Garrett Wilson vs. Drake London: Who Will Be First Wide Receiver Selected in 2022 NFL Draft?

If there is one thing the 2022 NFL Draft class isn’t lacking its wide receiver talent. It’s a good thing too because there are a lot of teams in need of some help in the passing game.

While there aren’t franchise-changing names like Ja’Marr Chase or Jaylen Waddle this year, the battle for the best prospects is still red-hot. 

With the NFL Draft kicking off this Thursday, I wanted to take a look at the consensus No. 1 and No. 2 wideouts and predict which will be the first off the board. 

Drake London

London might have been the favorite to earn the honor of being the first wideout picked had it not been for a recent ankle injury. His timetable for return kept him from participating in the combine, but he remains a top prospect. USC is famous for producing quality WRs and London is one of the best they have ever had.  With that being said he is +200 to be the first wide out selected on Thursday night at WynnBET Sportsbook.

Despite going down Week 8 for the rest of the season, London caught 88 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns for the Trojans. He also won the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. At 6' "5, London is the size of receiver that teams want as well. As the old saying goes, you can’t teach height. 

Despite all the upside, I think that London’s ankle will keep him from going  No.1 overall. To be fair to Garrett Wilson, London might still be the No. 2 WR chosen whether he hurt himself or not. 

Garrett Wilson

Wilson, who helped lead the Ohio State Buckeyes the last few seasons, has earned his status as the consensus No. 1 WR. He caught 70 passes for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Buckeyes in 2021. While those numbers are similar to London’s, Wilson was not the only threat on the team. London got all the attention from the Trojans. Wilson also finished with almost a TD per game in his Junior season. 

The only knock against Wilson could be his size. At 6' , he is almost 6 inches shorter than London. Wilson has better hands, amazing body control, and blazing speed. But, you can’t teach height. 

Nonetheless, I think Wilson is the obvious choice here and is expected to go No. 10 to the New York Jets. He is -150 at WynnBET Sportsbook to be the first WR off the board.