best fit is the Arizona Cardinals.
The beauty of the situation with the Cardinals is that Williams, who is reportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery from an ACL tear sustained in January's National Championship game, will not have to rush back for Week 1 this season because the Cardinals restocked the WR room this offseason after losing Christian Kirk in free agency. DeAndre Hopkins is there to man the boundary alongside A.J. Green, and Zach Ertz is a capable TE1 still. Williams will not come into an immediate WR1 season, but he, Hopkins, and Rondale Moore should make a great trio over the next three years.
Drake London
This is the player whose fit most intrigues me, because of the team that it is. London is a big-bodied behemoth that not only can do immense damage downfield and on 50-50 balls, but also has great acceleration in the short to intermediate levels of the field and should be an absolute weapon in the red zone. Now what team immediately comes to mind that lost their favorite red-zone weapon and has a superstar quarterback that LOVES to throw the goal-line fade? You guessed it, it's the Green Bay Packers.
Aaron Rodgers would salivate if the Packers were to select London in the first round. They may have to trade up a bit to get it done, but I believe that London could walk into Green Bay and right away assume a lot of the duties that former Packer Davante Adams had as Rodgers' go-to target. With Allen Lazard already in place as a solid possession receiver for Rodgers and the newly signed Sammy Watkins able to help on the boundary as well, London could be the key that helps to unlock this offense the way that Adams has for the past couple of seasons. I passed up the New York Jets here, who I view as the most realistic team to get London currently.
Treylon Burks
Burks is an interesting study. You don't often see a player of his size and build that is very inexperienced against press-man coverage yet is very good at using his body to make difficult contested catches on 50-50 balls. He is a player that thrives in the slot as opposed to the outside since he doesn't separate that well and uses his strength to get off of press rather than a quick release. I looked for a spot where he would not only excel in the short-intermediate and then uncork his long speed downfield but also be a solid red-zone target, and I came up with a great landing spot: the Kansas City Chiefs.
Everyone says that the Chiefs need to find the next Tyreek Hill. I disagree though. They tried to find the next Hill, with Mecole Hardman. They failed because there is only one Tyreek Hill. They need to find someone that can benefit current WR1 JuJu Smith-Schuster and target hog Travis Kelce, so Burks is a solid choice here to pick up some of the red-zone slack that Hill leaves behind having departed for the Miami Dolphins.
Chris Olave
Count me as a big fan of Olave's game. He is probably the most technically sound receiver in this draft class, profiling as the best route-runner as well as being extremely quick (4.39 40) and having great hands (eight drops in his last 39 games). He doesn't have as high a ceiling as the four options that have already been listed, but he is a safer prospect and for that reason, I can see him carving out a solid NFL career. He is a very similar prospect to Stefon Diggs and plays very well all over the formation. He seems like a natural fit for again, the Green Bay Packers.
To be fair, the Packers NEED at least one of these wide receivers. Losing Davante Adams on the tail-end of Rodgers' career is very damaging to the team's current Super Bowl window, which is closing by the day. Olave would make a lot of sense here replacing Adams because he is a very solid route runner, just like Adams, and will be able to haul in the ball on those downfield bullets from Rodgers.
Others to Watch
Pickens is one of my favorite players in this entire draft class. You really can't teach the ball skills that he has as well as his athleticism, which will serve him well in the NFL. He is coming off a torn ACL last spring but rehabbed enough to play in a few games this season, including the national championship in January where he made this superb catch. It would be an absolute dream to see Pickens land with the Chicago Bears to play with Justin Fields and Darnell Mooney, who I think would make an excellent running mate for him.
Moore has an incredible release. It's the thing that sticks out the most to me when I watch his game. He is an absolute weapon from the slot and will be looking for an NFL team to maximize that potential. I think the best spot for him is the Indianapolis Colts, where he can work off of Michael Pittman Jr. and get a very healthy target share from the incoming Matt Ryan.
Dotson is an absolute weapon in the passing game. At just a hair under 6 feet, Dotson plays taller due to a sensational vertical leap ability; he had a 36" jump at the combine. This makes him a solid play as a Z downfield weapon playing on the perimeter. My two favorite spots for him to land would be either the Cleveland Browns or the Atlanta Falcons due to both teams desperately needing downfield weapons for new quarterbacks.
Watson is a darling prospect for a lot of people because you can't teach the alpha measurables. At 6'4, 210, he is an absolute mountain of a man who should dominate in a vertical passing offense. He has the vertical game too: a 38.5-inch vertical jump. He is going to fit best with quarterbacks who can really move the ball downfield. The Bills and Chiefs come to mind and he's been mocked to KC quite a bit, but an interesting landing spot would really be the Dallas Cowboys. He is a raw prospect that will need some seasoning for sure, so a team that isn't desperate for a Week 1 starter at the position would be ideal.
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