One of the most infuriating parts of the NFL Draft process for me is the outlandish player comparisons. Don't get me wrong, these player comps have a place, and they're necessary to try to understand how a player wins and how they'll succeed at the next level. However, there are way too many comparisons that are made with no foundation in the data.
For example, comparing a 5-foot-11 and 180-pound wide receiver to a 6-foot-3 and 220-pound wide receiver doesn't help anyone. Those are two drastically different body types and they're not going to be asked to do the same types of things on the NFL field. With that in mind, I sat down a couple of years ago to build a database that could help me make the best - and most accurate - player comparisons out there.
With that being said, here are my player comparisons for the 2023 Rookie WR class.
introduction
Before we get to the specific players, what you'll find in this article are comparisons that are built off of NFL Combine data going back to 1999. Every player that has ever been at the NFL Combine has their height and weight stored in my database, along with their testing numbers for individual drills - assuming that they participated in them.
With this information, I set up these parameters to eliminate wild comparisons.
Height: Within 3 inches shorter and taller.
Weight: Within 3 pounds lighter and heavier.
The search parameters then eliminate any players that fall outside of those two requirements. For example, a player may be two inches taller than the player we're trying to compare, which would fall in line with the parameters, but they're 10 pounds heavier. They then would fall off of our search and not meet the criteria for a player comparison. Again, this is all being done with the intention to eliminate wild comparisons and try to find the most accurate available.
After that, the search results are then sorted and filtered to find the closest testing matches.
2023 WR comparisons
Andreio Iosivas (WR - Princeton)
- Height: 6'3
- Weight: 205
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.43
- Vertical Jump: 39"
- Broad Jump: 128"
Closest Comparisons: Tyrell Williams, Torrey Smith, Tamorrion Terry
Antoine Green (WR - North Carolina)
- Height: 6'2
- Weight: 199
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.47
- Vertical Jump: 33.5"
- Broad Jump: 123"
Closest Comparisons: Marvin Jones Jr Greg Jennings, Zay Jones
A.T. Perry (WR - Wake Forest)
- Height: 6'3 1/2"
- Weight: 198
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.47
- Vertical Jump: 35"
- Broad Jump: 133"
Closest Comparisons: Allen Hurns, Marvin Jones Jr, Nate Burleson
Bryce Ford-Wheaton (WR - West Virginia)
- Height: 6'4
- Weight: 221
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.38
- Vertical Jump: 41"
- Broad Jump: 129"
Closest Comparisons: Julio Jones, Michael Floyd, Miles Boykin
Cedric Tillman (WR - Tennessee)
- Height: 6'3
- Weight: 213
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.54
- Vertical Jump: 37"
- Broad Jump: 128"
Closest Comparisons: Gabriel Davis, Juju Smith-Schuster, Davante Adams
Watching Cedric Tillman this morning and he already has my attention. Creates separation on the slot fade at the stem, exudes great body control, and tracks the ball with perfection pic.twitter.com/eOIfec0hSw
— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) February 26, 2023
Charlie Jones (WR - Purdue)
- Height: 5'11
- Weight: 175
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.43
- Vertical Jump: 36.5"
- Broad Jump: 124"
Closest Comparisons: Jeff Thomas, Paul Richardson, John Capel
C.J. Johnson (WR - East Carolina)
- Height: 6'1 1/2"
- Weight: 224
- 40-Yard Dash: N/A
- Vertical Jump: N/A
- Broad Jump: N/A
Closest Comparisons: N/A
Demario Douglas (WR - Liberty)
- Height: 5'8
- Weight: 179
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.44
- Vertical Jump: 39.5"
- Broad Jump: 134"
Closest Comparisons: Cedrick Wilson, Wan'Dale Robinson, Keke Coutee
Derius Davis (WR - TCU)
- Height: 5'8
- Weight: 165
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.36
- Vertical Jump: N/A
- Broad Jump: N/A
Closest Comparisons: Trindon Holliday, Jakeem Grant, Marquise Brown
Dontay Demus Jr. (WR - Maryland)
- Height: 6'3
- Weight: 212
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.57
- Vertical Jump: 35.5"
- Broad Jump: 123"
Closest Comparisons: Michael Thomas, David Sills, Brandon LaFell
Dontavyion Wicks (WR - Virginia)
- Height: 6'1
- Weight: 206
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.62
- Vertical Jump: 39"
- Broad Jump: 130"
Closest Comparisons: Cooper Kupp, Marlon Williams, Damon Hazelton
Elijah Higgins (WR - Stanford)
- Height: 6'3
- Weight: 235
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.54
- Vertical Jump: 35"
- Broad Jump: 126"
Closest WR Comparisons: Dorial Green-Beckham, Marcus Davis
Closest TE Comparisons: Evan Engram, Jacob Tamme, Zach Miller
Grant DuBose (WR - Charlotte)
- Height: 6'2
- Weight: 201
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.57
- Vertical Jump: 35"
- Broad Jump: 125"
Closest Comparisons: Demarcus Robinson, Kalija Lipscomb, Trevor Gaylor
Jacob Copeland (WR - Maryland)
- Height: 5'11
- Weight: 201
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.42
- Vertical Jump: 33"
- Broad Jump: 127"
Closest Comparisons: Antonio Callaway, Golden Tate, Devin Duvernay
Jadon Haselwood (WR - Arkansas)
- Height: 6'2
- Weight: 215
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.66
- Vertical Jump: 37"
- Broad Jump: 123"
Closest Comparisons: Cody White, Dontario Drummond, Anquan Boldin
Jake Bobo (WR - UCLA)
- Height: 6'4
- Weight: 206
- 40-Yard Dash: N/A
- Vertical Jump: N/A
- Broad Jump: N/A
Closest Comparisons: N/A
Jalen Brooks (WR - South Carolina)
- Height: 6'1
- Weight: 201
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.69
- Vertical Jump: 35"
- Broad Jump: 130"
Closest Comparisons: Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, Nate Swift
Jalen Moreno-Cropper (WR - Fresno State)
- Height: 5'11
- Weight: 172
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.4
- Vertical Jump: N/A
- Broad Jump: 121"
Closest Comparisons: Tavon Austin, Titus Young, Jeff Thomas
Jalen Wayne (WR - South Alabama)
- Height: 6'2
- Weight: 210
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.51
- Vertical Jump: 34.5"
- Broad Jump: 124"
Closest Comparisons: Josh Palmer, Hakeem Nicks, Breshad Perriman
Jalin Hyatt (WR - Tennessee)
- Height: 6'0
- Weight: 176
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.4
- Vertical Jump: 40"
- Broad Jump: 135"
Closest Comparisons: Jahan Dotson, Paul Richardson, Yamon Figurs
WR @jalinhyatt:
— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2023
🔥 4.40s official 40
🔥 40" vert
🔥 11'3" broad
Big day for the @Vol_Football product. #NFLCombine pic.twitter.com/J8cqNvBy8i
Jaray Jenkins (WR - LSU)
- Height: 6'2
- Weight: 204
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.6
- Vertical Jump: 29.5"
- Broad Jump: N/A
Closest Comparisons: Seyi Ajirotutu, Damon Hazelton, Charles Lee
Jason Brownlee Jr. (WR - Southern Miss)
- Height: 6'2
- Weight: 198
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.59
- Vertical Jump: 39.5"
- Broad Jump: 131"
Closest Comparisons: Tyler Boyd, Rannell Hall, Ben Victor
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