The 2014 NFL draft might turn out to be one of the deepest wide receiver drafts in history. In addition to boasting top-end talent such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Mike Evans, the 2014 draft produced a small army of pass-catchers who, at least at one point or another, have made significant contributions to their teams, such as Jarvis Landry, Brandin Cooks, Allen Robinson, Jordan Matthews, Sammy Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin, Davante Adams and Martavis Bryant.
Although the 2017 draft might lack elite wide receivers such as Beckham and Evans, it might turn out to have even more depth than the much ballyhooed 2014 class. According to Playmaker Score, Football Outsiders' system for projecting college wide receivers to the professional level, there is plenty of wide receiver talent available this year, even in the mid-to-late rounds.
For an explanation of how Playmaker Score works, check out the full detail at the bottom of the article.
What follows is a ranking of the top 10 receiver prospects for 2017 according to our model, including a projection for the average number of regular-season receiving yards that each wide receiver will gain per season in his first five NFL years:
1. John Ross, Washington: 694 yards/season
Scouts Inc.: No. 17 overall
Similar historical prospects: Terry Glenn, Percy Harvin
Ross made his mark on NFL draft coverage by running a record 4.22-second 40-yard dash, but the hoopla around his combine performance shouldn't detract from his strong career for the Huskies. Ross scored a touchdown on more than 4 percent of all of the Huskies' pass attempts in 2016. He was also somewhat involved in the running game, averaging approximately one rushing attempt every two games, which further boosts his projection. Ross is a bit of a "one-hit wonder" because he had less than 600 career receiving yards before exploding with 1,150 yards as a junior. However, there is a long history of successful NFL wide receivers, such as Glenn or Brandon Marshall, who did even less than Ross early in their college careers before breaking out as juniors.