May Update: Rookie WR Rankings

It has been almost a month since the conclusion of the 2010 NFL Draft and it is time to update our dynasty positional rankings for the rookie class.

Several teams have already held minicamps and the beat writers have been out in full force providing us with all the updates we need to further evaluate these prospects.

Here are the latest updates:

Dez Bryant:

Dez Bryant is one of the best wide receiver prospects to enter the draft in several years.  The Dallas media has been impressed with Bryant’s performance to date, and he has a very good shot to unseat veteran Roy Williams before the season begins.  Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com expects Bryant to have significant playing time if he can pick up the playbook quickly.

Dez Bryant should be the No. 1 pick in all dynasty rookie drafts.  He landed in an explosive offense that has their eyes set on the Super Bowl, and they will not hesitate to get him involved early.  Dez Bryant reminds us of Terrell Owens in his prime.

Demaryius Thomas:

Demaryius Thomas will get every opportunity to replace the departed Brandon Marshall as the Broncos’ No. 1 wide receiver.  Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes that Thomas will not be brought along slowly and the Broncos want him to shine right away.

Thomas was drafted before Dez Bryant because he is a skilled, hard worker, without character concerns.  We have moved Thomas up one spot in our wide receiver rankings with his potential to become an elite player, despite the concerns that he needs refinement in his route running and breaks.

Golden Tate:

Golden Tate has made impressive plays in practice and drawn the praise of new head coach Pete Carroll on many occasions.  Tate’s 2010 value largely depends on how Deion Branch performs, but Tate is a good bet to see significant snaps by midseason.

Reports are just now surfacing that the Seahawks made an exploratory phone call to Terrell Owens earlier in the offseason.  Those rumors have lost some steam lately, mostly due to how good Golden Tate looks in minicamps.

Arrelious Benn:

We are holding firm in our ranking of Arrelious Benn (9^th WR, 22 Overall).

His lack of college production is alarming and he suffered from a poor junior campaign.  Many attribute his struggles to poor quarterback play and a sprained ankle, but the bottom line is that Benn didn’t get the job done.  Benn does have some skills after the catch and can be tough to bring down in the open field, but he lacks deep speed, explosiveness, and struggles with catching the football consistently.

The Buccaneers’ offense will continue to struggle even though Benn could see the lion’s share of targets from Josh Freeman.  Benn is too risky to take in the top-10, let alone in the first 20 selections of your rookie draft.  Let someone else make the mistake.

The ranking score for each player is based on several factors:

• Pre-draft scouting reports
• College production
• Strength of team scouting department
• Draft selection
• Offensive scheme
• 2010 Team Schedule

Wide Receiver Rankings (WR) – Previous Ranking in Parenthesis

1. Dez Bryant – Cowboys 9.98 (1)
2. Demaryius Thomas – Broncos 8.62 (3)
3. Golden Tate – Seahawks 8.59 (2)
4. Damian Williams – Titans 8.03 (4)
5. Dexter McCluster – Chiefs 7.99 (7*)
6. Andre Roberts – Cardinals 7.98 (6)
7. Brandon LaFell – Panthers 7.84 (5)
8. Mardy Gilyard – Rams 7.74 (7)
9. Arrelious Benn –Buccaneers 7.60 (8)
10. Eric Decker – Broncos 7.38 (9)
11. Taylor Price –Patriots 7.30 (11)
12. Mike Williams – Buccaneers 7.27 (10)
13. Emmanuel Sanders –Steelers 7.25 (15)
14. Jordan Shipley –Bengals 7.16 (12)
15. Dezmon Briscoe –Bengals  6.98 (13)
16. Riley Cooper – Eagles 6.83 (14)
17. Armanti Edwards –Panthers 6.80 (20)
18. Marcus Easley – Bills 6.72 (21)
19. Jeremy Williams – Chargers  6.64 (UR)
20. Jacoby Ford – Raiders 6.53 (17)
21. Carlton Mitchell – Browns 6.48 (18)
22. David Reed – Ravens 6.46 (16)
23. Blair White – Colts 6.43 (UR)
24. Dorin Dickerson – Texans 6.29 (11**)
25. Antonio Brown – Steelers 6.18 (19)
26. David Gettis – Panthers 6.13 (22)
27. Joe Webb – Vikings 5.74 (24)
28. Kyle Williams – 49ers 5.62 (23)
29. Chris McGaha – Jaguars 5.44 (UR)
30. Shay Hodge – 49ers 5.38 (UR)

*Dexter McCluster was ranked as a running back in our April Rankings.

**Dorin Dickerson was ranked as a tight end in our April Rankings.