Last season we did our weekly rookie quarterback tracker, but with only one taken in the first round of 2022, we’ve moved onto another highly coveted position. For 2022 we’ll keep track of all six first-round wide receivers and their progress throughout the year. Some of our first-round rookies are already off to the races and contributing heavily to their teams.
Let’s check out this year’s group of rookie first-rounders.
Although Williams can officially practice with the team now, he hasn’t been cleared yet. Lions head coach Dan Campbell says the rookie is rehabbing, but he’s still “several weeks away” from playing. The No. 12 overall pick is running again but still has a ways to go before debuting later this season.
Tennessee placed rookie Treylon Burks on injured reserve after the wide receiver suffered a foot injury during the fourth quarter of the Titans’ Week 4 win over the Indianapolis Colts. According to ESPN, Tennessee can designate Burks to return from practice after missing four games, which would open up a 21-day window for him to be activated from IR.
Jahan Dotson missed his third consecutive game as the Commanders beat the Packers, 23-21. Through four games, the wideout had already become one of Carson Wentz’s favorite targets, catching four TDs in those games, which tied him for the league lead entering week 5. But now Wentz isn’t even the starter anymore, and when Dotson returns, he’ll need to start from scratch building a new rapport with Taylor Heinicke.
Hamstring injuries can be hard to gauge, so we’ll keep a close eye on how long this keeps Dotson out of the lineup. The 16th overall pick in the 2022 draft proved early on that he’s a player that knows how to find the end zone. There is no timetable yet for his return.
Drake London was targeted one time and caught that lone pass his way for nine yards on Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals mauled the Falcons 35-17. This has to be the lowest point of London’s rookie campaign, but let’s put a positive spin on this situation. It can’t get much worse, and the Falcons play the Panthers next. Sure, Carolina stomped out Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Week 7, but there isn’t a lot of good going for the Panthers overall. Look for London to bounce back next week at home against Carolina.
Since Zach Wilson returned, there hasn’t been too much to write home about for the receiving end of the Wilson-to-Wilson connection. In fact, this was the rookie wideout’s best game of the four Zach has played this year. The Jets are 4-0 with Wilson under center this year. As for the other Wilson, he’ll have to be happy with just winning for now because, at this rate, he won’t get anywhere close to winning Rookie of the Year honors.
After missing Week 6 due to a concussion, Chris Olave returned this week with a vengeance. He blew every other player away on this list, catching seven passes for 106 yards. Although the Saints lost to the Cardinals, 42-34, it was good to see Olave back on the field and be effective. Olave was second to DeAndre Hopkins (who made his season debut after a six-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy) in receptions this game and led all receivers in yardage. It is a promising sign for Olave after suffering a head injury just a couple of weeks ago.