Mar 9, 20239 min read

2023 NFL Draft Prospects Profiles: "X" Wide Receivers

When drafting or signing a wide receiver in the NFL Draft or Free Agency, it is important to know what kind of wide receiver your team is looking for. Not all wide receivers play the same position. That is to say that receivers come in different shapes, with different skill sets, and those skill sets translate to different roles. Here is a breakdown of the three different kinds of wide receivers, and how their skill sets are utilized:

X Wide Receiver

The X receiver is typically the team's primary deep threat and is lined up on the line of scrimmage outside the hash marks. They are often the tallest and most physical wide receivers on the team, and they use their size to outmuscle defenders for jump balls or contested catches. X receivers often run deep routes, such as go-routes, post-routes, and corner routes. They must be able to catch the ball in traffic and have the speed to outrun defenders after the catch.

Z Wide Receiver

The Z receiver is similar to the X receiver but lines up on the line of scrimmage on the opposite side of the field. They also often run deep routes, but may also run intermediate or crossing routes. Z receivers are typically smaller and more agile than X receivers and rely on their speed and route-running ability to get open. They must have good hands and be able to make quick adjustments to the ball in the air.

Slot Wide Receiver

The slot receiver lines up off the line of scrimmage between the X and Z receivers and is often used as a safety valve for the quarterback. They typically run quick, short routes and are relied upon to make plays in traffic. Slot receivers must be quick and agile, with the ability to change direction on a dime to get open. They also need to have good hands and be able to catch the ball in traffic, as they are often targeted over the middle of the field where the traffic is heavy.

Some receivers blend and can play multiple roles or provide abnormal skill sets for the position. For instance, there are some Slot Wide Receivers who have game-breaking speed and can be used as a deep threat from the slot. There are some Z wide receivers who can play X or move to the slot. For the purposes of this article, we will be breaking down some of the top players considered "X" wide receivers in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Quintin Johnston

Texas Christian University

Grade: Early-Mid 1st Rd

Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Johnston is a 6'4", 201-pound wide receiver from Temple, Texas, who was highly sought after by prestigious Big 12 schools for his length and athleticism. He was a 4-star recruit and had offers from Texas, Oklahoma, Duke, Virginia Tech, Tulsa, and Houston. Although he initially committed to Texas, he eventually de-committed due to the uncertainty on the Texas coaching staff and decided to join the TCU Horned Frogs.

Johnston is a highly-talented football player who has the potential to excel at the professional level. His elite-level athletic profile, which combines speed, acceleration, and size, has allowed him to be dominant and consistently put up impressive single-game numbers. Johnston appears to be a prototypical, traditional X receiver that can step in and immediately be the No. 1 wide receiver in most NFL offenses. He has proven to be an impactful player facing both man and zone schemes but showcases his best plays against zone defense. Once Johnston catches the ball, he becomes a difficult tackle for defenders, using his size and short-area quickness to consistently make defenders miss. Johnston's improvements as a player are centered around his ability to consistently beat press-man coverage. His excellent height and elite length, along with his effortlessly explosive strides and exceptional long-strider speed, make him a true threat on the field.

Johnston's playmaking ability extends to the catch point, where he exhibits excellent vertical athleticism, timing, and reaction quickness. He can track the ball very well downfield and makes quick adjustments on the fly, even in close quarters. Johnston also uses his frame to box out defenders and extend beyond his frame, allowing him to make tough catches in traffic. Overall, his rare combination of size, speed, and quickness make him an explosive playmaker with the potential to make a significant impact at the next level.

Despite his standout 2022 campaign, there are areas where Johnston can improve to be more consistent and efficient as a separator. He has room to expand his route tree and improve his feel for spacing to maximize his ability to exploit leverage. Johnston's tall frame sometimes causes him to remain too upright as a route runner and could better sink his hips on breaks. He needs to improve his timing on breaks, especially against tight coverage, and be more consistent in recollecting his feet out of releases to effectively channel his burst capacity. Additionally, Johnston should avoid deferring to raw physicality to separate, which can draw penalties. His frame, while wiry and compact, does appear lighter than listed, and he can be rocked by direct contact at higher speeds. Johnston must be more consistent against the press, improve his timing and placement, and be more consistent in breaking through direct contact. He occasionally lets the ball get into his frame, resulting in drops or bobbled passes, and his effort can be inconsistent as a run blocker. The top reasons for concern include consistently defeating press coverage and inconsistency in contested-catch opportunities.

Johnson is trending to be picked between picks 10 to 20 pick according to PFF. He is easily ranked as the top big-body receiver, and maybe the top overall wide receiver prospect in this upcoming draft. While he was a major reason TCU made it all the way to the College Football National Championship, It was really his first breakout year, and his stats did not exactly jump off the board with 1, 067 yards receiving and six touchdowns last season. Prior to 2022, his stats were largely forgettable, barely eclipsing 600 yards in 2021, and 487 in 2020.

Kayshon Boutte

LSU

Grade: Early- 2nd Rd

Associated Press

Kayshon Boutte is a junior wide receiver at LSU who is expected to attract first-round attention in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is a former five-star recruit out of Westgate High School in Louisiana and chose to remain in-state with LSU over other options. Boutte immediately made an impact as a freshman, leading LSU with 735 receiving yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore, Boutte suffered a leg injury but still registered 509 receiving yards before ending his campaign early.

Boutte's scouting report reveals an athletic, devastating pass-catcher who excels in 1-on-1 matchups. He has impressive acceleration, speed, and movement skills, and his lateral agility and route-running ability make it difficult for defenders to keep up with him. He is also adept at creating separation on release and has demonstrated excellent ball-tracking ability, although there were some focus drops studied on film. Boutte is also an effective blocker, using his length and quick feet to engage with opponents physically.

While Boutte's scouting report is impressive, there are areas for improvement. His season-ending leg injury is a potential red flag, and he has primarily been used out of the slot for LSU. Additionally, there were some drops studied on film, which Boutte needs to minimize by maintaining his catch technique and focus.

Despite these areas for improvement, Boutte is expected to be one of the top pass catchers in the 2023 NFL Draft. With his devastating playmaking abilities and impressive athleticism, he has the potential to follow in the footsteps of former LSU receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, both of whom were first-round picks. Boutte has been mocked between picks 30-60.

AT Perry

Wake Forrest

Grade: 3rd-4th Rd

AP News

A.T. Perry is a Redshirt Senior at Wake Forest and a notable college football wide receiver expected to be drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. Perry had to wait for his breakout season after he initially joined the Demon Deacons as a three-star recruit in the 2018 class. In 2021, Perry's production exploded as he caught 71 passes for 1,293 yards and 15 touchdowns, helping lead the Wake Forest squad to an ACC Championship berth. After his redshirt junior season, Perry is now firmly on the 2023 NFL Draft radar, and 2022 is his final season and chance to take the next step.

Perry's height and weight, 6'5" and 205 pounds, respectively, make him one of the most recognizable receivers in college football. His size and athleticism make him unique among receivers, with a massive catch radius and great short-area explosive capacity out of his stance. Perry moves like a gazelle, and his lateral quickness allows him to adjust attack angles and manage space. His best trait is his quantifiably elite catching instincts, with impeccable body control and the ability to make high-difficulty adjustments at a moment's notice. Perry has great timing and can quickly extend and snare passes beyond his frame.

Perry's length and athleticism translate well in the route-running phase, with the ability to generate displacement with smooth, sudden lateral moves and an abrupt jab step, then accelerate upfield. He can also eat up cushions against off-man coverage and adjust his angle to capitalize on displacement. Perry can use his long arms to scrape by combative defensive backs and use his lateral quickness to adjust attack angles and manage space. He has the high-level coordination and feel to corral imprecise throws with one or two hands and can quickly reset his feet for RAC opportunities after making catches.

Perry's size might also be his weakness, with his frame being listed at just 169 pounds coming out of high school despite his towering height.

Nevertheless, Perry's athletic makeup is intriguing, but it also raises uncertainty when projecting him to the next level. Regardless, Perry is expected to come off the board around picks 90-110

Cedric Tillman

Tennessee

Grade: 3rd-4th Rds

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Cedric Tillman is a redshirt senior wide receiver from Tennessee who comes from a family of football players. Cedric's father, Cedric Cornell Tillman, played in the NFL in the 1990s. Cedric Tillman was a low three-star recruit in the 2018 class, but he has followed his father's path, who had a respectable four-year career in the NFL. In 2021, Tillman emerged as the favorite target of new QB Hendon Hooker, and across 12 games, he caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns, which earned him a spot in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Tillman's strengths as a wide receiver are his strong, dense, and well-proportioned frame with great length, solid functional athleticism for his size, explosive capacity out of his stance, lateral quickness for his size, good long speed, hand strength, and catching instincts, ball tracking ability, and physicality. Tillman's weight transfers are predominantly smooth, and he shows glimpses of good long speed when he has room to elongate his strides. Moreover, his hand strength and catching instincts are exceptional, and his size, high-level hand strength, and instincts result in persisting reliability at the catch point. His elite physicality is what truly makes him a force to be reckoned with.

However, Tillman needs to improve his route running. He's had his ups and downs with it, and he doesn't have great separation quickness. Moreover, he needs to become more refined in his breaks and cuts, particularly against press-man coverage. Although he's shown he can stay square with defenders and maintain synergy between his footwork and hand usage, he's still not elite in this area yet. Additionally, Tillman's agility needs some work, although he noticeably improved his efficiency of motion as the 2021 season went on.

In conclusion, Cedric Tillman has the potential to be a high draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. While he has some areas he needs to work on, his exceptional physicality, size, hand strength, and catching instincts make him a formidable wide receiver. If he can improve his route running, he could become one of the top receivers in the NFL. He is expected between picks 80-100

Bryce Ford-Wheaton

West Virginia

Grade: 4th-5th Rd

Ben Ford/ USAToday

Bryce Ford-Wheaton, a wide receiver for the West Virginia Mountaineers, has shown potential with his physical abilities, size, and body control, making him a promising prospect for the NFL. However, he will need to refine his football handling and route-running to reach his full potential. Ford-Wheaton was a three-star recruit from Holly Springs High School in North Carolina and a third-generation West Virginia football player who played track and field in high school. He progressed steadily as a member of the Mountaineers' offense, becoming the team's primary pass-catcher in 2022.

Ford-Wheaton's skills make him an attractive prospect for teams looking for size conflict in space, as he can box out defenders and has physicality when he has the ball in his hands. He also possesses ball adjustment skills, which is difficult to defend in man coverage, but he struggles with concentration drops, which leaves him with a critical flaw for his style of play. He also has issues with natural separation and lacks an overly diverse route tree, spending much of his time aligned on a single side of the formation and releasing into his routes. He will have to further lean into the possession-receiver dynamic at the NFL level, but this mold will not tolerate his drop issues that have followed him throughout college.

Ford-Wheaton will need to showcase his ability to do the "little things" to secure his NFL opportunity, including playing on kick coverage units and being a special teamer. He is a developmental player whose college offense leaves a lot of room for growth, and his developmental curve will require time and patience to work through.

Ford-Wheaton's college career saw him play 2 games in his freshman year, 11 games with 12 catches in his sophomore year, 9 games with 27 catches in his junior year, and 12 games with 42 catches in his senior year, culminating in an impressive career year in his fifth year senior year, where he played 12 games with 62 catches. He finished his career with 143 receptions, 1,867 receiving yards, and 15 touchdown receptions.

After a relatively strong combine, Ford Wheaton looks like an early day-3 pick.