The wide receiver position has seemed to be taken off in the NFL over the last couple of seasons. It used to be commonplace for most receivers transitioning from the college to the professional to need at least a year or two to develop, slowly working themselves into the starting lineup. However, receiver have been coming out of the college ranks ready to hit the ground running from Year One in recent seasons, having the likes of Garrett Williams, Ja’Marr Chase, and Jaylen Waddle make notable impacts in their rookie seasons as they all surpassed the 1,000-yard mark.
This has led teams to prioritize the WR position in the draft, being able to select a Day One contributor on a cost-effective deal compared to the mega contracts several big name WRs have landed the last several seasons.