The NFL Draft is rapidly approaching. The draft kicks off on Thursday, April 23, and will last three days, with hundreds of prospects added to the 32 NFL teams. This is a big time for dynasty, too, as landing spots and paths to touches can impact prospect value. Over the next few pieces, I’ll be looking at NFL teams with a positional group need that could make for a good landing spot for prospects.
Today, I’m looking at the wide receiver position. The strength of the draft is arguably at wide receiver. There are a number of players that should go in the first two rounds of the draft, and likewise, this position should dominate the first two rounds of your rookie draft. Below are 15 teams that could be looking for wide receivers in the draft, ranked in order of biggest need.
#1 Miami Dolphins
On the Roster: Tutu Atwell, Jalen Tolbert, Malik Washington, Tahj Washington, Theo Wease, Jr., A.J. Henning, Terrace Marshall, Jr.
About: The Dolphins started last year with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, throwing to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and tight end Darren Waller. All four are off the roster now. While Malik Willis has stepped in at quarterback, the team is in dire straits when it comes to targets. Atwell and Tolbert joined the team this year, but both were lightly used WR3/4s for their former teams. That’s not inspiring. Fortunately, the Dolphins have a couple of first-round picks. They should use at least one of them to grab a potential No. 1 option.
#2 Washington Commanders
On the Roster: Terry McLaurin, Treylon Burks, Luke McCaffrey, Van Jefferson, Dyami Brown, Jaylin Lane, Ja’Corey Brooks, Jacoby Jones, and Nick Nash
About: The Commanders had Deebo Samuel last year, but he’s a free agent now. They are rumored to be in the Brandon Aiyuk market, but nothing has come of it. They added Jefferson and brought back Brown to add depth, but the team really only has one proven receiver for Jayden Daniels in McLaurin. If it’s not in free agency or via trade, the Commanders could be a team to target a receiver. They could certainly use the help.
#3 Cleveland Browns
On the Roster: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond, Malachi Corley, Tylan Wallace, Jamari Thrash, Gage Larvadain, and Isaiah Wooden
About: The Browns are another team in need of help at receiver. Bond, Corley, and Wallace are unproven prospects. Tillman has shown flashes but struggles with consistency and injuries. That leaves Jeudy as the only proven receiver, and even he has been inconsistent. The coaches have targeted receiver as a position of need. Given that the Browns are likely to roll with Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders this year, they could easily use a First-Round pick on another weapon at receiver.
#4 Las Vegas Raiders
On the Roster: Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Tre Tucker, Don’t’e Thornton, Jr., Shedrick Jackson, Dareke Young, Phillip Dorsett, and Justin Shorter
About: The Raiders are yet another team on this list that has a major hole at receiver. Unlike the Browns and Commanders, they don’t even have a true WR1. So, why aren’t they higher? First, with Brock Bowers at tight end and Ashton Jeanty in the backfield, they have some good receiving options. Second, since they are likely to take a quarterback in the First Round, they’ll have to weigh other needs. I suspect they take a receiver, but it might not be as high as some teams on this list despite an obvious need.
#5 New Orleans Saints
On the Roster: Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, Mason Tipton, Kevin Austin, Jr., Bub Mean, Ja’Lynn Polk, Samori Toure, Trey Palmer, and Ronnie Bell
About: The Saints have a lot of guys, but it’s hard to say how it all fits together. Olave is a solid WR1 option. The Saints also have a good backfield and seem settled with second-year man Tyler Shough starting at quarterback. But they need depth and more options. I like Vele as a prospect, but the rest are unproven and depth players. The Saints could be a good landing spot for a top-end rookie receiver.
#6 New York Jets
On the Roster: Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Williams, Arian Smith, Irvin Charles, and Jamaal Pritchett
About: The Jets have Wilson and Mitchell, which is a good start. But they lack depth and options behind those two. Wilson struggled with injuries last year, and Mitchell has struggled with inconsistency. In short, if they want to keep rebuilding a woeful offense, they need more options. That makes the Jets a prime candidate to snag another receiver, though it might not come until the Third or Fourth Round.
#7 Baltimore Ravens
On the Roster: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, LaJohntay Wester, Dayton Wade, and Cornelius Johnson
About: The Ravens have a solid top receiver in Flowers and like what they have in Bateman. In the past, they’ve been a run-heavy offense that uses the tight end. That could still be the case, but this group feels thin beyond the top two. In a draft that’s good at wide receiver, and with a new group running the offense, the Ravens feel like a prime contender to add young weapons for Lamar Jackson.
#8 Tennessee Titans
On the Roster: Calvin Ridley, Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, Wan’Dale Robinson, Bryce Oliver, Mason Kinsey, and Xavier Restrepo
About: The Titans added Robinson to give them a new weapon for Brian Daboll. As rookies, Dike and Ayomanor showed flashes that could continue in 2026. And Ridley, the veteran, is still on the roster. It’s a workable group that doesn’t have much flash or pop. While the Titans are most likely to focus on a running back early, I suspect they’ll want to add some passing weapons around Cam Ward. There is an easy path for a talented rookie to earn targets in this offense, too.
#9 New England Patriots
On the Roster: Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Efton Chism III, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams
About: The Patriots made the Super Bowl last season, but the receiving corps has been a glaring weakness. The team released veteran Stefon Diggs and added Doubs in free agency. They have some options and could be a landing spot for A.J. Brown if he’s traded. But that would likely come after the draft. The way the Patriots play the draft could be a clue as to how real that trade may be. Either way, the Patriots could use some more options and weapons for Drake Maye.
#10 Los Angeles Rams
On the Roster: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith, and Brennan Presley
About: The Rams have two elite receivers in Nacua and Adams. But the team could use more depth and possibly an option for the future as Adams gets older. The draft seems like a spot where the Rams can add depth and look to the future. It’s likely they’ll do this with the quarterback position, and I suspect they’ll add to the receiver room, too. While a selection might not have a high ceiling in 2026, I could see this being a good landing spot for the future.
#11 Atlanta Falcons
On the Roster: Drake London, Olemide Zaccheaus, Jahan Dotson, Casey Washington, Deven Thompkins, and Dylan Drummond
About: Beyond London, the team is thin at receiver. The Falcons added a role player in Zaccheaus and a potential prospect in Dotson. While the Falcons have a great passing game weapon in tight end Kyle Pitts, the team could use help at receiver. I suspect a new coaching staff will look to add weapons for Michael Penix, Jr., and Tagovailoa.
#12 Kansas City Chiefs
On the Roster: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton, Nikko Remigio, Jalen Royals, and Jason Brownlee
About: Is this a position of need? That’s debatable. Rice, if healthy and available, has been great. We’ve seen flashes from Worthy and Thornton, too. Both are more of deep threats. But the Chiefs don’t have tremendous depth and could probably use a more stable option in the starting rotation. That could come at tight end, but I suspect the team will add to this receiver group as well.
#13 Carolina Panthers
On the Roster: Tet McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, John Metchie III, Jimmy Horn, Jr., David Moore, and Brycen Tremayne
About: The Panthers have a potentially decent set of starters and some options at the second level. But Legette hasn’t developed into the passing-game weapon the team hoped for when he was taken. McMillan is a great WR1, and Coker could be a good WR2, but the team could certainly add to this group as they try to build on last year’s playoff berth.
#14 Indianapolis Colts
On the Roster: Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Ashton Dulin, Laquon Treadwell, and Anthony Gould
About: The Colts traded away Adonai Mitchell and Michael Pittman, Jr., in the past few months. That’s turned receiver from a place of depth to a unit that looks a little thinner. Pierce was resigned to being the WR1, and the team has a solid option in Downs, along with tight end Tyler Warren. But there is a lack of depth in this group that the Colts figure to address in a deep draft class.
#15 Chicago Bears
On the Roster: Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Maurice Alexander, Jahdae Walker, and J.P. Richardson
About: The Bears let Zaccheaus go in free agency and traded D.J. Moore. That made sense because there was a logjam at the top of the target order. Between Odunze, Burdern, and tight end Colston Loveland, the Bears are still in good shape. But the team lacks depth. Raymond knows Ben Johnson from the Lions, but he’s more of a special-teams weapon. That leaves little behind the top two targets for the Bears. It would make sense for the team to add a player or two from the draft to the group.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
