We’ve been covering the fantasy implications of the NFL Draft here at F6P, and today is no different. Today, I’m partnering up with our very own Daniel Johnson—Fantasy Football Content Manager here—and giving you a run down on some of the 2023 Fantasy Football: NFL Draft Day 2 & 3 Rookie Wide Receivers and their fantasy impacts.
Important to note: we won’t be covering every single wideout selected from rounds two-through-seven. There comes a point where wideouts are long shots to even make the team, much less have a fantasy impact. We're here to cover the highlights.
If we miss a later round wide receiver you feel is worth mentioning, let us know in the comments!
Oh, and once the NFL schedule is released, be sure to check out the FanDuel NFL standings and get those futures bets in!
2023 Fantasy Football: NFL Draft Day 2 & 3 Rookie Wide Receivers
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Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers
Part 1:
Every pass attempt, and punt return, to Carolina Panthers second round pick, Jonathan Mingo, during his 2022 season at Ole Miss🎥(SEC | ESPN) pic.twitter.com/9Uh2djzpSU
— =͟͟͞Blande (@JustBlande) May 2, 2023
Dan Johnson: I won't bury the lede. I'm all-in. Mingo, Mango, Mongo, baby. Just look at that tape!
I know, I know—rookie wide receivers tend to struggle in their first year, especially if they're working with a rookie quarterback. Such is the situation Jonathan Mingo finds himself in for the Panthers, what with Bryce Young slinging him the rock.
Bother yourself not with Mingo's first three years at Ole Miss. He finished with 51 receptions and 861 receiving yards, both second on the team to Mailk Heath. His five receiving touchdowns aren't eye-popping, but his size and speed are: 6'1'', 226 lbs, with a speed score at the combine in the 96th percentile, a burst score in the 91st percentile, and a catch radius score in the 83rd percentile.
If you're not convinced, maybe this will swing you: Mingo's Athleticism Score at PlayerProfiler lands at #19 all time at the WR position.
Plenty of risk here, but the Panthers want this duo to be the keystone to this era of their offense. Mingo's metrics, mixed with the volume he's sure to see, make him an intriguing mid-round dart throw in redraft leagues.
Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants
.@jalinhyatt we workin 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YH9CrmcJ1Y
— New York Giants (@Giants) May 5, 2023
Garrett Ball: Hyatt had a monster final season at Tennessee, with 1,267 recieving yards and 15 TDs after two years of under 300 receiving yards. He joins a New York Giants team that is suddenly very crowded with a lot of slot receivers and not much outside presence.
It’s possible, due to his height, that the Giants move him to the outside so he can get some playing time, but I’m not expecting much from him in year one as of now, especially with the plethora of slot guys the G-Men have.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Josh Downs’ footwork is a thing of BEAUTY 😳
Downs reportedly caught 6 of Anthony Richardson’s 11 completions today at Colts rookie minicamp.
The Colts got a STUD in their rookie WR. pic.twitter.com/aN7UBIXWlU
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) May 5, 2023
Garrett Ball: I love Josh Downs, a lot. He’s small, but he’s one of the most productive receivers in the class. And he landed in the perfect situation, at least from a roster perspective.
The Colts didn’t have a slot receiver before the draft aside from Isaiah McKenzie, but Downs should be able to grab the starting role sooner than later. It doesn’t hurt to have former Colts great and current wide receiver coach Reggie Wayne call you the best receiver in your class either.
A WR4 finish is not beyond the range of possibilities in my mind.
Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
A player is only as good as they are vs top competition #Browns WR Cedric Tillman in 3 gms against Georgia (2021 & 2022) and Alabama (2021)
24 rec
420yds (17.5ypc)
2 TDsHe will absolutely eat against 3rd/4th string corners in the NFL#DawgPound
— Mac🦬 (@tha_buffalo) May 3, 2023
Garrett Ball: In year one, I’m not exactly what to expect from Tillman. He’s more of an outside guy, and he’s a bit on the older side at 23 years old. Elijah Moore likely has the slot role in the offense and Donovan Peoples-Jones will then slide to outside after playing a healthy mix last season.
DPJ is in a contract year and the Brown’s could decide to move on from him after the season. I personally hope they resign him but that heavily depends on how Tillman performs. Right now, I see him as their WR4, so he’ll need to impress with a small workload.
He could be a late-season waiver pick-up but I don’t see myself drafting him right now.
Marvin Mims, Denver Broncos
If the Breakout Finder loves him, the Broncos are going to love him.
Denver got themselves a potential STUD in the second round in Marvin Mims 🌟 pic.twitter.com/kj5mbZCIQG
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) May 6, 2023
Garrett Ball: The first name that Sean Payton brings into Denver, Mims is much like the rest of his rookie classmates, a bit on the smaller side.
Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy currently top the depth chart, and Tim Patrick is no slouch either. It’ll be interesting to see how Payton uses his new receiver and if he starts over Patrick, which I think is a reasonable assumption.
He has a chance to be productive, but that rides heavily on Russell Wilson returning to form.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
#Chiefs Rashee Rice.. catching passes. pic.twitter.com/EpopsQnbz3
— PJ Green (@PJGreenTV) May 6, 2023
Garrett Ball: Rice had a spectacular senior season at SMU, compiling 95 catches for 1,355 yards and ten touchdowns. The Chiefs had a need at wide receiver with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman leaving in free agency, and their current youngsters, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore, have shown flashes but lack consistency.
I feel Rice has the potential to become the Chiefs' top wideout by years end, and depending on his draft cost, could be a steal in redraft leagues.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Excited to get to work!!#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/rVUgxFQbzv
— j.reed1💂🏾 (@JaydenReed5) May 2, 2023
Dan Johnson: Here's a stat we like for fantasy: in all four of his college campaigns, Jayden Reed commanded over a 20% target share, and converted those targets into catches, on average, 63% of the time.
This guy can be a volume monster on a Packers team that wants to establish a new identity in the post-Rodgers era. We really don't know what we're going to get from Jordan Love, so I hesitate to say Reed is a surefire redraft fantasy asset in 2023. Keep in mind that Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs—while certainly not elite—showed flashes of potential last year.
Folks are salivating over Reed in rookie drafts, especially if he falls to the third round. He's exciting, and maybe the Packers will let us get a glimpse of Reed's punt-returning prowess this year. Most safely, though, he's considered a high-upside asset for Dynasty.
Tank Dell, Houston Texans
Tank Dell’s route running ability is something ELSE 😳
Now, Dell gets to team up with CJ Stroud in Houston. pic.twitter.com/pG7eYiN4WF
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) May 9, 2023
Garrett Ball: Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, does not have the size a name like that implies. He’s 5’8”, 166 lbs. His final two seasons in Houston saw him grab over 3,700 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns. Holy moly.
He’s not the most athletic of prospects, but here’s the thing about him: C.J. Stroud wanted him and the Texans drafted him. It’s not everything, players tell their organizations to grab other players all the time (such as Patrick Mahomes and Clyde Edwards-Helaire) and it doesn’t always work out.
However, he’s a highly productive prospect in a receiving room that is wide open. Wide open. Take a dart throw on him in drafts.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots
Dan Johnson: Draft season in New England means all us Patriots fans are listening to the radio in our salt-crusted Jeeps, slugging mouthwash out of a plastic pint bottle in the glove compartment, like we're jaded cops after decades on the job. It gets dark.
N'Keal Harry ruined any and all tiny hopes I had that the Patriots front office is even proficient at evaluating wide receivers. But they didn't exactly expend a gobsmacking amount of draft capital on Kayshon Boutte, the diminutive wide receiver out of LSU. He finished his final season with a stat line of 48-538-2 stat line in 11 games.
Yeah—underwhelming. I don't really feel like there's much more to say, here, honestly. Boutte was fun to watch at LSU, and we have to hope Bill O'Brien will get some more out of Mac Jones; it's possible Boutte will be a beneficiary of that in some way.
I'm just saying: don't rush throwing your pints of pity mouthwash out.
Check out our 2023 NFL Draft Player Profiles, and keep an eye out in the coming days for more post-draft content from all your favorite F6P writers.
