NFL Draft 2021: NY Giants’ mid-round wide receiver targets

A historically deep WR NFL Draft class

Everybody already knows the three big names at the receiver position, and for good reason.  All three of them were ranked in the Top 6 when Mel Kiper Jr released his latest Big Board just a couple of days ago.

With Devonta Smith (#3), Ja’Marr Chase (#4), and Jaylon Waddle (#6) getting all of the national recognition, it makes it easy for a lot of other extremely talented receivers to fly under the radar.  If all we listened to were the draft “experts” on television, we would be led to believe that there were only three wide receivers in this entire class.

If we have learned anything about selecting receivers early in the draft, it’s that they are anything but a sure thing.

From 2010-2020, there were:

342 wide receivers selected in the NFL Draft
39 of those 342 were taken in the First Round
35 of those 342 made at least 1 Pro Bowl
22 of those 35 Pro Bowl receivers were selected after the 1st Round
19 of those 22 non-1st Round Pro Bowlers were selected in either the 2nd or 3rd Round
The 3 exceptions were:
 Stefon Diggs-1X Pro Bowler (5th Round-146 Overall, 19th WR taken in 2015)

Tyreek Hill-5X Pro Bowler (5th Round-165 Overall, 18th WR taken in 2016)

Antonio Brown-7X Pro Bowler, (6th Round-195 Overall, 23rd WR taken in 2010)

Only 13 of the 39 First Round receivers taken in the last decade made a Pro Bowl
Only 4 of the 13 First Round Pro Bowlers were selected within the Top 10.
(AJ Green-4th/2011, Julio Jones-6th/2011, Mike Evans-7th/2014, Amari Cooper-4th/2015)
In other words, you may want to familiarize yourself with some of the quality names projected to go a little later in the draft.