2022 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Wide Receivers
Wide receiver is a position where solid rookie performance is no longer hoped for, but expected. Which 2022 first-year WRs could be the stars of tomorrow?
Tier 1
1) Treylon Burks, Arkansas
2) Garrett Wilson, Ohio State
3) Drake London, USC
4) Jameson Williams, Alabama
5) David Bell, Purdue
Some years you have a hard time finding guys to out into Tier 1 of the rankings. In 2021, the issue is determining who doesn’t make the cut. For me, at least for right now, there is a micro-tier inside of Tier 1.
Since last season, Treylon Burks has been my WR1 for the 2022 class, and he is still holding down that spot. His combination of size (6’3″, 220 pounds) and speed is nearly unrivaled. However, I will not argue with a single person if they have Garrett Wilson sitting at No. 1. He checks every single box. He’s a nuanced route runner who bursts coming out of breaks, can manipulate a CB with his feet, and has the footwork to quickly stack a defender and then use his speed to get separation.
Then we have Drake London, who will be a high-level producer. You can’t teach 6’5″ after all, but London does not play like a traditional big-man/red-zone guy. We would have loved to have seen what he could have done in an entire season, but a broken ankle ended his year after eight games. With that said, he had 88 catches for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns by that point. He is another player who I can see as an NFL team’s WR1 in 2022.
Jameson Williams and David Bell present two completely different skill sets
I mentioned Pickett and Walker are risers, and the third man on that list is Jameson Williams. Without question, the Alabama bump is a real thing. Yet, it is deserved. Look at the lineage in the last four years alone: Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs, and now Williams. The Ohio State transfer lit up the college stage, catching 75 passes for 1,507 yards and 15 touchdowns. His speed is unrivaled, and once he runs a sub-4.3-forty, Williams might be the first wide receiver taken in the NFL Draft.
I love David Bell. He does everything well. To me, he is the 2021 version of Rashod Bateman. He may not have an elite trait, but he is excellent in everything and as well-rounded as it gets. At 6’2″, 205 pounds, Bell will be a perimeter WR at the next level. He has a full complement of routes at his disposal, including screens, stick routes, in- or out-breaking routes, double-moves, and deep posts.
Bell’s ball and body skills are top-notch. I don’t understand why he seems to be underrated by a majority of NFL Draft pundits. Draft capital is a real thing, but if you’ve watched what Amon-Ra St. Brown has done despite falling to the fourth round, you know talent will win out.
Tier 2
6) George Pickens, Georgia
7) Wan’Dale Robinson, Kentucky
8) Jahan Dotson, Penn State
9) Chris Olave, Ohio State
George Pickens might very well be the steal of the draft. He was viewed as the top wide receiver for the last two seasons, and if not for an ACL tear in the spring that cost him most of 2021, Pickens likely would have been in the same spot. At 6’4″, he is a bit wiry, but his body control is superb, and he has secure hands. He catches the ball away from his body as well as anyone.
I can already tell I am going to be sick of the Deebo Samuel and Laviska Shenault comps for Wan’Dale Robinson. Here’s the thing — while Robinson is likely just as good of a playmaker, he is a better pure receiver than Shenault was coming out of Colorado. His transfer from Nebraska to Kentucky was the best thing for him. In 2021, he recorded 111 touches and totaled 1,445 yards with 7 touchdowns. 1,334 of those yards came as a receiver. Robinson projects as a WR who can play all over the formation and flourish with a creative play-caller who can manufacture touches for him.
Tier 3
10) Alex Pierce, Cincinnati
11) Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech
12) Romeo Doubs, Nevada
13) Justyn Ross, Clemson
14) Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
Find yourself someone who looks at you the way PFN NFL Draft Analyst Ian Cummings looks at Erik Ezukanma. When you talk about the big-bodied receivers in this class, Ezukanma deserves to be mentioned right alongside them. At 6’3″, 220 pounds, the Texas Tech WR is an impressive athlete who demonstrated the ability to not high-point the ball but to be a threat after the catch, especially with his propensity to absorb a hit and stay upright.
He needs refinement in his route tree, but that can be said about 95% of incoming rookies. A two-time All-Big 12 honoree, Ezukanma caught 138 passes for 2,165 yards and 15 touchdowns in Lubbock. He won’t blow anyone away with his speed, but he could be a riser as the NFL Draft season progresses.
Tier 4
15) Dontario Drummond, Ole Miss
16) Khalil Shakir, Boise State
17) Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
18) Jalen Cropper, Fresno State
19) Calvin Austin III, Memphis
20) John Metchie III, Alabama (yet to declare due to torn ACL)
What on Earth do we do with Memphis WR Calvin Austin III? When you look at his numbers, they are gaudy. Austin led the AAC in receiving in 2020 with 1,053 yards in 11 games and was second this season with 1,149 yards and 8 TDs on 74 receptions. He also added 323 yards on 29 carries in his career. Additionally, Austin was an All-American in track and field, running in the 4 x 400.
The kicker is he is just 5’9″ and 162 pounds after eating a family-size bag of Peanut M&Ms. Despite that, Austin has natural hands, break-the-top-off speed, phenomenal separation skills, and even played on the perimeter on over 75% of his college snaps (90% in 2021). You’d think a guy of his stature would predominantly be in the slot.
Will he translate to the NFL? I don’t know. The traits are there, but will Austin get his run as anything more than a No. 3 option and returner on special teams? His athleticism alone is worth the dart throw.
21) Mike Woods, Oklahoma
22) Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss
23) Jerreth Sterns, Western Kentucky
24) Tyquan Thornton, Baylor
25) Jordan Whittington, Texas
Tight End
Tight end is a position that desperately needs an injection of talent. Are there any TEs in the 2022 rookie class that could shake up the fantasy rankings?
Tier 1
1) Trey McBride, Colorado State
2) Jaylen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
3) Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
Coming into the season, there was Jalen Wydermyer, and then there was every other tight end. Standing at 6’5″ and 255 pounds, Wydermyer is a physical specimen who is a natural receiver and has no issues working over the middle. He is one of the most athletically gifted prospects in the class and has hand strength that borders on the vulgar level.
Wydermyer started 33 of 35 possible games for the Aggies, caught 118 passes for 1,468 yards and 16 touchdowns, and was selected to the All-SEC second team each season. He is as legit as it gets. With that said, he now has competition inside the top tier of TEs in 2022 dynasty rookie rankings.
Trey McBride is as well-rounded as it gets at TE. He is a willing blocker in the run game and cerebral player when diagnosing the coverage. McBride sits in zones to create a big target for the QB, catches the ball through contact, and exudes versatility. The Colorado State offense ran through McBride. He led the Rams in receptions (86) and yards (1,017) but scored just once. He has all the traits you look for in a difference-maker at the next level.
Isaiah Likely personifies the “anywhere, anytime” mantra of the Coastal Carolina football team. A Pro Football Network 2021 Second-Team All-American, Likely is a walking mismatch. He is deceptively fast for a guy at 6’4″, 245 pounds, but he shines in contested-catch situations. Likely is a guy who will be played not only inline but in the slot in the NFL, which is becoming the norm for athletic tight ends. He might well be the best route-runner at the position in this year’s class.
Tier 2
4) Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State
5) Jahleel Billingsley, Alabama
6) Sam LaPorta, Iowa
7) Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
I do not believe we have seen anywhere near the best of Jeremy Ruckert. Playing at Ohio State means you will never be the offense’s focal point. I mean, look at their WR room for crying out loud. They have four first-round WRs on their roster right now. Yet, Ruckert put out enough film for me to be bullish on him at the next level. At 6’5″, 250 pounds, he has the frame you look for in a TE.
The guy can move. Ruckert would routinely block in the play-action game, only to leak out and attack the second level after he released his block. The ball skills are what do it for me. Ruckert’s eye-hand coordination and ability to reel in one-handed receptions show he is a natural pass catcher. By no means am I saying this is my comp, but if he turned into the next Mark Andrews — an underrated TE who we look back on and wonder how he slipped — I wouldn’t be shocked.
Tier 3
8) Cade Otton, Washington
9) Greg Dulcich, UCLA
10) Jake Ferguson, Wisconson
11) Trae Barry, Boston College
Tier 4
12) Josh Whyle, Cincinnati
13) Cole Turner, Nevada
14) Peyton Hendershot, Indiana
15) Baylor Cupp, Texas A&M
16) Grant Calcaterra, SMU
17) Lucas Krull, Pittsburgh