Here is the last installment in HP’s 2012 Recruiting Rankings.
We are ranking the top skill position players from the high school class of 2012. So far, we’ve graded the top 33 quarterbacks and the top 33 running backs.
Now, it’s time for the top 33 wide receivers.
Tomorrow–one day ahead of national signing day–we will rank the top 99 skill players regardless of position.
On to the top 33 receivers after the jump…
Texas Tech is about to be very happy indeed.
| Rank | Name | Size | Hometown (High School) | College Choice | HP Grade | Comment |
| 1 | Dominique Wheeler | 6-1, 176 | Crockett, TX (Crockett) | Texas Tech | 4.98 | Off-the-charts speed, hands and playmaking ability, combined with good size, makes him No. 1. |
| 2 | Devante Neal | 5-10, 175 | Scottsdale, AZ (Chaparral) | Notre Dame | 4.96 | Lightning-quick dynamo who is deadly after the catch. |
| 3 | Stefon Diggs | 6-0, 185 | Olney, MD (Our Lady) | Maryland | 4.95 | Elite talent who possesses superior football instincts. Could play several positions. |
| 4 | Dwayne Stanford | 6-5, 185 | Cincinnati, OH (Taft) | Oregon | 4.90 | Freakish basketball-type athlete who can really move despite being 6-5. |
| 5 | Kenny Lawler | 6-3, 175 | Upland, CA (Upland) | California | 4.88 | Natural receiver with great body control, size and hands. |
| 6 | Marvin Bracy | 5-10, 162 | Orlando, FL (Boone) | Florida State | 4.86 | The fastest player at any position in this recruiting class. |
| 7 | Nelson Agholor | 6-2, 180 | Tampa, FL (Berkeley) | USC | 4.85 | Explosive and instinctive with the ball in his hands. Could also play TB. |
| 8 | Durron Neal | 6-0, 190 | St. Louis, MO (DeSmet) | Oklahoma | 4.82 | The best prep WR to come out of Missouri this year. |
| 9 | Ricardo Louis | 6-2, 190 | Miami Beach, FL (Miami Beach) | Auburn | 4.80 | Physical receiver who is magic after the catch. |
| 10 | Germone Hopper | 6-0, 165 | Charlotte, NC (Berry) | Clemson | 4.78 | Yet another speedy playmaker headed to Clemson. |
| 11 | Shaq Roland | 6-1, 170 | Lexington, SC (Lexington) | South Carolina | 4.75 | Versatile athlete with huge upside. |
| 12 | Thomas Johnson | 6-0, 180 | Dallas, TX (Skyline) | Texas A&M | 4.70 | Dynamic game breaker who should contribute early wherever he goes. |
| 13 | Dorial Green-Beckham | 6-6, 230 | Springfield, MO (Hillcrest) | Missouri | 4.68 | Jumbo receiver with huge wingspan who moves well for his size. |
| 14 | Jordan Payton | 6-2, 210 | Westlake Village, CA (Oaks Christian) | UCLA | 4.60 | Big-bodied WR with maybe the best hands in this class. |
| 15 | JaQuay Williams | 6-3, 204 | Tyrone, GA (Sandy Creek) | Auburn | 4.58 | Acrobatic pass catcher who is deadly in the red zone. |
| 16 | Cayleb Jones | 6-3, 198 | Austin, TX (Austin) | Texas | 4.55 | Fluid-moving WR with great leaping ability. |
| 17 | Chris Black | 5-11, 170 | Jacksonville, FL (First Coast) | Alabama | 4.53 | Santana Moss-type who is also special in the return game. |
| 18 | Darreus Rodgers | 6-2, 195 | Carson, CA (Carson) | USC | 4.50 | Physical receiver with nice size and athleticism. |
| 19 | Aaron Burbridge | 6-1, 175 | Farmington Hills, MI (Harrison) | Michigan State | 4.48 | Instinctive WR who is great when the ball is in the air. |
| 20 | Bryce Treggs | 5-11, 171 | Bellflower, CA (St. John Bosco) | California | 4.45 | Quick, technically proficient WR with explosive first step. |
| 21 | Amari Cooper | 6-1, 175 | Miami, FL (Northwestern) | Alabama | 4.40 | Hard-nosed possession receiver with good hands. |
| 22 | D'Vario Montgomery | 6-3, 215 | Winter Park, FL (Winter Park) | South Florida | 4.38 | Big WR who can physically overpower smaller DBs. |
| 23 | Gabriel Marks | 6-0, 175 | Los Angeles, CA (Venice) | Washington State | 4.35 | Should catch a ton of balls in Mike Leach's scheme. |
| 24 | Leonte Caroo | 6-1, 205 | Ramsey, NJ (Don Bosco) | Rutgers | 4.30 | Well-coached, hard working athlete with ideal size. |
| 25 | Eugene Lewis | 6-2, 185 | Plymouth, PA (Wyoming Valley) | Penn State | 4.28 | Good athlete with deceptive speed who should shine for the Nittany Lions. |
| 26 | Derrick Woods | 6-1, 180 | Inglewood, CA (Inglewood) | Oklahoma | 4.25 | Natural wide out with a wiry frame. Good upside. |
| 27 | Jaydon Mickens | 5-8, 170 | Los Angeles, CA (Dorsey) | Washington | 4.23 | Smurf-sized playmaker who also excels on special teams. |
| 28 | Amara Darboh | 6-2, 190 | West Des Moines, IA (Dowling) | Michigan | 4.20 | Rangy athlete who will be a deep threat for the Wolverines. |
| 29 | Deontay Greenberry | 6-3, 187 | Fresno, CA (Washington Union) | Houston | 4.15 | Long armed, long strider with good hands. |
| 30 | Sterling Shepard | 5-10, 175 | Oklahoma City, OK (Heritage Hall) | Oklahoma | 4.10 | Exciting playmaker with the ball in his hands. |
| 31 | Trey Griffey | 6-2, 190 | Orlando, FL (Dr. Philips) | Arizona | 4.00 | Underrated, hard-working athlete with great bloodlines. |
| 32 | D'Arthur Cowan | 6-3, 175 | Olive Branch, MS (Olive Branch) | Arkansas | 3.95 | Can make the tough catch in traffic as well as any WR in this class. |
| 33 | Frank Epitropolous | 6-3, 195 | Upper Arlington, OH (Upper Arlington) | Ohio State | 3.90 | Big, tough wide out with untapped potential. |
What separates a guy like Stanford (another big uber-athlete) from DGB in your eyes? Or, in other words, I guess, what do other scouts see in DGB that you guys don’t?
To us, Stanford looks to have more straight line speed and natural pass catching ability. He also played at a higher level of competition. I’m not sure why scouts are so enamoured with DGB, though we do like him to some extent. He definitely has great size and good speed for his size, but he’s is a bit of a lumberer, not a downfield threat like Randy Moss.
Fair enough, thanks. I’ve enjoyed seeing some opinions on here that are different from Scout/Rivals/247′s often cookie-cutter rankings…good addition this year.
Thanks Kevin. Hope we turn out to be right! We’ll have our Final 99, as well as our Future Heisman Candidates of the Class of 2012, the top recruiting classes, and the Fastest Recruits from this class later this week.