Updated: Mar. 17, 2005, 12:15 PM ET
Edwards, Williams head deep WR class
By Todd McShay, Scouts Inc.
Todd McShay Archive

Much like the 2004 quarterback class, it is unfair to compare any draft class to the 2004 group of wide receivers.

However, while this year's quarterback group might not come close to stacking up to last year's, this year's wide receivers are at least in the same ballpark.

Seven members of the heralded 2004 class of receivers were selected in the first round. This year, as it stands right now, there's a good chance that five receivers will come off the board in the top 32 selections in the NFL draft. Braylon Edwards and Mike Williams are locks to go in the top 15, and both could conceivably be gone within the top five picks.



WilliamsAlthough Williams has loads of upside as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, I still think Edwards is the better of the two. In fact, it's my opinion that Edwards is the most complete prospect – regardless of position – in the entire 2005 draft. Williams has two inches and 18 pounds on Edwards, but Edwards is no slouch in terms of size (6-3, 211) and he's significantly faster than Williams.

Edwards also proved more at the collegiate level, with 239 receptions in the past three seasons at Michigan. Williams did have 176 receptions in two seasons at USC (2002-03) but has been out of football for more than a year.

There is a bit of a drop-off after the top two elite receiver prospects, but Troy Williamson is an underrated star in the making. He may slip to the middle of the first round, but he's 6-1 and 203 pounds with 4.3-speed and a chip on his shoulder because of a lack of respect in this year's draft equation.

Williamson is an underclassman addition who did not put up big numbers in a run-heavy offensive scheme at South Carolina. However, he did improve each season in Columbia and shows the explosive skills to provide Chad Johnson-type production in the NFL.

Joining Edwards, Williams and Williamson as first-round prospects are Mark Clayton (Oklahoma) and Roddy White (UAB). Clayton is a much more consistent and complete prospect, but if White comes off the board first it has everything to do with his combination of size (6-1, 207) and speed (4.43). In our opinion, however, Clayton will become the better of the two as a professional and has a lot less "bust potential" – especially after running a 4.38 at the NFL combine.

The five potential first-round picks won't be the only receivers called on Day 1. There is a group of five prospects who could easily come off the board in the second round and another group of five prospects who could go in the third round. If that's the case, there could be 15 receivers taken by the end of Day 1, which would be two more than last year.

Of the five second-round prospects, Reggie Brown (Georgia) is the most complete, with a good combination of size, speed and production at the highest level. Teammate Fred Gibson and Chris Henry (West Virginia) are prospects with first-round talent, but character and durability issues will cause them to slip – Henry more for his character issues and Gibson more for his durability concerns.

Miami's Roscoe Parrish is aided by the emphasis on calling contact in the NFL, as he is a diminutive but consistent and explosive receiver who likely would have slipped to the bottom of Day 1 just a couple of years ago. The same is true for Hampton's Jerome Mathis, who skyrocketed into first-day contention with his 4.32 40-time at the combine.

The last group of five includes: Terrence Murphy (Texas A&M), a versatile receiver and return specialist with good speed; Matt Jones (Arkansas), a 6-6, 242-pound college QB turned WR/H-back who ran a 4.39 at the combine; Courtney Roby (Indiana), a late bloomer with blazing speed; Mark Bradley (Oklahoma), another late-bloomer with an impressive size/speed combo; and Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado), one of the highest-rated small-school prospects in this class after dominating the DI-AA level at 6-4, 241 pounds.

There are also some deals to be had on Day 2. Craig Bragg (UCLA), Craphonso Thorpe (FSU) and Chase Lyman (Cal) were once considered Day 1 prospects before disappointing, injury-riddled senior seasons.



StubblefieldJ.R. Russell (Louisville), Josh Davis (Marshall), Taylor Stubblefield (Purdue), Steve Savoy (Utah), Brandon Jones (Oklahoma), Geoff McArthur (Cal), Airese Currie (Clemson), Chauncey Stovall (FSU) and Paris Warren (Utah) were all extremely productive receivers at the highest collegiate level, but their lack of ideal size and/or speed will cause them to slip on draft day.

Conversely, Larry Brackins (Pearl River C.C.), Leron McCoy (Indiana-Pa.), Tommy Manus (Morgan State), Isaac West (Furman) and Stephen Rush (SW Missouri State) all lack DI-A credentials but have the NFL "measurables" to outproduce some of the aforementioned big-name collegiate stars.

Finally, as usual, there is a group of Day 2 receiver prospects who will get drafted more for their versatility and potential to produce in the return game than anything else. That group includes Chad Owens (Hawaii), Charles Frederick (Washington), Tab Perry (UCLA), Rasheed Marshall (West Virginia), Jamaica Rector (NW Missouri State) and Efrem Hill (Stanford).