4 WR Draft Sleepers to Watch for the Vikings
Josh Frey
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At this point in the NFL Draft process, virtually everyone has heard about the big names of the class. However, there are a number of ‘under the radar’ prospects that haven’t been in the limelight over recent weeks and months. Here are 4 WR draft sleepers to watch for the Minnesota Vikings in three weeks.
Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims Jr.
Marvin Mims is one of the hidden gems in this draft class. Over his three years at Oklahoma, he was a major part of their offense, recording 30+ receptions and 600+ receiving yards in each season. Mims was most effective as a deep-ball threat, and his career average of 19.5 yards per reception speaks to that along with a speedy 4.38 40-yard dash at the combine.
Per PFF, Mims largely played as a boundary receiver with 525 snaps on the outside, but he also stepped into the slot regularly with 220 snaps out of the slot this past season. The one concern with Mims is his ability to win contested battles as during 2022, he caught just 13 of 33 deep targets.
Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry
A.T. Perry has been the go-to guy in the Wake Forest offense passing over the past two years, totaling over 1000 receiving yards and double-digit TDs in both 2021 and 2022. Perry is much more of a precision route-runner, and he has made his living as an outside guy for Wake Forest, playing 688 snaps out wide compared to just 55 in the slot.
At 6’3, this makes sense. He has a length advantage over a number of cornerbacks, even in the NFL. He also ran a 4.47 40 at the combine, so he certainly can put pressure on defenses with his speed as well. The problem with Perry is drops more than anything. He dropped eight passes in 2022, but keep in mind, this is the same number of drops that Quentin Johnston had despite the TCU receiver having 32 fewer targets.
LSU WR Kayshon Boutte
It’s hard to believe that Kayshon Boutte could be considered a ‘sleeper’ in 2023 considering how much hype he received in 2021 and even last summer prior to the 2022 season. Now, after a struggle with a couple injuries and some underwhelming production, he’s very rarely talked about in this wide receiver class.
All that being said, he started putting things back together in the second half of the 2022 season for LSU. Over the final six games that he appeared in, he recorded 31 receptions and 408 receiving yards, including 6 receptions, 107 yards, and a touchdown against Georgia in the SEC title game.
Boutte is a speedy slot receiver, but when he’s at his best, he is one of the smoothest route-runners in the game. Pairing him with another former Tiger in Justin Jefferson could grow into a strong duo.
Iowa State WR Xavier Hutchinson
Xavier Hutchinson has shown progressive growth in each season with the Iowa State Cyclones, and in 2022, he put together his first 1000-yard receiving season. We also saw Hutchinson develop a new element of his game this past season, playing 132 snaps in the slot.
He isn’t quite as quick as the others on this list, running a 4.53 40, but his 1.55 10-yard split showcases a decent amount of explosiveness off the line of scrimmage. Ultimately, he’s likely going to be most effective in shorter passing downs where he can use his size to win contested catch battles.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.