2015 NFL Combine Results: Wide Receiver

Over the past two decades, no position in the NFL has transformed more than wide receiver. Gone are the days of 5’10” shifty speedsters who could either take a hit over the middle or get lost behind a defense. These days the big guys rule the WR position and the 2015 draft class is no exception. This is another tremendously talented class which creates some tough decisions for NFL teams. Do teams in need reach up and pluck one of the tall, fast, behemoths with an early round pick or wait until the middle or late rounds knowing that quality players will still be there?

There is no question that a few WR’s made an enormous leap based on their combine results. In fact, the fastest 40 yard dash time this year was UAB WR J.J. Nelson who was clocked at 4.28 seconds. That time nearly broke Chris Johnson’s all-time mark set in 2008 at 4.24 seconds. While Nelson may have helped his cause in getting drafted, players like West Virginia’s Kevin White really climbed up the boards with his across the board performance. White was a solid prospect for sure but after grading out at 6’3”, 215 lbs, running a 4.35 40-yard dash and scoring the highest bench press mark for WR’s with 23 reps, White could find himself selected in the first round this year.  

Here is a breakdown of how the top WR’s in this year’s draft measured up in the 40-Yard Dash:

No position stressed the importance of the vertical leap like wide receiver. The problem is that while it is outstanding for a WR to be able to “jump out of the gym” it doesn’t make a hell of difference if he cannot control the ball during his leap. We have seen this issue arise with several prominent WR’s over the years who test well at the vertical jump but cannot win a jump ball to save their lives. Do the names Justin Hunter or Da’Rick Rogers ring a bell to anyone?

Chris Conley from the University of Georgia set the combine abuzz with several performances including his 45 inch vertical leap. That mark was just one inch from the combine record of 46 inches set in 2006. Conley catapulted his way up draft boards with these numbers for sure and now appears to be a legitimate third round pick on many NFL teams boards.

Here are the WR results for the Vertical Leap:

Unless you have been living under a rock or just not winning your fantasy football leagues, you have noticed a trend among NFL WR’s: They’re tall. It used to be that a WR over six foot was considered “tall” but that mark is now firmly set at 6’2” and climbing. This argument against tall WR’s is pure nonsense. The bigger the target, the more likely a QB is to hit that target. The taller a player is, the longer his reach is too. Explain to me how a 6’4” WR who has long arms and good leaping ability can be stopped or even slowed by opposing cornerbacks who measure an average of 5’10”? Sorry folks, fish ain’t biting on that one. Size does matter whether you like it or not.

That is not to say that height is everything at the WR position. Sure, player like Antonio Brown have produced at a high level in the NFL. But go ahead and look up the NFL WR leaders in receptions, yards & TD’s and look at each of their height. This is not a trend nor a fad anymore rather the norm for the position at the highest level.

Here are the WR results for Height:

The last category we are going to examine today is bench press repetitions. As you know all combine participants are invited to see how many reps of 225 lbs they can do on the bench press. Wide receivers aren’t usually known for or graded for their strength but I like to take that into account when grading the position myself. When you watch the Seattle Seahawks defensive backs play, you will appreciate a WR that can break out of those jams and not get thrown off of their route by that aggressively physical style. You want your WR to be able to not only make the easy grabs but also come down with jump balls and not be afraid in traffic. Thus, strength is a very important attribute to consider.

As you see below, Kevin White once again is at the top of the leader board and thus puts a nice little cherry on top of his first round grade. Chris Conley also showed well here while Sammie Coates continued his impressive combine showing also with 23 reps of 225 lbs. A name you won’t see here is Alabama’s Amari Cooper who did not participate in the bench press yet is expected to be the first WR off the board this May. As polished as Cooper is, his height (6’1”), vertical leap (33 inches) and not performing the bench press give me enough reason to grade West Virginia’s Kevin White ahead of him at this point in time.

Here are the WR results for the Bench Press:

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