In the leadup to the 2022 NFL Draft, Vikings.com is taking a position-by-position look at prospects who have garnered a range of attention from national outlets. The series will include rankings by those national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects. We'll also include comments that experts shared during interviews.

Vikings status at wide receiver

The Vikings have both talent and depth at this spot, with the group being led by one of the league's top young players and a savvy vet.

Justin Jefferson has taken the NFL by storm the past two seasons, making the Pro Bowl and earning Second-Team All-Pro honors from The Associated Press in both years. His 3,016 combined receiving yards are the most in any player's first two seasons in league history.

Adam Thielen dealt with injuries during a frustrating 2021 season he ended on Injured Reserve. But he continued to produce, finding the end zone 10 times in 13 games. The veteran reworked his contract this offseason to give the Vikings cap space.

K.J. Osborn took a big leap in Year 2, catching 50 passes for 655 yards and six scores after playing zero offensive snaps as a rookie in 2020. As the Vikings possibly look to transition to more three-wide receiver sets under Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, Osborn could see a similar workload as his 774 snaps in 2021 or even an uptick in his play. So, too, could 2021 fifth-rounder Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who flashed as a rookie and had a 100-yard performance in the season finale.

Minnesota also has special teamer Dan Chisena on the roster, as well as Bisi Johnson and Blake Proehl, both of whom missed the entire 2021 season due to injuries. Trishton Jackson and Myron Mitchell, both practice squad players in 2021, are also back.

Ask the analyst

Jordan Reid, a former QB and coach at North Carolina Central University, is now a draft analyst for ESPN. He previously worked for The Draft Network and is a co-founder of ClimbingThePocket.com. Reid will offer evaluations of the 2022 WR class. Follow him on Twitter @Jordan_Reid for his analysis.

Are you in favor of the Vikings taking a WR on Day 1 or 2?

Reid: "I'm on fence about this. I wouldn't rule it out because of how deep this class is, but I just don't see a spot for a guy to get a lot of touches early on, especially with how well K.J. came on last year. And with Thielen coming back, he's highly decorated. And of course, Jefferson is already a top 3-5 wide receiver, if not the best in the league, right now. I just don't see any early touches with the WR depth chart. And Smith-Marsette came on strong, so they have some developmental guys they like at the third WR spot. I don't think they have to take a guy early. But it wouldn't shock me if they take one on Day 2."

Is there a clear-cut No. 1 prospect at WR?

Reid: "It's Garrett Wilson for me. He reminds me a lot of Stefon Diggs, just the suddenness that he plays with. He's so creative as a route runner and plays so much bigger than what his frame is, as far as his catch point. I think he has the biggest catch radius of any receiver [in this draft], and he has strong hands. Those things are all his bread and butter right now with how he can win at the next level."

Note: NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah also drew a comparison between Wilson and Diggs.

How deep is this WR class considered?

Reid: "It's really solid through the fourth round, at least that's where I'd feel comfortable at right now. After that, there's a bit of a drop off. But the first four rounds, the earlier portions of Day 3, there's going to be a lot of depth."

Expert rankings

Jeremiah currently has eight wide receivers in his overall Top 50: 5. Garrett Wilson, 8. Drake London, 16. Chris Olave, 17. Jameson Williams, 21. Treylon Burks, 25. Jahan Dotson, 44. Skyy Moore and 45. Christian Watson.

ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has five wide receivers in his overall Top 25: 7. London, 9. Wilson, 15. Olave, 20. Dotson and 24. Williams.

Rankings for wide receivers by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, Kiper, analytics site Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler are listed below.

Prospects

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Garrett Wilson

School: Ohio State | Year: Jr. | Ht: 6-foot-0 | Wt: 183 pounds

2021 stats: 11 games; 70 receptions for 1,058 yards (15.1 avg.) and 12 TD; 6.4 receptions per game; 96.2 receiving yards per game

Do-it-all approach: Wilson received Division I college basketball scholarship offers before choosing to play football at Ohio State. His father, Kenny, is among the top scorers in Davidson's history. Wilson also returned punts at Ohio State, averaging 6.0 yards on 34 career returns.

Drake London

School: USC | Year: Jr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 219 pounds

2021 stats: 8 games; 88 receptions for 1,084 yards (12.3 avg.) and 7 TD; 11.0 receptions per game; 135.5 receiving yards per game

A record pace: London played in just eight games in 2021 before breaking his ankle. His 88 catches, which rank ninth in program history for a single season, are tied with Michael Crabtree for the most by a player in just eight games for a team in a Power 5 conference. London had five games in 2021 with 10-plus catches and six games with at least 130 receiving yards.

Reid's Review: "He doesn't show to be an overly fast guy. But with his size, he wins at the catch point. That's really his calling card. But I also think he's an underrated route runner for his size overall. He reminds me a lot of Tee Higgins when he was coming out of Clemson. If you're expecting someone to come in and create a whole lot of separation, that's not really his game. He wins at the catch point and creates space at the catch point."

Jameson Williams

School: Alabama (after Ohio State) | Year: Jr. | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 179 pounds

2021 stats: 15 games; 79 receptions for 1,572 yards (19.90 avg.) and 15 TD; 5.3 receptions per game; 104.8 receiving yards per game

On the mend: Williams was named a First-Team All-American by TheAssociated Press after ranking fifth in the FBS with 1,572 receiving yards and tying for third with 15 receiving touchdowns. But his spectacular season—and first and only at Alabama after playing for Ohio State (2019-20) — ended on a sour note as he tore his ACL in the national title game.

Chris Olave

School: Ohio State | Year: Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-0 | Wt: 187 pounds

2021 stats: 11 games; 65 receptions for 936 yards (14.4 avg.) and 13 TD; 5.9 receptions per game; 85.1 receiving yards per game

He's No. 1: Olave played four seasons for the Buckeyes, racking up a school-record 35 touchdown receptions. He had three as a freshman and a dozen in 2019 before recording seven as a junior and 13 in his final season at Ohio State.

Reid's Review: "He's more of a deep threat, attacker-type. That's not to say he's just a burner — he's a great route runner, too. Great hand-eye coordination. He's really good at being able to position his hands and snag the ball out of the air. If you get the ball in his hands, he's a legit 4.3-runner, so there's a lot of hats he can wear."

Note: Olave's best time in the 40-yard dash at the combine was 4.39 seconds, the eighth-fastest by a receiver this year.

Jahan Dotson

School: Penn State | Year: Sr. | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 178 pounds

2021 stats: 12 games; 91 receptions for 1,182 yards (13.0 avg.) and 12 TD; 7.6 receptions per game; 98.5 receiving yards per game

Money quote: Dotson summed up his approach to catching the ball in 2020, his junior season at Penn State. "I approach that (ball) as a million dollars. It's a million dollars in the air. If you want it, you go get it." He had 183 career catches in college, 25 of which went for touchdowns.

Treylon Burks

School: Arkansas | Year: Jr. | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 225 pounds

2021 stats: 12 games; 66 receptions for 1,104 yards (16.7 avg.) and 11 TD; 5.5 receptions per game; 92.0 receiving yards per game; 14 rushes for 112 yards (8.0 avg.) and 1 TD

Program leader: Burks set an Arkansas record with six 100-yard games in 2021. He posted his season bests against Alabama with eight catches for 179 yards and two scores. Burks earned First-Team All-SEC honors while becoming the fourth wide receiver in school history to top 1,000 yards in a single season.

Reid's Review: "Big body. He feels like a linebacker, in a sense. If you want to envision somebody on how you could use him, it's kind of like Deebo Samuel. He can play a little bit of running back, play slot, play outside. They even played him at Wildcat quarterback. But, the thing that hurt him is his route running. He's really under-developed as far as the preciseness and crispness that he has. It's not there right now, and maybe it will come, but he'll have to be paired with a creative offensive coordinator to design ways to get him open."

Skyy Moore

School: Western Michigan | Year: Jr. | Ht: 5-foot-10 | Wt: 195 pounds

2021 stats: 12 games; 95 receptions for 1,292 yards (13.6 avg.) and 10 TD; 7.9 receptions per game; 107.7 receiving yards per game

Bronco pride: Moore is looking to continue the recent trend of Western Michigan wide receivers going on the first two days of the draft. Seattle took D'Wayne Eskridge in the second round in 2021 (No. 56 overall), and Corey Davis was the fifth overall pick in 2017 by Tennessee.

Reid's Review: "Big fan. He was my sleeper a couple months ago but that's long gone now. I thought he had one of the best workouts of any slot receiver at the combine and will probably go somewhere in the second round. He's a natural separator. He understands how to get open, and there isn't a type of coverage he hasn't seen. He's good against press, can find the grass in zone coverage and is good after the catch, too."

George Pickens

School: Georgia | Year: Jr. | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 195 pounds

2021 stats: 4 games; 5 receptions for 107 yards (21.4 avg.)

Quick healer: Pickens scored 14 touchdowns in his first two seasons at Georgia and seemed primed for a big year in 2021. But he tore his ACL in spring practice and missed the majority of the 2021 season. He worked his way back and eventually played sparingly in the final four games of the season. Pickens had a 52-yard catch in the national title game to help the Bulldogs win it all.

Jalen Tolbert

School: South Alabama | Year: Redshirt Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 194 pounds

2021 stats: 12 games; 82 receptions for 1,474 yards (17.6 avg.) and 8 TD; 6.8 receptions per game; 122.8 receiving yards per game

Top Jaguar: Tolbert set South Alabama program records with 64 catches and 1,085 yards in 2020. He also became the first 1,000-yard receiver in school history and matched the single-season record with eight scores. Tolbert then smashed his own records for catches and yards in 2021 when he again tied the single-season touchdown mark.

John Metchie III

School: Alabama | Year: Jr. | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 187 pounds

2021 stats: 13 games; 96 receptions for 1,142 yards (11.9 avg.) and 8 TD; 7.4 receptions per game; 87.8 receiving yards per game; Metchie tore his ACL in early December in the SEC title game.

World traveler: Metchie was born in Taiwan — his mother is Taiwanese and his father is from Nigeria. He initially lived in Ghana when he was young, but he later emigrated to Canada when he was 6 years old. Metchie left Canada to play high school football in Maryland, where he was a four-star prospect.

Christian Watson

School: North Dakota State | Year: Redshirt Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 208 pounds

2021 stats: 12 games; 43 receptions for 801 yards (18.6 avg.) and 7 TD; 3.6 receptions per game; 66.8 receiving yards per game; 15 rushes for 114 yards and 1 TD; 10 kickoff returns for 227 yards

Big-play potential: Watson may not have had a surplus of catches at North Dakota State, but he made the most of them. His average of 18.6 yards per catch as a senior was actually his third-lowest total in college, behind his junior (23.3 average) and sophomore (21.5 average) seasons. And his freshman season was impressive, too, as he averaged 18.3 yards per catch on nine receptions.

Justyn Ross

School: Clemson | Year: Redshirt Jr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 205 pounds

2021 stats: 10 games; 46 receptions for 514 yards (11.2 avg.) and 3 TD; 4.6 receptions per game; 51.4 receiving yards per game

Back from a scare: Ross dominated as a freshman and sophomore, recording 850-plus receiving yards and at least eight scores in each season. But he missed his entire junior season due to a spinal surgery in June of 2020. Ross bounced back with a solid senior season and garnered Honorable Mention All-ACC accolades.