We have ranked college football's top 10 returning quarterbacks and running backs for 2020, and now it's time to turn our attention to the receivers.
As a whole, the wide receiver position simply does not get enough credit for the value it brings to the gridiron. Everyone loves watching the running backs and pass-rushers. But, as it turns out, wide receiver is the third-most valuable position on the field behind quarterback and cornerback, per the extensive studies done by PFF's research and development team.
We all know this year's NFL draft contains arguably the best wide receiver class in history, but college football has no shortage of elite players returning at the position next season. Using a combination of PFF grades and PFF's wins above average (WAA) metric, we present the top 10 wide receivers returning to college football in 2020, as well as a sleeper to watch out for.
1. Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
Chase produced one of the best seasons PFF has ever seen as a true sophomore last year. Not only was he the most valuable wide receiver and second-most valuable non-quarterback in the FBS behind only his teammate, Derek Stingley Jr., but his season landed right behind Amari Cooper's 2014 season as the best we've seen by a wideout.
Chase's numbers were simply staggering. He hauled in 14 of his 16 catchable contested targets, his 41 plays of 15-plus yards were four more than any other wide receiver in the FBS and his 21 broken tackles after the catch were the seventh-most in the country. The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner bodied his opponents downfield and was near impossible to cover in single coverage. On those plays, Chase produced a 97.0 PFF receiving grade, 32 explosive plays (15-plus yard gains), 11 broken tackles and 14 catches on 28 contested targets. For perspective, the next-closest receiver by grade finished at 93.9, and Chase's 32 explosive plays were seven more than anyone else at the position.
2. DeVonta Smith, Alabama
Former Alabama wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III are surefire first-round locks in the upcoming draft, but losing them isn't nearly as bad when you bring back a guy like Smith. Despite sharing the field with those two, Smith managed to come away with 3.52 yards per route run, which ranked sixth among 359 qualifying wide receivers. That's pretty good production.
Smith was lethal after the catch and generated separation against any cornerback he faced, especially against press coverage. On those press-coverage reps, Smith posted the nation's highest raw PFF grade per snap and averaged nearly 30 yards per catch, 5 yards more than any other receiver.
There may not be a better route runner returning to college football than Bateman, and he has excelled against defensive backs in off-coverage, averaging over 14 yards per target when the defense chooses to give a cushion. Bateman finished the 2019 campaign 13th in PFF receiving grade at 89.0, and with his elite route-running ability, he produced the third-highest rate of receiving plays of 15-plus yards at 37.9% -- over 18 percentage points above the FBS average.
The three biggest things you want to see from a wide receiver are the ability to create separation with route running, the ability to win in contested situations and the ability to produce after the catch. Bateman is one of the few who can do all three at a high standard. On targets of 10 or more yards, Bateman hauled in 10 of his 16 contested targets, produced a top-20 receiving grade and created a step or more of separation on 52% of the throws that came his way. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver also tied for 20th in broken tackles (17).
4. Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Dating back to 2014, Waddle has generated the fourth-most WAA among all wide receivers while playing only 730 snaps. For perspective, the three wide receivers above him played over 2,000 snaps. It was incredibly difficult for Waddle to garner any targets playing alongside Jeudy, Ruggs and Smith, but he still dominated when given the opportunity.
Over the past couple of seasons, Waddle ranked behind only CeeDee Lamb in PFF grade, yards after the catch per reception and passer rating generated when in the slot. If you gave him an open field, like any other Bama wide receiver, you'd watch him explode with his elite speed. On targets in the slot with "open" separation (more than a couple of steps), Waddle averaged 13.0 yards after the catch per reception while also tacking on 14 broken tackles.
5. Rondale Moore, Purdue
Moore was a dark-horse Heisman candidate entering the 2019 season, but injuries sadly limited him to only four games. His true freshman campaign in 2018 is too good to ignore and easily places him among the five best wide receivers in college football. In 2018, Moore was the most valuable Power 5 wide receiver in the country. His usage was rather unique with the Boilermakers that year -- most of his targets came underneath the coverage on screens, quick slants and outs. On balls thrown 9 or fewer yards downfield, Moore saw over 20 more targets than anyone else (118 in total) and was one of two receivers to produce a receiving grade above 90.0. Moore broke a tackle on over a third of these catches and averaged 7.5 yards after the catch per reception. Even after the injury-ruined year, Moore could be in the Heisman conversation in 2020.
6. Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State
Wallace saw his 2019 season cut short due to injury, but he still managed to have a successful year by posting an 82.6 receiving grade. Wallace's usage was vastly different in 2019 compared to his 2018 season, when he was among the 20 most valuable wide receivers in college football. That year, nearly a third of his targets came on vertical routes, and he also saw a good number of deep ins/outs. Overall, he had an average depth of target of 17.4 yards. In 2019, he saw that number dip by more than 6 yards. Wallace was used a lot underneath -- 35% of his total production came on such routes as opposed to just 3% in 2018. The most important thing to note is that Wallace was still successful in the new role. He has shown he can run a go route and create after the catch on a screen as well as any wide receiver in the country.
7. Justyn Ross, Clemson
This past year, Ross wasn't able to replicate his true freshman season from 2018 -- in which he was the second highest-graded receiver in the country -- but he was still able to put together a solid year. His two-year WAA ranks among the 10 best in the country at his position. The 6-foot-4 Ross has been one of the best deep threats in college football, ranking second in two-year receiving grade on targets of 20-plus yards. His size comes in clutch on these targets, as he just flat-out bodies defensive backs in contested situations, hauling in nine of 13 such deep targets in his career. The vertical route tree is clearly his specialty -- he's generated the third-most explosive plays on vertical routes in his career.
Standing at 5-foot-9 and weighing in at just over 150 pounds, Louisville's Atwell is one of college football's most underrated receivers. He's an absolute speedster who can ruin defenses after the catch. He was used extensively in the screen game, where he recorded the highest PFF receiving grade at 93.8 (the only receiver above 90.0) and an impressive 16.3 yards after the catch per reception. Most of those were jet motion plays, and on those specifically, Atwell averaged 13.2 yards per "reception" (if you even want to call it that, but still very impressive, regardless). Not all of his production has come on these types of plays, though -- he can still separate downfield at a very high level. Atwell had 21 targets coming 10 or more yards downfield in which he was deemed open (more than a couple of steps of separation) -- among the 20 most in college football.
Pickens' true freshman season could not have gone much better. He finished as one of the 20 most valuable wide receivers in college football, displaying a massive catch radius and sure hands. Pickens had the third-most catchable targets without a drop among FBS receivers this past year, and it showed on his deep targets. When targeted 20 or more yards downfield, Pickens produced a PFF grade among the 15 best in college football.
10. Chris Olave, Ohio State
Sophomore receiver Olave had a breakout year in 2019, separating better than anyone with his speed and route running. Over 57% of his targets thrown 10-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage had two or more steps of separation, which both led the country and was 23 percentage points above the average. He used his strength when going up against single coverage this past season, leading to one of the 10 highest grades on such plays. Moore might be the best wide receiver in the Big Ten, but Olave isn't too far behind.
Sleeper: Tre Walker, San Jose State
Third-year receiver Walker has been a weapon for San Jose State for the past two years, as he is among the 20 best at his position in two-year PFF grade. Walker is "only" 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds but has made some of the best back-shoulder grabs over that period. Since 2018, Walker has caught eight of his 10 contested back-shoulder targets, leading FBS.