College football preseason lists are already rolling out, and Tennessee wideout Braylon Staley found himself on the wrong side of one of them.
Pro Football Focus recently put together its top five wide receivers in yards after catch, and not a single Tennessee receiver cracked the group. That omission is especially hard to justify with Staley, who appears to be the clearest snub from the Vols’ side.
Mike Matthews missing the list makes sense given how much of his game comes on vertical catches. Staley is a different story.
The slot receiver is expected to be a major piece for Tennessee again after posting 837 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season. Even more telling, according to nfldraftbuzz.com, he finished with 389 yards after the catch, meaning nearly half of his total yardage came once the ball was already in his hands.
The five receivers PFF highlighted were Malachi Toney of Miami, Wyatt Young of Oklahoma State, Jalen Jones of Texas Tech, Mario Craver of Texas A&M, and Ryan Coleman-Williams of Alabama.
The first four selections are hard to push back on. The fifth one is where the debate starts.
Coleman-Williams is a dynamic young receiver, but his 2025 season came with more uneven production than Staley’s. He posted a lower PFF grade and fewer yards after the catch than the Tennessee standout, and Staley also finished with more receiving yards. That makes the choice to place Coleman-Williams ahead of him look shaky.
PFF defended the Alabama receiver this way:
"No list of college football's top run-after-catch threats would be complete without Coleman-Williams. Although he took a slight step back in 2025 after a standout freshman season, he still ranks third among returning Power Four wide receivers in yards after catch, second in yards after contact and fourth in missed tackles forced over the past two seasons."
"His ability with the ball in his hands is unquestionable. The challenge has been getting him enough opportunities. Coleman-Williams recorded three receptions or fewer in seven games last season, and his 10 drops did little to help his target volume."
"Despite his improvisational style in the open field, ball security has never been a concern. Coleman-Williams has fumbled just once on more than 100 career touches. His iconic 75-yard touchdown against Georgia remains one of the best examples of his rare balance, acceleration and change-of-direction ability after the catch."
"The Alabama star still has questions to answer if he wants to cement himself as a first-round prospect, but his ability after the catch is not one of them."
Staley’s case is strong enough without having to stretch. He hasn’t fumbled at all in his college career, and while Coleman-Williams has been more heavily used across their first two seasons, Staley was the better receiver when both were operating with similar roles last season.
He may not always be the guy bouncing off tackles, but he does have plenty of that on his résumé. More importantly, leaving him off because he is often running free does not hold up.
For Tennessee, this feels like a miss. For Staley, it should be easy motivation heading into a season where he’s expected to carry a big load again.
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