It's the week after the Super Bowl, so it's time for my annual way-too-early projections for the upcoming season. While this is an impossible task in February, it is also a good springboard for some beneficial thought exercises. Which free agents do we think are staying? Who might get cut? Who has a bunch of holes to fill? At wide receiver, there's another question; Is the changing of the guard happening at wide receiver this year?
Elite veterans like Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs, and Tyreek Hill have dominated this position for the past five years, even if they've been joined by Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase as of late. But those veterans have all either reached 30 years old, or it's right around the corner. The cliff is coming for most of these guys sooner rather than later. And so is a new group of star wide receivers.
2023 Projections: QB | WR | RB | TE
Garrett Wilson, Drake London, and Chris Olave crack the top-13 in the projections below after some really impressive performances in their rookie seasons. After their rookie seasons, I have little doubt they have the talent to be perennial top-10 options, but for 2023 specifically how high they can climb has more to do with who will be throwing them the ball. While all succeeded to various degrees with subpar QB play, a true leap like I'm projecting will require some more help.
For now, I'm projecting Wilson with a league-average quarterback, London with an improved Desmond Ridder, and Olave with Jameis Winston. When we get confirmation on who will be throwing them the ball, the projections will be updated accordingly.
Here are my way-too-early projections for wide receivers in 2023:
