Mel Kiper discusses how many wide receivers could be drafted in first round

NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. loves this 2024 wide receiver class and predicted how many wideouts he believes will be and should be selected in the first round this spring.

Kiper and Daniel Dopp discussed the wide receiver group on the NFL on ESPN YouTube channel, where Dopp quizzed Kiper on which receivers are expected to go in the first round. Kiper eventually gave his estimation but first broke down the top of the WR class player by player, even declaring that a certain lanky wideout ought to go higher in the draft than he’s currently projected.

But first, he addressed the top tier of guys

Clear top four

“Let’s break it its way four and four. Ket’s go with the big four: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), then Rome Odunze (Washington), right. After that, you’re talking about Malik Nabers (LSU) and Odunze battling for that second spot,” said Kiper.

He added a second Tiger to that list as well to round it out. “Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU) I think is solidly at four after a great combine, great year with those 17 touchdown receptions, 17 yard average per catch.”

Next group

“Then you look at the next four: the two Texas kids. (Xavier) Worthy in at 4.21 (40-yard dash). AD Mitchell with the great hands, never drops a catchable ball, even the balls that aren’t catchable, he still catches, finds a way to get the reception.” He added that Worthy’s record-breaking 4.21 40-yard dash time certainly helped his cause.

Kiper also considered South Carolina’s Xavier Legette and Florida State’s Keon Coleman as “wildcards” who could go in the second or slide into the first round. He had this to say of Legette before going in-depth on Coleman:

“Xavier Legette didn’t do a lot up until this year as more of a kick returner than a receiver who was producing big time results. This year, though he went crazy at 71 catches, only had 42 in four years, seven touchdown receptions, only had five in four years, averaged almost 18 yards a catch.”

Kiper loves Keon Coleman

Despite some analyst’s hangups with a slightly slower 40-yard dash time than folks had hoped for, Mel Kiper is all in on the Seminole star. Here was his case for him as a first round talent:

“Keon Coleman ran 4.61, you say ‘well, he’s a second-rounder.’ Really? Look at the gauntlet, look at the speed there, look at the ability to make those catches, look at the ability at Florida State to be a guy in the red zone that could be dynamic. He’s got that basketball background, he goes and high-points the football with that catch radius. He is a receiver.

“Puka Nacua went to the fifth round right. Think about Cooper Kupp, dropped to the third round. Are we going to never learn from mistakes? Is that the way it’s always going to be? Keon Coleman should be a first round draft choice.

“Will he be? I hear from my intel in the NFL, if he runs into 4.5 range, he’s a first rounder; runs into 4.6 range, he’s the second rounder. Well, he ran 4.61, does that make him a two? Maybe it does.

“Keon Coleman, to me, when you watch the tape, look at these catches he’s making, are you kidding me? One-handed grabs, hand-eye coordination like no other, the catch radius. When you talk about smaller cornerbacks in the NFL, good luck trying to cover this guy who can go and leap over tall buildings, go get the football, very athletic with phenomenal hands.”

Predicted first round WRs

At last, Kiper offered his guess for how many receivers leave the board on night one, while also offering up some guys who could sneak into the second round if there’s a run on the position in the first.

“So I think you look at right now, you ask me a question: how many first round receivers? Eight are graded out as first round receivers. Will eight go? Maybe not. So say six or seven go.”

“How about the second round, if you push a couple of these guys into the second with Malachi Corley from Western Kentucky; you think about Ricky Pearsall (Florida), Ladd McConkey (Georgia) Ja’Lynn Polk (Washington). You’re gonna have six or seven in the first, another six or seven in the second.”

No matter how it shakes out, Kiper loves this wide receiver class and believes there’s some value, especially with a few potential second-rounders.

“It’s a very deep wide receiver class especially at the top eight wide receivers potentially have first round grades. But it’s also one of the deeper positions in the NFL, so seemingly, you could have some of those guys slide down into the second round.”