Every single year, the NFL Draft concludes and there are still tons of names that were left without a home. It isn’t because they lack talent, but more so because there are so many names included in each draft pool. Some names slip through the cracks, get forgotten about, lack flash, have a poor showing at the NFL combine, and all of the above. However, not hearing your name called isn’t the end of the world, because all teams dive straight into the undrafted player pool when everything wraps up in the seventh round. These undrafted players can all still impact the league, especially wide receivers.
- Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Washington Commanders
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint was one of the first wide receivers that came to mind when the NFL Draft concluded. He improved his receiving numbers every season that he remained with the Georgia Bulldogs and ended his collegiate career with 74 receptions for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns. Most importantly, he had two career highs this past season, with 535 yards and four touchdowns. When you’re looking at his key strengths, his hands and blocking ability pop off the page. He’s not somebody who will drop many balls thrown his way, and he’ll utilize his frame to take on blocks without hesitation.
With him on the Commanders, he has an opportunity to make the official roster. Washington has two safe wideouts in Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, though the rest is up in the air. Regarding his situation, he landed in a beautiful spot to possibly compete for reps.
This could also lead to fantasy football relevancy due to him having a potentially straightforward path to playing time. The simple fact is that many teams value blocking at the wide receiver position, and that’s an area Rosemy-Jacksaint thrives in. If he blocks well early on, he could easily claim a roster spot, and use his hands to get bumped up the depth charts and right into fantasy viability. Especially considering that he has rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels throwing him the football.
His high-upside undrafted player comparison stems more from blocking ability than anything else, with that being Rod Smith. Smith is a multi-time Super Bowl champ who excelled in all areas of the field, though his willingness to block is reminiscent of Rosemy-Jacksaint.
- Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers
Jalen Coker is another wide receiver who popped up on everyone’s radar when the draft ended. It didn’t take long for the Carolina Panthers to step in and swoop him up. Coker played college ball at the College of Holy Cross, and he was dominant. He ended his tenure as the all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,715 and receiving touchdowns with 31. His dominance likely stems from his ability to run routes with relative ease. Despite being listed at six-foot, one inch, he’s a very nimble and savvy route runner who can consistently create separation with defenders.
Coker lands in a tremendous spot. The Panthers have desperately needed wide receiver talent the last few years and don’t have great depth. Adam Thielen is getting up there in age, Diontae Johnson just arrived via trade, and rookie early draft pick Xavier Legette has to prove himself. After that, many depth options haven’t shown much to stick around. This is where Coker slides in.
His fantasy football relevancy feels solid as well. If he goes out and showcases his route-running capabilities/hands, then it’s easy to see him jumping numerous guys in the receiver room. Of course, he’ll have to be patient this year behind Johnson and Thielen, though both of them are veterans. Eventually, Carolina will turn to their youth options, and Legette and Coker could be their primary two.
Ironically, when looking at a high-upside undrafted comparison, Coker seems similar to Adam Thielen, his current teammate. The comparison stems from Thielen’s work ethic as a route runner, and Coker could easily make a name for himself in the same way.
Jalen Coker 2023 Full Season Highlights | Holy Cross WR | 2024 NFL Draft Prospect (youtube.com)
- Joshua Cephus, Jacksonville Jaguars
Joshua Cephus was one of the most productive receivers in college football for the past few seasons. He enters the NFL with 2,929 receiving yards on 176 receptions with 22 touchdowns on top. That was just over the last three years. Going back further, he’s the all-time leader at UTSA in catches, receiving yards, and starts. It was easy to see why he jumped off the page when teams dove into undrafted names. As for his talents, most scouting reports give him tons of credit for his receiving ability. He has strong hands, can make tough catches, and has solid fluidity in his movements to haul in off-target throws.
Cephus signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, another team without clarity in their receiver room. There are two veterans on large deals, Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis. However, if neither performs well, it wouldn’t be surprising to see one or both of them part ways. This would leave them with rookie first-round pick Brian Thomas, who’s a lock for the roster. Past that, Cephus could fight for the fourth spot straight away and set himself up for the next few years in this pass-happy system with Trevor Lawrence.
His fantasy viability isn’t great at the moment given the top-heavy receiving room. However, if an injury comes to any of their top three, the only man standing in his way would be Devin Duvernay, and Cephus could battle him early for that spot.
An early comparison that I like when looking at Cephus could be Miles Austin. Austin was a very great possession receiver who made all the catches asked of him. Cephus is a similarly talented player in that regard, with potential to be a great possession receiver of his own.
Joshua Cephus Highlights 2023 Season (youtube.com)
- Isaiah Williams, Detroit Lions
Isaiah Williams has the potential to be an incredible pick-up. Williams is a tad undersized for the receiver position at five feet, nine inches, and weighs 182 pounds. However, there have certainly been other players in the past who’ve thrived with a similar frame, and Williams has the chance to utilize that to his advantage. He’s somebody who has great after-the-catch capabilities, which goes deeper than just speed. He understands how to maneuver through traffic and is someone who you want to get the ball and then just let him operate. To make it better, he looks to be a wonderful return specialist who is just a big play waiting to happen.
He lands with the Detroit Lions, and he’ll have his opportunities during camp. This isn’t the perfect situation, though the receiver room isn’t deep. Amon-Ra St. Brown is a lock at number one. Jameson Williams appears to be two, but another disappointing year could knock him down. Past that, there are just a ton of aging veterans like Kalif Raymond and Tre’Quan Smith that Williams can usurp with his speed and big-play ability.
It is unlikely to see him garner fantasy relevancy in his rookie year with Detroit given that they’ll likely roll with veterans during their bid for a Super Bowl. That doesn’t mean there isn’t future upside. Williams can make his mark in the return game and get a roster spot with his strengths there, and that’ll usually turn into some opportunities offensively. Down the line, we might see Williams utilized in an offense that appears to be very innovative.
A high-upside undrafted comparison could be Emlen Tunnell, a defensive back/punt return who retired as the league’s all-time leader in punt return yardage. He made a name for himself on special teams, and it showed.
“Human Joystick” Isaiah Williams Highlights ᴴᴰ (youtube.com)
- Xavier Weaver, Arizona Cardinals
Xavier Weaver was doubted coming into the NFL Combine, with many believing he lacked speed and that combined negatively with his slender frame. So, he came out and ran an unofficial 4.42 40-yard dash, which would have been the eighth fastest time in his position group. Weaver has exceeded expectations before and hopes to do so again. One thing that repeatedly stood out to scouts was his ability to stop and turn with ease, while also having natural ball tracking with easy adjustments to difficult throws. He’s got the agility and fluidity to be a great receiver in the NFL.
Numbers-wise, he wasn’t bad at all. He had 185 career collegiate receptions for 2,655 yards and 12 touchdowns. He passed 700 yards in each of the last three seasons.
He signed with the Arizona Cardinals, a young team in the middle of a rebuild with a dire need at receiver. Top draft pick Marvin Harrison is a locked-in number one target in the offense but past him, there’s hope for Weaver to stake his claim. Michael Wilson seems to be etched into number two, though the rest of the receiver room isn’t anything terrific. Veterans like Zay Jones, Chris Moore, and Zach Pascal can be overtaken, with younger options being on the same playing field as Weaver to begin with.
The path to playing time is simple, just remain consistent. If Weaver just continues to show up, he’ll get playing time. He isn’t competing with high-end names, and this team isn’t competing for a Super Bowl, so they’ll want young options to get significant reps. This makes Weaver potentially fantasy football relevant rather quickly off opportunity alone.
An undrafted comparison that I like is Wes Welker. Welker also came into the league with questions about his speed and ability to handle the physicality of the NFL. He wound up turning up just fine. Weaver had his speed and physicality questioned coming into the draft and proved people wrong with his 40-yard dash time. He might not have the same frame as Welker but could prove everyone wrong all the same.