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Top 5 Wide Receivers in the 2017 NFL Draft

By Tyler Dickson

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 12, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Curtis Samuel (4) runs during the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Curtis Samuel (4) runs during the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Curtis Samuel – 5’11″ 195 lbs. – Ohio State

Curtis Samuel began his career with the Buckeyes as a running back, but transitioned to wide receiver as a way to hurt opposing defenses in a variety of ways.

Samuel was a four-star recruit and the no. 8 ranked athlete coming out of high school.

Strengths:

If one word was used to describe Samuel, it would be electric. With the ball in his hands, he is capable of turning nothing into something every time he touches the rock, and he’s always a threat to score.

Since he was a running back, he’s capable of running the ball out of the backfield if the offense wants to get creative. He has speed to burn deep and he can kill the angles defensive backs take.

He is deadly on slant plays, with quick burst to get open for a first down, and the speed to take them to the house. Samuel also has punt and kick return experience, he has added value on special teams.

Even though he is relatively new to the position, he showed natural ability to track and adjust to the ball in air. He already looks good at wide receiver, and has plenty of room to be even better.

Weaknesses:

As stated, Samuel doesn’t have much experience at wide receiver, so there is still a lot of rawness to his game. Even though he’s considered a burner, he might not have the agility to be an elite route-runner.

Samuel isn’t that great of a pass protector, which is why NFL teams don’t want to put him back at running back. As a receiver, he wasted a lot of motion on his routes, which causes separation issues. He’ll need to clean this up.

Drops were also an issue. He often would pick his head up and look forward before securing the pass. So most of his drops seem fixable. His ball tracking could use improvement, as could his nuances against press or tight man coverage.

Overall:

A lot of Curtis Samuel’s game is projection. He may take a year or two to really make an impact as he continues to learn the position.

If he gets into the right offense that can use him correctly, I could see Samuel have a similar impact to the game that Tyreek Hill had last year. Admittedly, I’m an Ohio State fan, but he has shown he can be a very good player.

NFL comparison: Percy Harvin

Film score: 79

Athleticism score: 6.9 (NFL average)

Final score: 76 (Round 1 or 2)

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