History has clearly demonstrated that taking a wide receiver in the first round is very often a mistake. Look no further than the Jaguars as evidence of this. Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, Justin Blackmon and R.J. Soward were all disappointments- at best. The list of first round busts at this position is endless. That doesn't mean a receiver should never be taken. Examples of "can't miss" receivers who were justifiably taken in round 1 include Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Jerry Rice and Randy Moss.

On the other hand, 2nd round wide receivers have very often out-played their draft position. If someone were asked to name the best receivers currently in the NFL, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill would be near the top of that list. None of these players were first rounders and Hill was taken in the fifth round. Jimmy Smith and Allen Robinson were both taken in the 2nd round while Keenan McCardell was almost an after-thought when taken in the 12th round by the Browns in 1991.

The 2022 class of receivers certainly has a lot of talent, but there are no players I'd consider as "slam-dunk" superstars of the future. Jameson Williams looks like a potential star, but his body of work is limited. I also don't particularly like the reason he gave for leaving Ohio State indicating the wide receiver room there became "too crowded." The other top receivers all seem to lack some element in their game which may keep them from being a true number 1 receiver. Some are not quite fast enough and others lack the stature to be true number ones. That is the reason I'd wait until round 2 and try to sign a proven receiver like Chris Godwin in free agency. By the way, Godwin was a 3rd round pick and has out-played first rounder Mike Evans in Tampa.

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