The 2023 NFL Draft contains many intriguing wide receiver prospects who possess a variety of strengths. One crucial skill in every receiver’s toolbox is their route-running ability. Let’s take a closer look at five prospects who have refined this skill to the point it’s an obvious strength.

2023 Draft’s Top 5 Route Runners

5. Zay Flowers, Boston College

Zay Flowers (scouting report) runs his routes with precision. He has a dynamic route-running ability, 4.42-second 40 speed and he can break off at the top of his routes. He looks very smooth, almost effortless. 

That was something I strived for in my career, and I see it in Flowers. He runs smooth routes. He plucks the ball with his hands, and when he gets it, he is a threat to score. Flowers had 12 touchdowns in 2022 and 29 in his four NCAA seasons. 

4. Nathaniel ‘Tank’ Dell, Houston

I love everything about Tank Dell (scouting report). A lot of people are going to look at his size (5-foot-8, 165 pounds) and say he’s too undersized to succeed in the NFL. But when you have an offense that features what he does so well as a slot receiver, he is dynamic and explosive enough to thrive.

He plucks the ball with his hands and creates great separation. What sets him apart are the details of his routes. His footwork is superb. He ran a lot of routes at Houston that you see on Sundays. Timing plays a huge role in it. Watching Dell, it was like art. He creates leverage whenever he wants. 

Every receiver has a different style, but Dell runs his routes with fluidity even though he is dynamic. That can lead to some abruptness, but he keeps it fluid, and he can get in and out of his breaks with ease. He also was extremely productive. Seventeen of his 108 receptions went for touchdowns. He scored 32 times in three seasons.  

His best position will be in the slot, but he can play outside the numbers. We’ve seen some players his size do that in the NFL, but he’ll thrive in the slot. 

3. Jordan Addison, USC

Jordan Addison (scouting report) has the most upside of all of these receivers. So why is he third on this list? He’s not quite as sharp or detailed of a route runner as some of the others are. Addison is more of a deep-threat guy. He’s going to run a lot of post-double moves and help his team go down the field in a hurry. He does that better than anyone, and he gets in and out of his breaks quickly because he has great hips. 

Addison is 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, so he’s another guy who isn’t huge. But he’s another one who understands his body type, and he stays within his framework. He goes up and plucks the ball out of the air. Addison combines his outstanding ball skills with a different style of route running.

When he ran a 4.49-second 40 at the combine, everyone was disappointed because they expected him to run faster. But there is something to be said when a guy plays a lot faster on the field than he times, which Addison does. He consistently creates a lot of separation. He gets defenders’ hips flipped and he is gone.

Addison has plenty of speed to make explosive plays. When the ball is in the air, Addison goes and gets it, then he often transports it to the end zone. He had 25 touchdown catches during the past two seasons. 

2. Josh Downs, North Carolina

Josh Downs (scouting report) is similar to Flowers and Dell in size (5-9, 171) and skillset. They’re primarily going to be slot guys who are extremely elusive. What sets Downs apart is how detailed he is in his work. It’s always prevalent.

At the combine, you could see him separate the details when he was running routes against no defense. He had so much precision; his details were so strong. You can tell the craft of route running is important to him. Downs obviously takes it seriously. The result was excellent production. He scored 11 touchdowns on 94 receptions in 2022.

He’s different from Addison, but that’s OK. Teams will have preferences on what style they want.  

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (scouting report) is the most ready-made receiver in this draft. He has good size (almost 6-foot-1, 200 pounds), and he’s never outside of his framework when it comes to his body position. He has great footwork, and he’s smooth in his route running.

He’s not a top-end speed guy, but he’s fast enough. Smith-Njigba creates separation by using his footwork and his hips to get in and out of breaks cleanly, so speed isn’t an issue. 

Another outstanding attribute Smith-Njigba has is his intellect. It allows him to get open and set up defenders like no other receiver in this draft. He can get where he wants to and get defenders to do what he wants to at his pace with his set-up abilities. It is rare to see this at the level he did it.

The one knock is Smith-Njigba’s small sample size, with just one productive season in 2021. That was quite a season though; he amassed 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns on 95 catches.

At the combine, he appeared to be healed from the soft-tissue injuries that limited him to three games during 2022. He put on a show in Indianapolis. He looked like a professional and was at a different level than everyone else. Smith-Njigba made everything appear effortless. His strides were never elongated where he couldn’t make a cut. Everything seemed calculated, effortless, seamless and so smooth and perfect when he ran routes. 

There are no bad options with this group, but each brings something different to the table. Where they land will be determined by the teams’ needs and wants.

Greg Jennings is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Packers, Vikings and Dolphins. A two-time Pro Bowl player, Jennings was a member of the Packers’ Super Bowl XLV championship team and is inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame. Follow him on Twitter @GregJennings.