NFL Player News

Robinson (knee) could face increased competition for playing time this season with the Giants drafting Jalin Hyatt (hamstring) in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Robinson tore the ACL in his right knee during a loss to the Lions in Week 11 last season. He said in January that he expects to be ready for the opening of the upcoming campaign, but his status on the WR depth chart became more murky when New York took Hyatt with their third selection in the draft. Like Robinson, Hyatt operated largely in the slot during his college career, though the Giants could look to use him more as a deep threat given his excellent game speed. Predicting how targets will be distributed among New York's pass catchers is a difficult proposition, with wideouts Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Hyatt and Robinson -- along with recent addition tight end Darren Waller -- potentially playing a significant role in the offense.

The Browns envision third-round draft pick Cedric Tillman as an eventual replacement for Peoples-Jones, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Peoples-Jones is coming off his best season, but an already loaded wideout corps got more crowded after the Browns added Tillman, a big-bodied X receiver that could excel in the red zone. It's unlikely Tillman has a big role at the start of the 2023 season, but a more pass-centric offense could provide him snaps to showcase the promise Cleveland sees in him. Despite the hype surrounding the draft pick, Peoples-Jones is expected to be one of the top three on the depth chart, along with Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore.

The Raiders selected Tucker in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 100th overall.

Tucker has a limited frame and skill set at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds, but the Cincinnati prospect is very fast (4.40-second 40) and is an interesting option on jet sweeps and special teams.

The Cardinals selected Wilson in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 94th overall.

Wilson dealt with some injury troubles at Stanford but was consistently productive when healthy. Wilson has boundary wideout size at 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, and he demonstrated standout short-area athleticism with a 37.5-inch vertical, 125-inch broad jump and 1.5-second split on his 4.58-second 40. Wilson should be able to line up pretty much everywhere for Arizona, giving the Cardinals additional depth chart flexibility going into training camp.

The Colts selected Downs in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 79th overall.

This is a fortuitous landing spot for the UNC product, as he should challenge for the role vacated by Parris Campbell. Downs was a target monster over his final two seasons at North Carolina, especially in Sam Howell's final year in 2021 when he commanded an absurd 40 percent target share. His production was great, but how he adapts to the NFL game will depend on how well he can overcome his physical limitations -- he's 5-foot-9 and 171 pounds and doesn't have standout speed (4.48). Still, Downs is a crafty route runner that should fit well in the slot for Indianapolis.

The Browns selected Tillman in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 74th overall.

Tillman (6-foot-3, 213 pounds) went one pick after fellow Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt (Giants), but Tillman is the more well-rounded of the two. Though his 4.54-second 40 makes Tillman the lesser big-play threat of the duo, his much sturdier frame and otherwise adequate athleticism (37-inch vertical, 128-inch broad jump) renders him more versatile overall. However, in his rookie campaign, Tillman likely projects to compete with David Bell to serve as the swing backup at receiver behind the top three of Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Elijah Moore.

The Giants selected Hyatt (hamstring) in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 73rd overall.

Hyatt is an interesting receiver prospect and the Giants make for an interesting landing spot. New York has a crowded receiver room with a mix of vets and developmental projects like Wan'Dale Robinson. Hyatt, who won the Biletnikoff Award in 2022 for Tennessee, may not be a "complete" receiver, but his big-play ability is for real. He averaged 18.9 yards per reception in 2022 and caught 15 touchdowns. However, Hyatt has a light frame at 6-foot and 176 pounds and had an interesting role as a vertical option out of the slot, so it remains to be seen how that will translate. If nothing else, Hyatt brings a speedy downfield element to the Giants offense.

The Texans selected Dell in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 69th overall.

Dell won't have to go far to meet up with his new team as the former Houston Cougar gets to stay in the area. A polarizing prospect, Dell was a dominant producer in college (32 receiving TDs) but his nickname of "Tank" is a bit of a misnomer; he's perilously slight at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds. To be that small, standout athleticism is a necessity and Dell didn't show that at the combine with a 4.49-second 40-yard dash and a 121-inch broad jump. Houston doesn't have much settled in its receiving corps so there's a chance Dell finds his way onto the field, but his margin for error at the next level is small.

The Broncos selected Mims in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 63rd overall.

Denver has a crowded receiver room on paper, but Tim Patrick is coming off an ACL tear and KJ Hamler hasn't been the picture of durability, either. Mims had a varied role during his time at Oklahoma; he stood out as a freshman with nine touchdowns on 51 targets. His volume dropped off as a sophomore with 41 targets in 13 games, but he averaged a ridiculous 17.2 yards per target on those opportunities. He drew more volume as a junior in the new-look offense and still thrived, catching 54 of 91 targets for 1,083 yards and six scores. Mims showed well at the combine with 4.38 speed at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, too. He may not have been on the mainstream fantasy radar before Friday, but his going to Denver in the second round definitely changes that.

The Chiefs selected Rice in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 55th overall.

The Chiefs lost JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman this offseason, and while Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore are candidates to replace those slot reps, Kansas City needed to add an outside receiver. Rice (6-0, 204) was a strong four-year contributor at SMU that racked up 19 touchdowns over his final two seasons. He isn't blazing fast (4.51 40-yard dash) but his leaping ability gives him a solid catch radius for his size and he can run his routes on the outside. With so much young but unproven talent in the receiving corps already, solving Kansas City's passing game from a fantasy perspective just got even trickier.