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Dominick Petrillo breaks down the best landing spots for rookie wide receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
All NFL teams can use more quality wide receivers. This has become a pass-first league. But we all know, not all situations are great for fantasy.
Sure, the Las Vegas Raiders could take a wide receiver early. But with Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller in the fold, this would not translate to fantasy goodness.
On the other hand, there are plenty of teams who need to find another mouth to feed in order to stay or become competitive. So, who are a few of the best teams for a wide receiver to land on in the 2022 NFL draft? I realize the first two are obvious so don't @ me.
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Green Bay Packers
Davante Adams has been a pillar of consistency for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Coming off another season of more than 100 receptions and double-digit touchdowns, Adams wanted to get paid. And he did, by the Las Vegas Raiders. This means the Packers will need to replace a player who last season had 123 receptions for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns. A player who was also considered to be Rodgers’ best friend on the team. Not simple. The best thing the Green Bay Packers can say is that at least they have the two-time defending MVP behind center. There are eight teams in the NFL that have multiple first-round draft picks in the 2022 draft.
After the Adams trade, the Packers are one of those teams, having the 22nd and 28th picks. Although they have not taken a first-round wide receiver since Javon Walker from Florida State in 2002. This streak will certainly end this season. If it doesn’t, you might see Rodgers’s head explode.
A perfect fit for this pick would be a player like Treylon Burks from Arkansas. A big-bodied receiver who has massive YAC talent and was the leading receiver in the SEC in 2021, his final year in college. He has a tough mentality, just read about his habit of hunting wild hogs with only a knife. This will allow him to be the beast down by the end zone the way Adams has been in recent years.
If the team decides to go in a different direction at receiver, there are other types as well. A player like Jahan Dotson from Penn State or Chris Olave from Ohio State would be smaller but more technical pass-catchers the team could look at. With the precision Aaron Rodgers expects from his receivers, Olave might be a solid choice at the 22nd pick. Either way, the Packers are sure to get one or maybe even two wide receivers on the opening night of the NFL draft. This means a new WR1 in Green Bay.
Davante Adams is a perennial WR1 for fantasy leagues. Although the incoming rookie will be taking his roster spot, he will not immediately be taking over the mantle of best receiver in the league. So do not expect them to be a top-five fantasy receiver. This said, with the only other options on the team being Allen Lazard and the leftovers of Sammy Watkins, the new receiver will have massive value if you can get him at the right price. If the team takes two receivers in the first round, this will muddy things. But this is not likely to happen. So, the player they do choose will be someone you want to target in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts. Even though many rookies of the past have not worked out in their first season, the new crop of receivers is coming in ready and able to contribute. On a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the Green Bay Packers, this will be vital. The team and Rodgers will make sure he is not only adequate but also talented enough to make a difference. Expect a top-24 finish from any receiver the team takes high in the draft.
Kansas City Chiefs
111 receptions for 1,239 yards and nine touchdowns. This is a lot of production to lose in one player. But this is exactly what happened when the Kansas City Chiefs traded Tyrek Hill to the Miami Dolphins this offseason. With this move, the Chiefs also lost a three-time All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler, and the fastest player in the NFL. We all cringed for fantasy purposes when we saw where Hill ended up. This may upgrade Tua, but it will also diminish the upside of Hill as the possible number one overall WR for fantasy. He no longer has Patrick Mahomes on the other end of those deep balls downfield and handing him the ball on those end-arounds. But for our purposes here, we are more worried about the effects it could have on the Kansas City Chiefs.
For the Chiefs, the effects will not be as drastic as some have laid out. The team still has the aforementioned Patrick Mahomes behind center and head coach Andy Reid calling the plays. The team also has the best tight end in the NFL in Travis Kelce to rely on. While not the same, bringing in JuJu Smith-Schuster will also be a good start to revamping the receivers group in Kansas City before the start of the 2022 season.
But the draft is where the Chiefs can really make some hay. For all the offensive acumen Andy Reid has as a head coach, first-round wide receivers are not his strong suit when it comes to drafting. Philadelphia Eagles fans just have to remember back to Freddy Mitchell and Todd Pinkston. But this is exactly what is going to take place again this season. With picks 29 and 30 in the first round, the Kansas City Chiefs will take at least one receiver, whether they do it here or bundle these picks to move up for someone.
As the WR position in college is becoming increasingly talented, this time around should go far differently than the other two examples from the past. Whether the team decides on someone like Jahan Dotson, the most surehanded member of this draft class, or a bigger receiver like Treylon Burks or Drake London, this draft has all manner of receivers for the choosing. And with Patrick Mahomes, they will have the best quarterback in the NFL and therefore the world, throwing it to them.
Unlike a team like the Houston Texans, the receiver who goes to Kansas City is entering a stable situation on a top-three offense. Mahomes is a leading contender every year for the MVP and there will be talent surrounding the rookie from the day he arrives in town. Juju Smith-Schuster, while not an alpha, makes a great second option in the pass game. With Kelce also there, the rookie will be the third option in the passing game at best. Even as option three, he will have far more value than even some second options on other teams. I would much rather take the third option here over the second option in say, Miami or Carolina. The production will be the same. But the cost to draft them will be lower.
Whichever rookie gets drafted to Kansas City will make a good bet late in your fantasy drafts for 2022. As long as Mahomes stays healthy and Kelce and Smith-Schuster are still there, the rookie will be the forgotten man by opposing defenses. And this could mean some particularly good things for your fantasy team with some boom weeks ahead. Remember Sammy Watkins?
Houston Texans
This is not the Houston Texans' biggest need. That is ownership and management. But in terms of on-file products, the Texans can use everything, including another pass catcher. The team re-signed Brandin Cooks to a two-year extension this offseason. On top of this, the cabinets are rather bare. If you want to consider Jordan Aiken a viable threat, you can. But he is not there anymore. Davis Mills will need players to go to and if Cooks is the only option left, the outlook is bleak for Mills holding on to the starting quarterback job after this season. But there is a deep WR draft this year. Much as it has been in recent years. Using the first pick at number three would not be good but finding a receiver at number 13 or in a later round would be beneficial for the team.
With the Texans in full re-build mode, making young players a priority is the path upon which they are venturing. Finding someone like Christian Watson from North Dakota State or Skyy Moore of Western Michigan in the second round.
Davis Mills was a five-star prospect heading into college at Stanford the talent is there. He now needs the weapons to fully give him and the Texans the best chance.
Playing in 13 games for the Houston Texans as a rookie, Mills finished with 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. These 16 touchdowns were the same amount the Chicago Bears had in the passing game for the entire season. While the 10 interceptions are slightly high, it is better than even a player like Peyton Manning had in his first season in the NFL. No, Davis Mills is not Peyton Manning. But neither was Peyton Manning at the time.
Bringing in a wide receiver to add to an offense in a relatively weak division could be the best thing the Houston Texans can do for their fans. In an AFC loaded with offensive talent, you can either keep up or get left in the dust. The Texans have spent far too much time in the dust. It is time they try to make a move up in the pecking order and try at fantasy goodness. Any WR who comes in will immediately have a chance to be the WR2 in the offense. As of late, first-year receivers are making increasingly of an impact for teams and for fantasy. If they can find the right person to fill this role, he could turn out to be a top-36 type of player for fantasy. And he will be someone who either goes undrafted or drafted in the last round of fantasy drafts. This would not be a bad flier pick to finish off your roster.
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