The 2020 NFL Draft is absolutely loaded at WR and a good chunk of those prospects come from the best offensive conference in College Football. Projecting the development of surrounding players as well as the impact of incoming Freshman is tough, but this list provides a nice preview of the Big 12’s top pass-catchers for 2019.
15: Tyquan Thornton- SO. Baylor
The 6’3″ Thornton made an impact as a true freshman in 2018 racking up 282 Yards and 3 TDs on only 17 Catches. With No. 1 and No. 3 leading receivers Jalen Hurd/Chris Platt graduating, Thornton will have a lot of opportunities in 2019. Expect QB Charlie Brewer to take another step with an improved supporting cast.
14: Tarique Milton- SO. ISU
Without Hakeem Butler and David Montgomery, Iowa State will be desperately looking for playmakers around Brock Purdy. Tarique Milton is the teams top returning receiver (417 Yards) and will be looking to take a larger role offensively.
13: Deshaunte Jones- SR. ISU
After 3 seasons in a complimentary role for Iowa State, Jones will likely be the team’s featured receiver heading into 2019. He is a reliable possession receiver who has 118 receptions over the course of his career. He will likely be ISU’s WR1 to start the season.
12: Dalton Schoden- SR. KSU
KSU’s projected No. 1 WR Isaiah Zuber decided to transfer to Miss. State and Kansas State now appears to have one of the shallowest receiving cores in the conference. Skylar Thompson will rely heavily on Schoden who quietly had 520 Yards and 2 TDs on a team that didn’t get many yards through the passing game.
11: Devin Duvernay- SR. Texas
Duvernay had somewhat of a breakout season in 2018 putting up 546 Yards and 4 TDs. With a big solid build of 5’11” 210 LBs, he will be a nice compliment to 6’6″ RedZone threat Collin Johnson. Has 800+ yard potential
10: T.J. Simmons- JR. WVU
The Alabama transfer was buried in one of the deepest WR cores in the country last season, but will enter 2019 as WR1. He has the speed and deep ball skills to be one of the best WRs in the conference. WVU always seems to have receivers that put up video game numbers, and T.J. Simmons could be next on that list.
9: Lee Morris- SR. Oklahoma
Rising Senior Lee Morris was a premier RedZone threat last season collecting 8 TDs (10th in Big 12) on only 21 Catches. He will compete for the WR2 slot with incoming freshman Jadon Haselwood.
8: Jadon Haselwood- FR. Oklahoma
You never know how much of an impact freshman will have, but based on what I’ve seen, Haselwood will be a Top 10 Big 12 WR in 2019. The No. 1 WR prospect in the class has ideal size at 6’3″ and has the quickness/speed to dominate college corners. Expect him to be in the Top 3 of this list next season.
7: Dillon Stoner- JR. Oklahoma State
You could make an argument for Dillon Stoner as the Big 12’s top WR2. He always seems to make big plays on 3rd downs when OKST needs him most. With a young QB in Spencer Sander likely starting, expect Stoner to see a lot of targets.
6: T.J. Vasher- JR. Texas Tech
Top receivers Antoine Wesley and Ja’Deon High are gone and T.J. Vasher looks to be the next WR1 on a pass-heavy team. The 6’6″ Junior is a matchup nightmare who put up 687 Yards and 7 TDs last season despite being the 3rd option. Alan Bowman will look to go to Vasher a ton in the RedZone.
5: Denzel Mims- SR. Baylor
Denzel Mims had a bit of a down season last year compared to 2017 (784 Yards as apposed to 1,087) but he has All-American potential. Now that Hurd and Platt are gone, Mims is the unquestioned top option in the offense. If Baylor wants to scratch their way back to relevancy, feeding Mims the ball would be a great starting point.
4: Collin Johnson- SR. Texas
After considering entering the 2019 NFL Draft, Collin Johnson decided to return to a Big 12 contender in Texas. At 6’6″ with solid hands, Johnson had nearly 1,000 yards and racked up 7 TDs. Seeing how he develops without Lil’Jordan Humphrey will be one of the top storylines for Texas this season.
3: Jalen Reagor- JR. TCU
Reagor is 2nd among returners in receptions and 3rd in yards despite not having any consistency at QB. With elite speed and ball skills, Reagor can line up anywhere and light up opposing defenses. Him and rising Sophomore Taye Barber (300 Yards) are the only returning players with over 125 Yards last season meaning he could get upwards of 10-15 targets a game.
2: Ceedee Lamb- JR. Oklahoma
Ceedee Lamb collected 1,158 Yards and 11 TDs last season as the No. 2 option offensively. It’ll be scary to see what he can do without Marquise Brown on the roster. His physicality and size make him tough to take down. Jalen Hurts doesn’t have the arm talent that Kyler Murray had, but he is more than capable of delivering Lamb the ball and letting him go to work.
1: Tylan Wallace- JR. Oklahoma State
Tylan Wallace leads all Big 12 WR returners in basically every notable stat making him the relatively easy choice at No. 1. Despite only being standing at about 6’0″, he probably has the best deep-ball skills in the conference. Dropped 200 Yards against the top talent in the conference in Oklahoma and Texas last season and will no doubt be on a short list of Blinkoff candidates.
