NFL Player News

The Broncos selected Washington in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 162nd overall.

This is a surprise pick as Washington did not get a combine invite after playing at Samford out of the FCS, while there were several other higher rated players at his position available. Washington checks in at 5-foot-9 and 181 pounds with 4.45 speed. He caught 60 passes for 813 yards and nine touchdowns in his final season at Samford and will have an uphill battle getting on the field in Denver.

The Bills selected Shakir in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 148th overall.

Wide receiver was arguably one of the Bills' biggest needs entering Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft, so Shakir lands in an excellent spot. A four-start recruit out of high school, the Boise State product didn't exactly live up to the hype, but 77 catches, 1,117 receiving yards and seven touchdowns during his senior season cemented Shakir as an intriguing prospect. A fluid and smooth route runner, the 22-year-old can really fill any role in a receiving corps and should be able to threaten defenses at the NFL level with his 4.43 40-yard speed.

The Packers selected Doubs in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 132nd overall.

Doubs did not participate at the NFL Combine or put together a pro day with his team due to a knee injury, but the Nevada product was a four-year starter and two-time first-team All-MWC wideout, including a senior season that saw him post 80 receptions, 1,109 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. There's plenty of questions regarding Doubs' speed, but during an individual workout prior to the draft, Doubs allegedly ran close to a sub 4.5 40-yard dash, which should alleviate those concerns. Given the wide assortment of slot receivers on the Packers' depth chart, it seems likely Doubs would need to play on the outside in order to make an impact in his rookie season, but he's not known for his run blocking, which could hamper his opportunities early on.

Williams (knee) is hoping to participate in training camp, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Williams tore his ACL on Jan. 10 and will be over seven months removed from surgery by the time training camp commences this summer. Despite modern advancements in medical treatments, expecting him to be ready for the start of training camp seems optimistic, and it's not certain that he will even be able to work himself into individual drills before the preseason begins. In the end, fantasy managers will likely need to be patient with Williams as a rookie, with Meinke noting that the receiver most likely won't be ready for game action until October.

The Dolphins selected Ezukanma in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 125th overall.

Ezukanma red-shirted his freshman season at Texas Tech before leading the team in receiving yards in each of his final three seasons with the Red Raiders. The 22-year-old finished with 136 catches for 2,117 yards and 14 touchdowns in that stretch, and he also added 10 carries for 138 yards and two scores in his senior season. He didn't run the 40-yard dash, and we don't expect him to have better than average speed, but his production is impressive. His 6-foot-2, 209-pound frame, long arms and 37-inch vertical provides some utility for the next level, too. He'll have to wait for an opportunity behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson.

Newsome now faces a tougher battle for snaps after the Bears drafted Velus Jones, Adam Jahns of The Athletic reports.

After being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 Draft, Newsome played in just three games, catching two passes for 23 yards. With the team looking to add speed to the receiver group, it added Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown in free agency along with Jones in the draft. Newsome will likely need to have an impressive training camp in order to earn significant snaps in the regular season.

St. Brown may face an uphill battle for playing time after the Bears selected Velus Jones in the third round of the 2022 Draft, Adam Jahns of The Athletic reports.

In the Bears' quest to add speed to their receiver room in the offseason, St. Brown and Byron Pringle were added in free agency. However, now that the Bears used the No. 71 pick in the draft to select Jones, who ran a 4.31 40-yard dash, St. Brown is expected to enter training camp outside the top three receivers on the depth chart.

The Eagles hope Smith will be helped by the acquisition of A.J. Brown, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.

Smith is a smaller receiver at 6-foot, 170 pounds while Brown is much larger at 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds, and coach Nick Sirianni views the duo as complementary to one another. Brown's addition to the receiver room should at the very least draw defensive focus from the 2021 first-round pick as well as create more opportunity for the whole offense by lengthening drives. Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal, Jalen Reagor and Greg Ward will likely now function mostly as afterthoughts in what was a run-first offense in 2021.

The Browns selected Bell in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 99th overall.

Before the combine, Bell was considered a fringe first-round prospect after putting up impressive numbers in three seasons at Purdue. Bell stepped into the No.1 role in the offense in place of the injured Rondale Moore as a true freshman and recorded 86 catches for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns on 131 targets. He had a strong season in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign and was impressive again as a junior with 93 catches for 1,286 yards. Despite the strong track record of production from an early age, Bell's testing sent his stock tumbling. Bell ran a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash and tested below the 40th percentile in his jumps at 6-foot-1, 212 pounds. Bell will be an interesting test case because of the combination of his stellar production and concerning lack of athleticism. Cleveland already has Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones, but Bell could eventually carve out a role as a possession receiver in the underneath game.

The Cowboys selected Tolbert in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 88th overall.

Tolbert (6-foot-1, 194 pounds) lacks overall size, but his athleticism is just above average (4.49-second 40-yard dash) and his production in college was compelling. Tolbert's senior year for South Alabama was particularly memorable, as he recorded 82 receptions for 1,474 yards and eight touchdowns on 136 targets. He heads to Dallas as its likely fourth wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and free-agent signee James Washington, but Gallup's return from an ACL tear and Washington's less-than-convincing NFL production leave open the the slight possibility of an immediate impact from Tolbert.