5 best wide receiver picks in the 2024 NFL Draft

It was supposed to be a draft that specialized on offense. Quarterbacks, tackles, and wide receivers were to be the story in the Motor City on April 25. The National Football League’s Annual Selection Meeting, aka the 2004 NFL Draft, did not disappoint in this regard.

All told, 23 of the 32 first-round selections were on the offensive side of the ball. Those numbers include six quarterbacks and seven wide receivers. The former tied the NFL Common Draft record for most signal-callers taken in the first round, originally set in 1983. As for the wideouts, that was another record tied, first done in 2004.

Traditionally, there are more defensive backs (corners and safeties) selected in an NFL draft, and that was the case once again (54). This year, there were a total of 35 wide receivers drafted, nearly half of those selections (16) in the first three rounds.

The selections here are the five best when it comes to helping their new teams. While it’s hard to ignore the first wide receiver drafted on April 25, three of the players listed were picked outside of the first round. Despite the talent around the NFL at this position, there were more than a handful of clubs in need of a sure-handed target and/or a performer who could stretch the field.

Which drafted wide receivers were the best team fits?

5. Javon Baker (Patriots)

It’s a different time in Foxborough. For the first time this century, the head coach is not named Bill Belichick. Jared Mayo is the new head coach of the New England Patriots. Eliot Wolf is the team’s director of scouting. Alex Van Pelt is the Pats’ new offensive coordinator.

The latter has a tall task. New England and Carolina both scored the fewest points in the league in 2023. The Patriots’ passing attack was ranked 28th in the NFL, and the club scored just 16 times through the air in 17 games. Running back Ezekiel Elliott, now back with the Cowboys, led the team with 51 catches this past season. An infusion of talent when it came to this side of the ball.

Last month, New England spent its first five picks and seven of their eight selection on offense. That included a pair of wide receivers. Second-round choice Ja’Lynn Polk (Washington) joins a receiving corps that includes JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, and newcomer K.J. Osborn.

Central Florida’s Javon Baker was a Day 3 pickup, going in the fourth round. He has big-play ability. ESPN’s Mike Reiss points out that the talented performer had five plays of 50-plus yards this past season. A quick strike target is something this team has craved for too many seasons.

4. Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars)

In 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars stunned many by winning their final five games after a 4-8 start. This past season, Doug Pederson’s team once again shocked plenty of observers when they dropped five of their final six contests after an 8-3 start. Both campaigns resulted in 9-8 showings. The first saw the club win the AFC South. This past year, Pederson’s club completely missed the playoffs.

A battered Trevor Lawrence was part of the Jaguars’ struggles down the stretch. Now the team looks to regroup in a division that was much improved from 2022. Jacksonville’s top pass-catcher this past season was tight end Evan Engram. He rolled up 114 grabs for 963 yards and four scores but averaged only 8.4 yards per catch.

The big-play component was one-time Falcons’ first-round pick Calvin Ridley. He finished second on the club with 76 catches but led Jacksonville in receiving yards (1,016) and touchdown receptions (8). He’s now a member of the rival Tennessee Titans.

It’s safe to say that LSU has been a recent wide receiver factory. Brian Thomas Jr. went 17 selections after college teammate Malik Nabers (Giants) in the first round. Interestingly enough, Thomas’ 2023 numbers compare to Ridley’s. His final year at LSU saw the talented youngster 68 catches for 1,177 yards and 17 scores. Veterans Gabe Davis (Bills) and Devin Duvernay (Ravens) also joined the team this offseason, but Thomas could be an immediate sensation.

3. Keon Coleman (Bills)

It’s been a transitional offseason for a team that has won four straight division titles and reached the playoffs the past five seasons. However, the always-dangerous Buffalo Bills lost plenty of talent this offseason, and teams around the league were the beneficiaries. Five players that the franchise cut loose to get under the salary cap were all picked up by other teams.

Of course, the Bills also opted to part ways with four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, albeit via trade with Houston. On the first night of the draft, general manager Brandon Beane traded down twice, first with the Chiefs and then with the Panthers, and finally settled on Florida State’s Keon Coleman with the 33rd overall selection.

Coleman's prospect profile from NFL analyst Lance Zierlein explains exactly what the Bills are getting:

Above-the-rim artist with circus catches resembling a scene from the tents of Cirque du Soleil. Coleman has excellent size and ball skills. He’s not sudden and doesn’t have great speed, so beating press and creating breathing room against tight man coverages will depend on his ability to improve as a route-runner. The former star basketball player has a rebounder’s blend of extension and timing to give jump-ball defenders the blues. He’s big and strong with soft hands, but he can play with a little more aggression in claiming his deep-ball space and getting after it as a run blocker. Coleman might lack the athletic traits to be a well-rounded WR2. Instead, keep an eye on him as a big slot receiver who can be a red-zone specialist.

He may not lead the Bills in catches during his rookie season. However, don’t be shocked if the former Seminole hauls in at least 10 scores from quarterback Josh Allen.

2. Roman Wilson (Steelers)

For the second straight offseason, the traditionally conservative Pittsburgh Steelers were aggressive when it came to addressing the team’s various needs. One year after revamping the team’s inside linebacking corps, general manager Omar Khan overhauled the club’s quarterback room. It’s gone from Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph, to Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen.

Also gone is up-and-down wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who was dealt to the Carolina Panthers. Some of the veteran newcomers are wideout including Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins. It’s safe to say that the Steelers not only needed a compliment to talented George Pickens, but a sure-handed pass-catcher that can line up inside.

Welcome to the Steel City, former Michigan Wolverine Roman Wilson. He was the first of the Steelers’ two third-round choices.

“Smooth strider with alarming speed once he touches top gear,” said NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “Wilson primarily focused on attacking the intermediate and deep portions of the field, adding an explosive element to the Wolverines’ ground-and-pound approach...He has the separation potential to make a quarterback’s life easier and figures to continue his ascension as a starting slot talent.”

Here’s a number to consider. Wilson played in 15 games for the 2023 national champions and caught a dozen touchdown passes. The Steelers produced just 13 scores through the air in 17 regular-season contests this past season.

1. Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals)

It marked the third consecutive year that a wide receiver from Ohio State University was a first-round selection. It also marked the second consecutive draft that a Buckeyes’ wideout was the first player off the board at this position. If lineage is any indication, the Arizona Cardinals have got one tremendous player who should help the league’s 19th-ranked passing attack a year ago.

As previously mentioned, there were a record-tying seven wide receivers 20 years ago. Ironically, the first wideout taken in the 2004 NFL Draft was chosen by the Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald has the second-most catches and receiving yards in NFL history. That’s not a prediction for the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, who spent his entire career with the Indianapolis Colts.

As for the former Buckeye, his freshman season at Ohio State saw him total just 11 catches for 139 yards and three scores in 13 outings. The past two years have been a much different story. There have been a combined 25 contests, with Harrison totaling 144 receptions for 2,474 yards (17.2 average) and 28 touchdowns.

This past season, tight end Trey McBride led the team with 81 catches and 825 receiving yards. The next two pass-catchers, Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore, signed with the Chiefs and was traded to the Falcons, respectively. The Cardinals have not had a 1,000-yard pass-catcher since DeAndre Hopkins in 2020.