2024 Post-Draft Dynasty Rookie Rankings: Wide Receiver

My rookie wide receiver rankings are listed below along with tiers for the class. For more detailed breakdowns of every prospect, check out Part One and Part Two of my pre-draft rookie rankings.

Like quarterback, the shakeups to my wide receiver rankings didn’t come at the top. All five of the top receivers went to their most commonly mocked landing spots. Harrison Jr. and Nabers are locked into WR1 roles on their offenses for years to come. Odunze is buried on a deep Chicago depth chart, but Keenan Allen is 32 years old and on a one-year deal. Being paired with Caleb Williams for at least the next four years is enough to make this landing spot a net positive in dynasty formats.

The big winner at wide receiver was Georgia’s Ladd McConkey. Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers passed on Malik Nabers in favor of offensive tackle Joe Alt at the No. 5 spot but still found a great option at receiver early in the second round. McConkey can play outside and in the slot. With Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer as the most “established” receivers on LA’s roster, McConkey could step in as Justin Herbert’s top wideout from day one.

Ricky Pearsall is another notable riser. He came in as my WR14 before the draft. Pearsall did not break out in five seasons of college ball. He averaged 2.01 yards and .08 first downs per route run in his career. Pearsall was a much more efficient player after transferring from Arizona State to Florida. He averaged 2.29 YPRR and .09 1D/RR. The shift slot receiver also upped his YAC production to 5.5 YAC per catch at a 13.1 aDOT. Pearsall is the type of prospect who, if you squint, you can see it. He gets open quickly but isn’t winning on just short throws. He’s also not a great tackle-breaker or YAC producer, but he showed some promise in those categories late in his career. I don’t like to bet on his type of profile until I know the NFL is bought in. We got that and then some when the 49ers drafted him in the first round.

Xavier Legette is a player I doubt will land on many of my dynasty teams. He posted a year-five breakout and was entirely unproductive for four seasons. Legette balled out as a super senior with a 35 percentage dominator and 3.15 YPRR, but even that couldn’t save him from poor career marks in yards per team pass attempt and YPRR. He falls into buckets that are littered with the likes of John Ross, Phillip Dorsett, and Kadarius Toney.

Adonai Mitchell brings a similarly risky profile to the NFL. He broke out in his third season but also struggled in both yards and first downs per route run. The NFL was even more weary of him as he fell from a 27.5 draft betting line to the 52nd-overall pick, though character concerns were likely the primary driver of his plummet. Even if he is a great fit for Anthony Richardson (he is), I see Mitchell doing more to boost the outlook of his quarterback than his own as a rookie.

Troy Franklin brought a great analytical profile to the draft but was ironically weighed down by his lack of mass. He measured at 6’2/176 at the combine and ran a 4.41 Forty. That’s a fast time, but many expected him to be well in the 4.3s given how much of his game relies on speed. The lack of draft capital suggests NFL teams are also concerned with his size. He could be viewed as a one-dimensional player at the next level as well. Lance Zierlein comped him to Chris Olave before the draft. Though I still see that as his ceiling, his projection is now much closer to Darius Slayton.

Jermaine Burton had a round-two film grade from plenty of tape grinders and the spreadsheet nerds found pluses in his profile as well. The larger issues with him were surrounding his character. Though every team may not feel this way, the Bengals were unconcerned. Burton should see the field as Cincy’s WR3 as a rookie and will draw plenty of hype from fantasy managers late in the season as the end of Tee Higgins’ Cincinnati tenure seemingly approaches.

If you just look at Luke McCaffrey’s collegiate career from 2022 onward, he looks like a strong wide receiver prospect. He played quarterback from 2019-2021, so that view would be partially—but not entirely—warranted. As a wide receiver at Rice, McCaffrey averaged 2.17 YPRR and posted dominator ratings of 29 and 38 percent. He will be a slot-only third receiver for the Commanders, but we just saw Curtis Samuel easily pass Jahan Dotson in the pecking order for targets. McCaffrey could be the next in line.

Malik Washington may not have exceeded his expected draft capital, but boy did he get dealt the perfect hand through the draft. He landed on a team that needs an upgrade at WR3 immediately and generates explosive plays for everyone involved at an absurd clip in Miami. He also found a coach who is in love—borderline obsessed—with him.

https://twitter.com/KingOfPhinland/status/1784681858669719968

Ryan Flournoy played at multiple schools below the FCS level before landing at Southeastern Missouri State for his final two years of college ball. He dominated his small school competition with dominator ratings of 38 and 49 percent. He ran a 4.44 at 6’1/202 at the combine.

Flournoy is a rangey outside receiver who could take on a part-time flanker role as a rookie given the Cowboys’ depleted wide receiver room.

The Chargers didn’t stop drafting receivers with McConkey. They went on to add Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson in the seventh round. Rice broke out in his final season at USC with 791 yards and 12 scores. He played exclusively on the outside and was a downfield option for Caleb Williams. Johnson also played on the outside in college but posted poor efficiency metrics across the board. Both players are unlikely to make an impact in year one, but I would bet on Rice if I had to pick between the two.