Wide Receivers in the 2008 Draft

There seem to be a good group of wide receivers that are available in this year's draft.  There is no Calvin Johnson in this draft, so it is possible that the first receiver won't come off the board until mid-late first round.  Let's take a closer look at the guys that are likely to go in the first round or early second round.  The 40 times below are coming from Scout's Inc.  We won't get the true 40 times until the combine happens.

DeSean Jackson 6'0, 179, 4.33

Jackson probably fits the Titans receiver need better than any other player in this draft.  Unfortunately he will probably already be off the board.  He is a guy who can stretch the field on offense, and he has game breaking ability as a return man.  He averaged over 16 yards per punt return in 3 years at Cal with 6 touchdowns.

Malcolm Kelly 6'4, 217, 4.5

Kelly seems to me to be a better version of Justin Gage.  They are pretty much the exact same size, but Kelly is probably a little bit faster.  He showed the ability to get down the field in college averaging almost 16 yards per catch in his career.  He has all the tools to be a playmaker in this league.  There is a decent shot he will still be on the board when the Titans draft.

Limas Sweed 6'4, 219, 4.45

I would really like Sweed if it wasn't for this wrist injury he is battling.  He has a good combination of size and speed and is already familiar with Vince Young.  He has the potential to be a good pick, but the jury is still out until we see if he is healthy come combine time.

Early Doucet 6'0, 210, 4.56

Doucet is probably the receiver I want the least in this group.  He might end up being a good NFL wide receiver, but his injury history scares me a lot.  His size and speed combination isn't all that good.  Plus no one has even taken the time to do a YouTube highlight video for him.  What does that say?

James Hardy 6'5, 218, 4.58

Hardy might have the most raw talent of this group, and his college numbers are something off of Playstation.  He finished his college career with 191 catches for 2,740 yards and 36 touchdowns in just 3 years.  The only flag on Hardy is an incident from 2006 where he was arrested for domestic battery.  I am sure the Titans will fully investigate that if they are interested in him, and if they determine it was an isolated mistake, Hardy could be a steal at #24.

Mario Manningham 6'0, 188, 4.45

Manningham's stock has been falling for the last couple of weeks.  Why?  Who really knows?  He is a guy that will either really help or hurt his status with his performance at the combine.  It looks like the Titans could get him later than 24 so if he is their guy they might look to move down a little in the first round.  He put up solid college numbers with 137 catches for 2,310 yards and 27 touchdowns in 3 years.

These are very preliminary looks.  A lot will change between now and the draft.