NFL Draft: Best NFL comparison for WR Jordan Addison

Jordan Addison is one of the most talented wide receivers entering the 2023 NFL Draft.

After a stellar college career at Pitt and later USC, wide receiver Jordan Addison has a chance to change some team’s pass-catching fortunes in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The former Trojans star and Biletnikoff winner at Pitt projects as one of three wide receivers who are locks to go in the first round. He may not be the first wideout taken this spring, but he should be coming off the board somewhere in the teens to very early 20s. After having caught passes from Kenny Pickett and Caleb Williams, Addison is poised to star in another team’s receiving corps.

Let’s discuss what NFL comparison makes the most sense for this high-profile, star wide receiver.

Jordan Addison NFL Draft comparison: Who will USC star WR be at the next level?

Although he flashed in college, Addison is not the biggest of guys. He is under six feet tall and 180 pounds. While he certainly has the ability to stretch the field, there is a chance he could get pushed around by bigger-bodied defensive backs, especially if he cannot get off the line of scrimmage. For that reason, he can have success in the NFL, but he may not be a No. 1 option…

Despite him drawing comparisons to Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets and DeVonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles, I tend to like Lance Zierlein‘s assessment of Addison. The NFL analyst likens him to Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks. Like Addison, Lockett is a college football legend. He did extraordinary things in the receiving and return game while with Kansas State.

Although Lockett did not go as high to the Seahawks as Wilson did to the Jets, Smith to the Eagles, or Addison is projected to go to someone this spring, he has been a terrific No. 2 wide receiver in Seattle for years. He perfectly complements the absolute freak specimen that is D.K. Metcalf in the Seahawks receiving corps. That is exactly what a team should be hoping for in drafting Addison.

Overall, I am not the biggest fan of the wide receivers in this draft. I mean, they are fine, but I preferred other springs’ harvests in years past. However, I do think Addison’s game translates well to the NFL. He needs to go to the right offense to flourish, but he has shown how adaptable he can be. After playing Whippleball at Pitt, he helped USC almost win a meaningful game last year.

Ultimately, I like him going to teams picking in the early 20s like the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants and maybe even the Seahawks. He could be a Mike Williams replacement in Los Angeles, a mulligan on the Kadarius Toney disaster in New York, or potentially be Lockett’s eventual successor outside the numbers in Seattle. The best part is he is going to a good team.

Addison may have to wait a bit to hear his name called, but it should work out for him in the end.

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