Hey guys... I'm looking at the WR class of 2011 (all of whom are likely to go early-entry into the 2010 draft), and having some trouble ranking them.

The way I see it, the top of the class are the three bees (Benn, Briscoe, Bryant). Many others are also throwing Damian Williams into that mix as well. How would you rank these four and what separates them from each other?

I hope we are wrong in assuming Bryant will come out. He has the best upside perhaps, but is also the least polished, IMO, and has a TON of hands work to do yet. His lack of red zone production is also a concern.

Briscoe really excites me. He is the perfect #1 for a wide-open offense because he gets open so quickly and shows such solid production. A big Maclin....

Benn is a grinder to me. A guy you go to to beat press coverage...the guy you go to to get the tough 3rd-down pick up. Less explosive than Briscoe, but perhaps even a tad more reliable.

Those are my earliest impression, Jeff...and I've admittedly got a TON of refining to do on them.

Williams is a very dependable WR. I think he is the last of that group. The rest I need to see some more of.

Damian Williams is smooth, quick, has very good hands and everything I liked about Steve Smith, [USC's SS] I see in him but he has more potential to get better. The pro he most reminds me of is former Denver great Rod Smith. Though Benn, Briscoe and Bryant are less polished they have great upside.

When I look at WRs, I evaluate on routes, hands, speed (emphasis on acceleration), athleticism and production. Obviously, very little separates these guys on routes, hands, and general speed. Also, each receiver is very strong and able stiff-arm (Benn and Briscoe have solid stiff-arms) pretty well. Running after the catch is also fairly equal, but I'd give Benn and then Bryant as the two 'hardest to bring down.'

Athleticism - Bryant impresses me the most, next Benn, next Williams, then Briscoe.
A sub-category athleticism is versatility (kick returns, able to run 'wildcat' and speed option) - Benn is tops here, next Bryant, Williams and Briscoe.
Acceleration - Bryant, Williams, Benn and Briscoe (evident in stops and bubble screens, also KRs)
Production - Bryant has 25 TDs in his career; Briscoe 22, Williams 11, Benn 5 (2 rush, 3 pass).

Watching them play, Briscoe looks to be a true X receiver, while I could see Benn, Bryant, and Williams at X, W, or Z receivers with equal comfort and production.

So (as always), it comes down to what you are drafting for - but my 'overall order' would be (since my bias is towards versatility & athleticsm):

1. Bryant
2. Benn
3. Williams
4. Briscoe

Another reason for Bryant as number 1 - just saw in Sporting News that for 108 touches in '08, Bryant accumulated 1885 yards and 21 TDs - 17.5 yards per touch and a TD every 5.1 touches.

Scary!

I got ambitious today and figured the per touch numbers for the other guys:

Briscoe - 102 touches for 1644 yards and 15 TDs = 16.1 ypt and a TD for every 6.8 touches
Williams - 60 touches for 911 yards and 9 TDs = 15.2 ypt and a TD for every 6.7 touches
Benn - 131 touches for 1668 yards and 5 TDs = 12.7 ypt and a TD for every 26.2 touches

Interesting numbers ... from a production standpoint per touch, Benn isn't a strong as I thought, hmmm. He definitely is the workhorse of the group, though.

Very interesting stuff, Jay. Thanks for posting this.

Are any of us worried, even a little, that perhaps the Big 12 WRs are being inflated draft-position-wise by the new over-emphasis on the pass in that conference though?

If you look soley at the recievers stats then yes, but most good evaluators of talent will look at how they run routes their routes, catch the ball, etc.

Excellent discussion, guys. I'm ready for September so we can start looking at these guys again!

Ashland junior WR Joe Horn is having a great 2 weeks - caught 13 for 311 and 4 TDs with TD catches of 11, 39, 56, and 96 yards ... speed, hands, and athleticism are all there - not gonna go in 2010, but one to keep an eye on in '11.

I have it on good authority that this Joe Horn kid WILL declare for the 2010 draft. My buddy Deion Sanders informed me that he'll sign with Eugene Parker and be a top 10 pick!

Has there ever been a DII guy who declared early and then actually got drafted? I can't think of one.

Could this be the first?

I hope this kid is getting some good guidance from his parents...

We've tried to give him the right foundation and have given him these words of guidance:

1) Its all about the Benjamins!
2) Show me the money!

Character, education, hard work, doing what you love ... yeah, that's important, too.