2023 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Prospects: Cedric Tillman & Tyler Scott Lead Rookie WR Sleepers
The 2023 NFL Draft is right around the corner with the 1st Round getting underway on Thursday, April 27th. As you check out NFL mock drafts and update fantasy football rankings, it's time to take a closer look at NFL Draft wide receiver prospects. If you missed it, check out my scouting reports for the top NFL Draft WR rookies like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Quentin Johnston. Just outside of those top names, though, we have a ton of wide receiver sleeper prospects who could rise up dynasty rookie rankings and emerge as viable fantasy football draft picks. Names like Cedric Tillman, Tyler Scott, and Nathaniel Dell are among the top rookie WR sleepers to know. Let's now break down some of these under-the-radar wideouts ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Check out more 2023 NFL Draft positional scouting reports:
- Quarterback Top Prospects
- Running Back Top Prospects
- Wide Receiver Top Prospects
- Tight End Top Prospects
2023 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Prospect Sleepers
Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
While teammate Jalin Hyatt might be the first Tennessee wide receiver drafted, Cedric Tillman could easily end up as the better pro wideout. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Tillman is built like a prototypical outside receiver who plays with physicality and strength. He’s one of the bigger-bodied receivers among the top-tier prospects this year, which could push him up draft boards to the second round. Tillman’s sturdy frame and larger catch radius make him dangerous on jump balls and contested catches. Plus, he’s an ideal target on slants and quick throws. Tillman’s stats last year aren’t too impressive as he played in only six games while missing half the season with an ankle injury. However, he racked up over 1,000 yards with double-digit TDs in 2021.
Tyler Scott, Cincinnati
There are some quick receivers in this draft, but Scott might be the fastest among them. The former high school track star has elite sprint speed and short-area quickness to stretch the field in multiple ways. Scott is a great deep-ball threat with natural ball-tracking skills and has after-the-catch agility to run away from defenders on underneath completions. The Cincinnati Bearcats’ product ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and that speed will certainly translate to the NFL, especially in the return game. Scott’s lanky frame, unpolished route-runner, and lack of physical strength may limit him to a burner role. However, we’ve seen how productive guys like Tyler Lockett and DeSean Jackson have been with a similar profile.
Nathaniel Dell, Houston
If you watched Houston’s offense at all over the past two years, you surely saw Nathaniel “Tank” Dell’s game-breaking upside. With elite-level elusiveness and quick-twitch agility, Dell is a blur on tape with the ability to take it to the house at any point while making multiple defenders miss. As the star in Houston’s high-scoring offense, he led the FBS in receiving yards (1,398) and receiving TDs (17) last season. Dell was also one of the more dangerous kick and punt returners while in college. At 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, he’s certainly undersized with a small frame and not much strength. Plus, his route-running and raw pass-catching skills aren’t as polished as others in this draft. This could limit his upside at the NFL level, but the playmaking talent is very evident and he would be a dynamic addition to any offense.
Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss
Sometimes we get WR prospects that maybe aren’t the best at any one thing but have a bunch of very good traits. That’s Jonathan Mingo, who brings a lot to the table and can be a quality starting outside receiver in the right landing spot. The Ole Miss product is a smooth route-runner with a strong, physical presence at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds. The majority of Mingo’s targets last year in an uptempo offense were on short and medium routes as a trustworthy pass-catcher on slants and quick throws. He was a strong receiver who caught the ball well in traffic and turned short completions into longer gains with impressive build-up speed for his size. Mingo doesn’t boast elite-level quickness or agility and his route-running needs some development. Still, a 4.46 40-yard dash time at the Combine should not go overlooked – as well as this one-handed catch from last season.
Marvin Mims Jr., Oklahoma
Marvin Mims is one of the most explosive receivers in this draft class. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and showed off his field-stretching ability across three seasons at Oklahoma. Mims has the straight-line speed and burst to distance himself from defenders in coverage and after the catch. He averaged 20.1 yards per catch last year en route to a 1,000-yard season. The pure speed is great, but Mims needs to get better as a route runner and has a thin frame. Still, the big-play ability will add another dimension to any NFL team that drafts him.
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Related NFL Links:
- 2023 NFL Mock Draft 1st Round 2.0: Bryce Young is a Lock to Carolina Panthers at Number 1
- 2023 NFL Draft Top Wide Receiver Prospects: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Highlights WR Rookie Scouting Reports
- 2023 NFL Draft Top Running Back Prospects: Bijan Robinson Highlights Incoming Rookie RB Class
- 2023 NFL Draft Top Quarterback Prospects: Bryce Young & C.J. Stroud Headline the Rookie QB Class
- 2023 NFL Draft Top Tight End Prospects: Dalton Kincaid and Michael Mayer Among Best TE Rookies
- 2023 NFL Draft Running Back Prospects: Tank Bigsby Headlines the Rookie RB Sleepers
Player News
Free agent Gabe Davis will visit the New York Giants.
Cut by the Jaguars after one season last week, Davis visited the 49ers on Monday. New York would be a reunion of sorts, as he played for Giants coach Brian Daboll in Buffalo. The G-Men already have several wideouts capable of stretching the field, but 26-year-old Davis could still be a decent role player in a strong offense. The problem, of course, is that the Giants profile as anything but, but rookie QB Jaxson Dart is comfortable throwing down the field.
Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington has been diagnosed with a torn achilles suffered during offseason training.
The fifth-year pro became a weekly starter for the first time last season, earning elite PFF marks in the process. He was a restricted free agent this spring but had yet to sign his $3.26 million tender. That’s a tough break, to put it mildly. Achilles timelines have shortened significantly in recent years, but Washington will probably still miss the entire 2025 campaign. The Ravens are protected in part by their first-round selection of fellow S Malaki Starks, but May is not the month you already want to be dipping into your depth. Going on 26, Washington’s career future is murky after he worked so hard to finally become a regular contributor last season.
Chiefs signed fourth-round WR Jalen Royals to a four-year contract.
Royals doesn’t have an obvious and open spot in the receiving corps to build short-term fantasy value with Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Rashee Rice operating in the opening 11-personnel package. He may or may not play his way into WR4 duties depending on how the team feels about JuJu Smith-Schuster. Royals has plenty of talent and Brown is on a one-year deal, so there is a future where Royals is more than a bit player for the Chiefs. It likely won’t happen in his first season without injuries in front of him.
Matthew Judon said he “probably” won’t return to the Falcons in 2025.
The Falcons, of course, drafted both Jalon Walker and James Pearce in the first round. In an exclusive interview with CardPlayer.com — not to be confused with our PokerNews.com James Cook scoop a few days ago — Judon said that his sack total was down because “I dropped (into coverage) on 60 percent of the plays. It’s hard to get a pick and a sack on the same play.” Judon also told Kyle Odegard that “a couple” teams had expressed interest in him but he was in no rush to sign.
Jets released P Thomas Morstead.
Austin McNamara and Kai Kroeger will compete for the Jets punter job this year. The 39-year-old former Saint was the league’s oldest punter last season. If he wants to keep punting, he can absolutely join the tryout circuit or a competition elsewhere. But this is probably a sign that the Morstead’s 16-year career is close to an end at this point.
Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said it’s “going to be a breakout year” for Jameson Williams.
Morton said he’d never “been around someone that fast,” then quickly corrected himself to note that Jhamyr Gibbs is also that fast. Williams came on strong last year with a 58/1001/7 receiving line, but offensive coordinator praise could mean even more targets are coming. It would likely come at the expense of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s production if Williams were to truly break out, though there’s plenty for St. Brown to give and still be a top-flight fantasy wideout. It’s risky to read too much into statements like this in the offseason, but the new offensive coordinator telling you he thinks it’ll be a breakout year for Williams is certainly noteworthy.