Redskins Saturday Spotlight: Requests from the readers

3 of 6

PALO ALTO, CA – AUGUST 31: Jj Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal catches the ball for a touchdown while covered by Ron Smith #17 of the San Diego State Aztecs at Stanford Stadium on August 31, 2018 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Wide Receivers to Watch

We got a lot of names to churn through at wide receiver, so I’ll do a little bit of a speed round with this slide.

@BugAlertWBZ brought up J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Riley Ridley, the little brother of Calvin Ridley, in his assessment of the NFL Draft. Arcega-Whiteside has all the traits, coalesced in a 6-foot-2, 222-pound frame, and while Riley Ridley isn’t as renowned as his brother, he has seen an uptick in production this year. His route running has undergone a drastic positive shift, and he could wind up being a great value deal in the upcoming draft.

@xNorfTownRebelx emphatically endorsed Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harry, and I have to agree with his assessment. Harry is an exciting talent with both a jump-ball skill set and the ability to make something out of nothing after the catch. We did an in-depth breakdown on Harry’s play earlier this season. You can view that breakdown here.

Closing out the wide receiver slide is a trio of varying pedigree. MHite, one of our most frequent commenters on Disqus, singled out Jeff Thomas, Hakeem Butler, and Li’l Jordan Humphrey as impressive prospects at wide receiver. Of the three, Hakeem Butler has seen the biggest rise in draft stock this season. At 6-foot-6, 225, Butler’s movement is surprisingly fluid, and his big play ability would be valuable to any NFL offense. On just 28 catches this year, Butler has 626 yards and six touchdowns. He scores a touchdown on more than 20 percent of his catches, and he’s averaging 22.4 yards per catch. So, yeah, he’s good.

Aside from Butler, Thomas and Humphrey both have traits that intrigue observers. Humphrey has an NFL frame with impressive run-after-catch ability to go along with it, and Thomas is a deep sleeper who, at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, can use his athleticism to high-point the ball with immaculate precision. He only has eight receptions this year, but he’s averaging 24.1 yards per reception, and he’s playing with Malik Rosier as his quarterback. He shouldn’t be overlooked.

Home/Commanders Draft News