They are some of the National Football League’s biggest stars, and some of their biggest diva’s. Yep we are talking about receivers and plenty of teams need the types that can expose defenses with their immense skill sets. The NFL is passing more than ever and having a reliable target like Antonio Brown or Julio Jones can create havoc on teams.

That scene has even changed, where having those type of talents aren’t enough. We are seeing teams select receivers early in the NFL Draft, despite having a true No. 1, already on the roster. Pittsburgh for example boasts two very talented weapons in Pro Bowler Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

The Atlanta Falcons have another Pro Bowl receiver in Julio Jones and took Calvin Ridley in the first-round of the 2018 NFL Draft, to go with Mohamed Sanu. The New Orleans Saints have Michael Thomas, yet signed Dez Bryant who was placed on IR after one day with the team, let to the signing Brandon Marshall following the strange set of circumstances.

Proving you can never have enough talented receivers in the pass happy NFL. That is where the NFL Draft comes into the fold. This class features an almost spectacular group of targets for NFL quarterbacks to feed the ball too. Currently, Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry and Ole Miss wideout AJ Brown are the top two choices for prospects as of this writing.

Their skills would project them into the first-round if the NFL Draft was held before Week 12 of the 2018 NFL season. Plenty of time awaits us from now until the 2019 NFL Draft, leaving their stock to rise or fall and that goes for the other receivers available for the draft.

 

There are a few others that could sneak into the top round and fight for a chance to be the top selection at the receiver position. Who I going to need these guys the most?

Let’s find out.

 

New Orleans Saints

The signing of Dez Bryant and then Brandon Marshall, show that you can never have enough weapons on offense. The Saints are a scoring machine, but Sean Payton recognizes what other teams are doing. Michael Thomas is super and his dialogue with Dre Brees is in the upper echelon of quarterback to receiver combinations. Pittsburgh had Antonio Brown and drafted Smith-Schuster and James Washington in the second-round of the last two NFL Drafts.

The Falcons have Julio Jones and elected to take Calvin Ridley in the first-round, this past April. The Los Angeles Rams stockpiled receivers over the last two years with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and traded for Brandin Cooks before the season began.

The Philadelphia Eagles traded for Golden Tate before the trade deadline. The Houston Texans followed suit by trading for former Denver Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas, to fill the void Will Fuller (first-round 2016), who was placed in injured reserve. Did I mention the Texans had DeAndre Hopkins already on the roster when they drafted Fuller?

The position is not about weaknesses for many NFL teams. It is more about having so much offensive firepower that you can not be stopped. Marshall has already been released by the Seattle Seahawks and will be lucky to finish out the season with the Saints. The up-coming draft once again provides a chance to replenish the cupboards with some new fresh talent for Payton work wonders with.

 

Oakland Raiders

What doesn’t this team need? Amazing to think this team looked poised to possibly rule the roost in the AFC West a few years ago and are reminiscent of some of the worst teams we’ve seen in the league in recent years.

The Raiders are armed with three No.1 picks next season, that includes their own, the Bears and the Cowboys. Khalil Mack was sent to Chicago while their top wideout Amari Cooper was traded to Dallas. With no running game and a quarterback with no lethal receiver puts the Raiders in prime position to select a receiver early if not often in next years draft.

Oakland can not afford to miss out on adding offensive targets for Carr or any other quarterback that new head coach Jon Gruden has in his plans for the future.

New York Jets

They drafted Sam Darnold and look to be major players in the Le’Veon Bell sweepstakes for next season when free agency arrives. That leaves one, large looming void in the Jets offense and that is receiver. Their combination of Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa and Jermaine Kearse, leaves plenty to be desired.

They are not the elite prospects that will advance Darnold up the quarterback charts. None of those names keep defensive coordinators from losing sleep. It might be the opposite, where they sleep like babies knowing that New York can not mount a solid charge via the passing game, the trend of every successful offense and team in the league right now. New York must build around Darnold, and that construction must happen immediately in the NFL Draft.

New York fans better be very bitter if they go to bed on Friday, April 26th of 2019. The first three-rounds of the draft would have been completed by that time, meaning day three guys remain, which makes the chances for success that much slimmer.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers currently rank 7th overall in the league in passing. That is not bad, but that is not what you want when you are on presumably the final contract of Aaron Rodgers career. Surrounding No. 12 with weapons, weapons and more weapons make him thrive. Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams were the trio of guys not too long ago.

Nelson is in Oakland and Cobb can’t stay healthy. Adams is left alone to be the lone stand out amongst a young talented group. The Packers boast a young talented nucleus of Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jake Kumerow, but there is still a long way to go until these guys reach the level of the players above. It would not be out of the question if the Packers elect to go early on a true thoroughbred at the position.

Green Bay can not afford to waste any more years with Rodgers under center, when reflecting back it is what Ted Thompson appeared to do. All three of those receivers were taken in the second-round of the draft they were selected in. Nelson in 2008, Cobb in 2011 and Adams in 2014.

With a new regime in Green Bay, it is uncertain if the second-round will be their round to target another receiver but feel confident that in the first three-rounds the position will be addressed. Let’s not forget Ty Montgomery in 2015 (third-round), reminder he was a receiver out of Stanford before switching to running back out of necessity for Green Bay due to injuries.

The landscape calls for top quarterbacks to have a plethora of quality guys to throw to down field.

New England traded for troubled Josh Gordon, reinforcing the emphasis that great quarterbacks in today’s NFL, are provided with a ton of super talented receivers. If you fail in that aspect as a general manager, your leaving your franchise short of glory without them.

 

 

Buffalo Bills

Sammy Watkins saga got tiring for Buffalo. Tantalizing to watch at times only to see him get hurt, time after time. The Bills eventually moved on from Watkins and did the same with Robert Woods. Watkins is now in Kansas City after being traded by the Los Angeles Rams. His former teammate Woods is now a starting receiver for the Rams.

The Bills tried to form a formidable duo, but the production never materialized in Buffalo. The cupboards are bare now, leaving Buffalo to again focus on the draft to stock up on receivers, especially early.

Zay Jones was taken in the second-round in 2017, and while I like him very much, he has lacked consistent success to think he’ll be a No. 1 receiver in the league. Josh Allen was not drafted to hand the football off and LeSean McCoy is not getting any younger.

Outside of Jones, the team has little to offer long-term for Allen to be productive in the pocket.

 

Buffalo is another team eyeing receiver on the first two days of the NFL Draft, in 2019.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland finally could not take another excuse by the often troubled, but very talented Josh Gordon. He was traded to New England, but he leaves a gap on the Browns offense. Rookie and No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield has shown plenty of potential. Cleveland must maintain and advance his progress, it is an absolute must.

Rookie receiver Antonio Calloway was selected in the fourth-round of the 2018 NFL Draft, although his true grade would be near the first or second-round, he has that much ability. Trouble plagued his draft value and he is still teetering on the edge of being a great selection or a waste of a pick. The kid is good, and he needs to erase the off-field issues.

That leaves proven and productive Jarvis Landry as the only real reliable option for Mayfield entering year two of his career. General Manager John Dorsey pulled the strings in Kansas City for the Chiefs (2013-16) before taking over in Cleveland.

The highest drafted receiver during his tenure with the Chiefs was Chris Conley (3rd round 2015). He also signed Jeremy Maclin via free agency in 2015 to add to the receiving arsenal. It will be vital he sheds a bright light on the position heading into his second season in Cleveland.

 

Other teams to consider: San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins

 

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com