Best Bets for First WR Drafted (2019 NFL Draft)
We recently took a look at the what our writers believe are the best bets to be the first running back selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. Today we’ll examine another group of skill position players, the wide receivers. The current favorite is a physical specimen that shined during the NFL Combine. Still, there are other top options that showed that they can not only produce in shorts but also in pads.
Let’s take a look at the odds, courtesy PointsBet.com.
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| Player | Odds |
| D.K. Metcalf | -167 |
| Marquise Brown | +450 |
| Hakeem Butler | +500 |
| A.J. Brown | +600 |
| N’Keal Harry | +1100 |
| Kelvin Harmon | +1300 |
| Parris Campbell | +3000 |
| Riley Ridley | +3300 |
| Deebo Samuel | +4000 |
| Terry McLaurin | +4000 |
| JJ Arcega-Whiteside | +5000 |
| Andy Isabella | +5000 |
| Miles Boykin | +6600 |
Who is the best bet to be the first WR drafted?
A.J. Brown (Ole Miss): +600
Getting my top wide receiver at +600? Yes, please. I’ll admit it’s likely his teammate D.K. Metcalf probably goes first after his ridiculous showing at the NFL Combine, but it’s not worth the risk at -167 for him. Brown offers more versatility and can play in the NFL immediately. The other choices that have better odds (outside of Metcalf) include: Marquise Brown, who had surgery on his foot a few months ago, and Hakeem Butler, who has one season of solid production. I’m taking Brown as the first wide receiver off the board, the guy who is coming off back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons.
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
Probabilistically, Metcalf has the best odds of being the first WR off the board. He has a 99th-percentile height-adjusted speed score, a 97th-percentile agility score, and a 99th-percentile SPARQ-x score. There is a very real chance that he becomes a mixture of Mike Evans and Dez Bryant… but there’s also a ton of risk tethered to him. Metcalf beat CBs with his incredible combination of height and speed at the college level. The thing is, this is the pros. He’s yet to show an ability to win with something other than superior speed. Combine that with his injury concerns, and a fairly unimpressive career stat line, and there’s absolutely a chance that he isn’t the number one WR off the board. So who will be? Well, how about his teammate? A.J. Brown has been extremely productive in back-to-back seasons now, has a great height-adjusted speed score, has shown an ability to stay healthy, and has proven that he can play both on the outside and in the slot. Brown is a great all-around WR that comes with very little risk. If I’m running an NFL franchise (I am not) then I’d have A.J. Brown as my top WR.
– Nick Zylak (@nickzylakFFA)
This is a true toss-up. Personally, I would drop units on multiple receivers not named D.K. Metcalf and hedge with Marquise Brown, but that is not in the spirit of this question. I have A.J. Brown as the top-rated receiver in this draft class, but some teams may have miscast him as a slot receiver only, thus mitigating his draft ceiling and/or options. +600 for A.J. Brown is a tremendous value, but so is N’Keal Harry at +1100. Brown is the pick here, but it is close.
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)
Hakeem Butler (Iowa State): +500
I agree with Mike — D.K. Metcalf is probably the first WR drafted. But I certainly wouldn’t call it a lock. Butler’s garnered a ton of buzz in the pre-draft process after a breakout year (60-1,318-9). Then, he showcased long arms (35¼â€), explosiveness (128†broad jump) and plenty of speed (4.48s forty) at the Combine. He’s on the older side (23 in May), and he’s not the sharpest route runner. Still, I can see a Round 1 team envisioning Butler as another Demaryius Thomas.
– Kevin English (@DraftSharks)
N’Keal Henry (Arizona State): +1100
I’m astonished to see Metcalf so high. Apparently, a number of teams have a second and even third round grade on him. Granted, it takes just one team to be so ecstatic about his combine that they reach for him like we’ve seen before, but to call him the heavy favorite just seems off when you’ve got surefire talents like A.J. Brown and Hakeem Butler behind him. My pick, however, is another high-upside talent, Harry, who was virtually as astonishing at the combine, then proceeded to run terrific agility drills in his Pro Day. Harry is not only a more polished receiver than Metcalf, but he has reportedly been exceptional in interviews, which may tempt a team like Baltimore or Green Bay to make him the first receiver off the board with the hope that Harry’s intangibles mixed with his bonkers potential will turn into a star.
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)
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