NFL Player News

The 49ers selected Bell in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 253rd overall.

Bell has an impressive resume after playing five years at Michigan, particularly for falling so late in the draft. However, he lacks speed and burst, so there is significant concern that he won't be able to separate from coverage as a pro. The 49ers receiving corps isn't overly impressive after Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, so Bell could have a shot to make the roster as a depth piece.

The Cowboys selected Brooks in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 244th overall.

Brooks began his collegiate career at North Carolina before ultimately transferring to South Carolina. As a result, he didn't post much meaningful production until his senior season, during which he recorded 33 receptions, 503 yards and a touchdown. He doesn't possess many standout traits as a pro, though Dallas lacks quality depth among its wide receiver corps so it's a decent landing spot.

The Titans selected Dowell in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, 228th overall.

Dowell becomes the first wide receiver drafted by the Titans this year. An impressive athlete given his size (6-foot-3), Dowell registered a 4.42 40-yard dash, 41.5-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot broad jump. As a rookie, he'll look to secure a depth role behind Treylon Burks, Chris Moore, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Kyle Philips.

The Lions selected Green in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, 219th overall.

A multi-sport athlete in high school, Green emerged as a valuable deep threat in his final two seasons at North Carolina, averaging over 19 yards per reception. Expect the 23-year-old to compete as an outside receiver for the Lions, who released Quintez Cephus earlier last week.

The Patriots selected Douglas in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 210th overall.

Small (5-foot-8, 179 pounds) but quick and explosive, Douglas was a major contributor at Liberty in his college career. He was a top target for Malik Willis in 2021 and did even better without him in 2022 with 79 catches for 993 yards and six touchdowns. He's one of two receivers selected by the Patriots in this class, so there's a long way for him to go before he climbs the depth chart, but Douglas is intriguing. To help matters, he had a punt return touchdown and a 75-yard rushing touchdown on his resume in college. He is versatile and will be interesting to follow in the preseason.

The Texans selected Hutchinson in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 205th overall.

Hutchinson was projected to be a borderline Day 2 pick by many, so the Texans finally ended his slide. He was a target hog and very productive at Iowa State, highlighted by First Team All-American honors as a senior. Hutchinson doesn't pop off the page with athleticism which contributed to his fall, but he should have the chance to establish himself as a viable possession receiver as a pro.

The Bengals selected Iosivas in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 206th overall.

An Ivy League product out of Princeton, Iosivas is an interesting prospect. He has a track background and checks in at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds with low 4.4 speed and good leaping ability. Ivy League corners couldn't match up with him as he racked up 66 catches for 943 yards and seven scores in 2022. He'll need to prove that he's more than a speedster to stick at the next level, and landing in Cincinnati means he's starting his career way down the depth chart. To make matters worse for Iosivas, the Bengals also added wideout Charlie Jones earlier on Day 3.

The Saints selected Perry in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 195th overall.

Perry is a bit thin at 6-foot-4, 198 pounds and with that comes concern about whether he can handle the physicality of the NFL, but Perry was extremely productive at Wake Forest (152 receptions for 2,389 and 26 touchdowns in his last 27 games) and he might have the right athletic traits to be a tough situational matchup for defenses. More specifically, Perry seems almost unnaturally flexible and agile for someone of his height, meaning he can look smaller when he needs to and start/stop/change direction more like someone 5-foot-11 when it suits him. That matters because if Perry is elusive enough then he can win the ball by creating separation rather than physically dominating at the catch point. He's someone to keep an eye on, even if he's a long shot.

The Buccaneers selected Palmer in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 191st overall.

Palmer (6-feet, 192 pounds) was initially a standout recruit for LSU but transferred to Nebraska after struggling to earn playing time with the Tigers. Palmer's one season with Nebraska was a major success as his 4.33 speed made him a feared big-play threat in the Big Ten, resulting in 71 receptions for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns on 111 targets. Palmer's speed makes him a credible downfield decoy if nothing else, but the issue is that he really might not be much more than that. Palmer's speed is real, but he cuts down the field like a javelin -- fast, but inflexible and bound to a rigid course -- so when anything goes slightly off schedule Palmer pretty much derails. If his skill set can add more polish then Palmer's tools would become more interesting.

The Patriots selected Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 187th overall.

Boutte (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) was standout recruit for LSU who at one point appeared a potential star after a brilliant first two seasons with the Tigers. Boutte drew 131 targets in those first 16 games, catching 83 passes for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns all before turning 20. Unfortunately he fell off in his 2022 junior season, logging just 48 receptions for 538 yards and two touchdowns on 74 targets, and from there began a rising sense of concern about Boutte's character off the field. He struggled at the combine, testing below average across the board and testing truly awful in the jumps (29-inch vertical, 118-inch broad jump). Boutte's workout was so poor that it makes it difficult to believe he was training properly -- it's almost inconceivable that Boutte produced the way he did in his first two seasons while running and jumping as poorly as he did at the combine. It's possible that Boutte could prove to be a steal for New England down the road, but for now he's behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton on the team's WR depth chart.