• Malik Nabers shines against both man and zone coverage: Nabers led all wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft class in PFF receiving grade against both man and zone coverage.
• Xavier Legette, Troy Franklin and Malik Washington shined too: Outside of the top three wide receivers in this class (Harrison Jr., Nabers and Odunze), Legette, Franklin and Washington were the only other receivers to rank top-10 in receiving grade against both man and zone coverage in this draft class.
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With the 2024 NFL Draft right around the corner, fantasy football managers have undoubtedly heard plenty about the depth of this wide receiver class.
Before these prospects find their new homes on draft night, let’s take a look at the 2024 rookie wide receiver class by highlighting the best wide receivers against man coverage, zone coverage, who dominated against both and more.
Best rookie WRs against man coverage
Before breaking down some of the most notable names, here’s an overall look at the stats for each of the receivers ranked top-15 in PFF receiving grade against man coverage in 2023.
1. Malik Nabers, LSU
Receiving grade vs. man coverage: 90.8
LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers is a consensus top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — and for very good reason. Nabers led all wide receivers with a 90.8 PFF receiving grade against man coverage, leveraging his speed off the line and elite ability as a separator to make defenders pay whenever they’re tasked with defending him.
2. Rome Odunze, Washington
Receiving grade vs. man coverage: 89.5
No wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft class had more experience against man coverage this season than Washington prospect Rome Odunze. Odunze ran 148 routes against man this past season and was absurdly productive while doing so, leading all wideouts in the class with 555 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. At 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, Odunze plays with as much strength and size as you’d expect, with top-tier ability as a separator and chops as a contested-catch artist.
3. Malik Washington, Virginia
Receiving grade vs. man coverage: 88.7
Virginia prospect Malik Washington hasn’t made big waves in fantasy football circles, weighing in at just 5-foot-8 ½ and 191 pounds. However, he makes up for his lack of size with his twitchy playstyle and general quickness off the line, which translate well against both man and (spoiler alert!) zone coverage. His 84.8% open-target rate in 2023 was a huge testament to that — he led the ACC with 1,426 receiving yards in his lone season with the Cavaliers.
4. Joshua Cephus, UTSA
Receiving grade vs. man coverage: 88.3
Joshua Cephus isn’t a name most fantasy managers will likely need to acquaint themselves with, as he will likely be a seventh-round pick if he is selected in this year’s draft at all. Coming off a career-high 1,151 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his fifth season at UTSA, Cephus led all receivers in this class with 0.98 fantasy points per route run against man coverage while ranking fourth with an 88.3 receiving grade. Unfortunately, playing outside of the Power Five in the American Conference against lower-level competitors, his dominance in this regard won’t earn him as many accolades.
5. Xavier Legette, South Carolina
Receiving grade vs. man coverage: 85.6
South Carolina prospect Xavier Legette boosted his draft stock significantly this past season after a breakout fifth-year campaign. At 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, Legette ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL combine while posing a 40-inch vert and 126-inch broad jump — perfectly encapsulating what makes him such a threat to opposing defenders, particularly against man coverage.
He’s just too big and too fast. Legette’s 19.82 yards per reception ranked fourth among receivers in this class, while his 4.0 yards per route run led the pack. However, he didn’t earn as significant a target share on routes against man as other top performers.
Notable prospects who struggled vs. man
- Ladd McConkey, Georgia: 60.1 receiving grade vs. man coverage
- Brian Thomas Jr., LSU: 61.2 receiving grade vs. man coverage
Best rookie WRs against zone coverage
Before breaking down some of the most notable names, here’s an overall look at the stats for each receiver who ranked in the top 15 in PFF receiving grade versus zone coverage in 2023.
Proficiency against zone coverage is especially important, as it’s the most common type of coverage receivers are likely to see in the NFL. In all, 71.6% of passing plays in the 2023 season came against zone coverage, with just four teams deploying zone at a sub-60% rate.
1. Malik Nabers, LSU
Receiving grade vs. zone coverage: 91.1
Surprise! Nabers led the 2024 NFL Draft class with a 91.1 PFF receiving grade against zone coverage, too. The LSU star led this cohort with 1,112 receiving yards against zone coverage, while also leading the pack with 4.07 yards and 0.75 fantasy points per route run. His speed and finesse as a route-runner is enough to make every inch of the field a soft spot against zone.
2. Malik Washington, Virginia
Receiving grade vs. zone coverage: 89.8
Washington ranking among the top receivers against zone coverage is particularly encouraging, given his projected role out of the slot at the next level.
Though Washington ranked among the top receivers in this class with an 89.8 PFF receiving grade against zone, he did rank relatively low with just 13.19 yards per reception, in part thanks to his 8.04 aDOT against zone, which was the seventh-lowest in this draft class. Notably, Washington ranked top-two in both yards after the catch (452) and receiving yards after contact (223) against such coverage.
3. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Receiving grade vs. zone coverage: 86.6
Given that Harrison has an innate feel for every aspect of the game, it should come as no surprise that he excelled in finding the soft spots in the zone and exploiting them in a big way. Harrison’s 3.78 yards per route run against zone ranked second in this class only behind Nabers, while he led the cohort with 0.75 fantasy points per route run against such coverage this season.
4. Ladd McConkey, Georgia
Receiving grade vs. zone coverage: 85.4
Georgia prospect Ladd McConkey has been steadily rising up draft boards throughout the spring, thanks in big part to his finesse as a route-runner. Despite grading relatively poorly against man coverage in 2023, he excelled against zone, ranking top-five in this class with 3.76 yards per route run and 0.74 fantasy points per route run in such situations.
Having missed five games this season dealing with ankle and back injuries, McConkey ran the fifth-fewest routes against zone among wide receivers last season, but his efficiency on those routes earned him high marks.
5. Isaiah Williams, Illinois
Receiving grade vs. zone coverage: 84.0
Illinois prospect Isaiah Williams won’t top any draft boards, as he was a late breakout after converting to the position from quarterback after his first two seasons.
However, he did lead his team in receiving yards in each of his final two seasons and ranked among the best in this draft class against zone coverage. He’s got an innate ability to speed up (and down) in his routes, which gives him an edge in finding those soft spots in coverage. Unfortunately, he didn’t do himself any favors at the NFL combine, running a 4.63-second 40-yard dash despite being on the smaller side at 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds.
Notable prospects who struggled vs. zone
- Keon Coleman, Florida State: 64.4 receiving grade vs. zone coverage
- Ja'Lynn Polk, Washington: 71.8 receiving grade vs. zone coverage
Who dominated against both man and zone coverage in 2023?
Six wide receivers ranked top-10 in the 2024 NFL Draft class in receiving grade against both man and zone coverage, including:
- Malik Nabers, LSU
- Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
- Rome Odunze, Washington
- Troy Franklin, Oregon
- Xavier Legette, South Carolina
- Malik Washington, Virginia
The success of Harrison, Nabers, and Odunze against both man and zone coverage will come as no shock. After all, their refinement, polish and athleticism are exactly the traits that have each of them ranked firmly inside the top 10 on most NFL draft boards (and dynasty rookie draft boards, too).
Where things get interesting is looking at the potential value of Troy Franklin, Xavier Legette and Malik Washington, who excelled situationally against both zone and man, albeit with more question marks in their profiles that will preclude them from top-end draft capital.
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