5 NFL rookie WRs likely to fall short of expectations in 2023 ft. Zay Flowers

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#3 - Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers, Ole Miss

Carolina Panthers Rookie Minicamp

The Carolina Panthers took Ole Miss WR Jonathan Mingo in round two of this year's draft, as they look to complement first overall pick Bryce Young.

However, the Panthers have a plethora of wideouts who may stop Mingo seeing the field often. Carolina has Adam Thielen, DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault, and Terrance Marshall Jr., who will all start 2023 ahead of Mingo on the depth chart.

There's also no guarantee Young will be the the franchise QB the Panthers are looking for, so this tandem may not be overly fruitful in year one.

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#2 - Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals, Stanford

NFL Arizona Cardinals WR Michael Wilson at Stanford

After AJ Green's retirement, the Cardinals looked to fill his void by taking Michael Wilson out of Stanford with the 94th overall pick.

However, question marks are still surrouding Kyler Murray, in both his attitude and fitness.

Arizona also has plenty of wideouts for Wilson to compete with for reps, including DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore and Marquise Brown.

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#1 - Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens, Boston College

2023 NFL Draft - Round 1 - Zay Flowers

The Baltimore Ravens made Boston College WR Zay Flowers their round-one selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. This came after the Ravens ended the Lamar Jackson contract saga and tied down their franchise QB to a long-term deal.

However, Baltimore is a run-heavy team and with Jackson sticking around, this will likely continue to be the case. This spells bad news for Flowers, who will struggle for both targets and yards in the Ravens scheme.

Not only that, the Ravens signed Odell Beckham Jr. and have Rashod Bateman in the WR room, both of whom will be direct competition for Flowers.