WIDE RECEIVERS BEST ON SHORT ROUTES 2026 NFL Draft

2026 WIDE RECEIVERS BEST ON SHORT ROUTES

Excellence in running short routes is often a less heralded, yet vital skill for wide receivers, establishing a foundation for a dynamic and sustainable passing game. Wes Welker (Texas Tech) and Julian Edelman (Kent State) carved out notable careers by being maestros of the short game, capitalizing on quick cuts and intelligent route running to secure critical yardage.

Navigate through the data below, concentrating on current college wide receivers who are demonstrating prowess on short routes. Metrics such as completion percentage, yards after catch (YAC), and first-down conversions bring into focus the players orchestrating impactful plays within limited yardage.

2026 Wide Receivers ranked by SHORT RECEIVING

RANK Player Pos Team HANDS SHORT MEDIUM DEEP BLOCKING Rating
1

Makai
Lemon

WR
USC   Mascot
USC Mascot
88 86 91 92 66
89.1
2

Eugene
Wilson III

WR
Florida   Mascot
Florida Mascot
93 84 87 76 58
85.5
3

Dane
Key

WR
Kentucky   Mascot
Kentucky Mascot
76 82 90 88 65
82.7
4

Eric
Singleton Jr...

WR
Georgia Tech   Mascot
Georgia Tech Mascot
71 82 88 86 63
84.4
5

Germie
Bernard

WR
Alabama   Mascot
Alabama Mascot
84 80 89 89 67
86.0
6

CJ
Daniels

WR
LSU   Mascot
LSU Mascot
83 79 83 84 62
74.4
7

Johntay
Cook II

WR
Texas   Mascot
Texas Mascot
64 78 85 66 56
84.0
8

Carnell
Tate

WR
Ohio State   Mascot
Ohio State Mascot
81 78 87 85 64
87.5
9

Caullin
Lacy

WR
Louisville   Mascot
Louisville Mascot
73 76 83 82 64
77.2
10

Marquis
Johnson

WR
Missouri   Mascot
Missouri Mascot
71 75 84 84 59
81.3
11

Zachariah
Branch

WR
USC   Mascot
USC Mascot
75 75 78 78 46
90.3
12

Antonio
Williams

WR
Clemson   Mascot
Clemson Mascot
63 75 76 84 58
86.9
13

Duce
Robinson

WR
USC   Mascot
USC Mascot
71 75 82 85 63
85.6
14

DeAndre
Moore Jr.

WR
Texas   Mascot
Texas Mascot
57 74 80 81 72
80.0
15

Christian
Leary

WR
Georgia Tech   Mascot
Georgia Tech Mascot
70 74 76 81 49
72.6
16

Kendrick
Law

WR
Alabama   Mascot
Alabama Mascot
70 73 62 65 74
84.0
17

Nic
Anderson

WR
Oklahoma   Mascot
Oklahoma Mascot
51 72 81 81 55
80.1
18

Evan
Stewart

WR
Oregon   Mascot
Oregon Mascot
79 71 80 83 49
85.9
19

Noah
Thomas

WR
Texas A&M   Mascot
Texas A&M Mascot
64 69 77 75 53
76.2
20

Semaj
Morgan

WR
Michigan   Mascot
Michigan Mascot
75 69 64 72 54
83.7