2021 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board: Wide Receivers

Mississippi State wide receiver Osirus Mitchell (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The 2021 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board will be rolled out during the next week by position, featuring players to watch. Today, we continue with wide receivers:

*NOTE: We at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl are disappointed for those players whose senior seasons have been disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In respect for those who may still play in 2021, we have altered our preseason Big Board to reflect only those seniors whose schools are actively preparing to play a fall season.

THREE TO WATCH

Dez Fitzpatrick, WR, Louisville:
Dez Fitzpatrick does a lot of things very well. The two-plus-year starter entering 2020 hasn’t put up gaudy receiving stats in his college career, but he’s been very productive for the Cardinals as a pass catcher, blocker, decoy and unselfish teammate. At 6-2 and over 200 pounds, the Waterford Mott High School product – who scored a remarkable 23 receiving touchdowns his senior season – has prototypical X-receiver size, good toughness to catch underneath in traffic, solid speed to stretch the defense on vertical routes, and natural hands to catch the ball away from his body. NFL coaches will particularly appreciate his physicality as a blocker in both the run and the pass game, and his awareness to break off his route to get back in the quarterback’s vision in scramble situations.

Osirus Mitchell, WR, Mississippi State:
One of the most physically imposing wide receivers in this year’s class at a shade over 6-4 and 210 pounds, Osirus Mitchell is a big man who can stretch the field vertically. The Sarasota, Florida native led the Bulldogs in 2019 with six touchdown catches, and each of them were for greater than 20 yards. A smooth athlete with very good body control for his size and the ability to elevate up for the ball, Mitchell can run a variety of routes while being a threat on all three levels of the field. When he’s not the quarterback’s target, he has no qualms throwing his body around as a blocker while using his length to shield defenders.

Marquez Stevenson, WR, Houston:
Marquez Stevenson is fast. Just how fast? Last year, Recruiting Analytics – a sports tech company that uses player tracking software – allegedly clocked him running at 21.9 mph! What’s equally as impressive watching him play football is how quickly he gets to full speed. Capable of playing in the slot or out wide, his ability to stick his foot in the ground and burst away from defenders underneath is elite, and he possesses a second gear downfield to separate and run under the football. Combined with soft hands that enable him to consistently catch the ball away from his body and elusiveness running to evade would-be tacklers, Stevenson is a legit NFL prospect who figures to hear his name called early in the Draft.

2021 NFLPA COLLEGIATE BOWL BIG BOARD: WIDE RECEIVERS