Tennessee Football Wide Receiver Braylon Staley Snubbed From National List

College football is almost back, which means many are already shaping their lists of top players for specific categories before the season even begins. That is the exact case when it comes to players who were recognized for their work after the initial catch point.

PFF (Pro Football Focus) recently shared their thoughts on the top five wide receivers in yards after catch, but the Tennessee Vols didn’t have a single wide receiver who made the list.

While it makes sense why Mike Matthews didn’t make the list, due to his efforts being attached to vertical snags, the one player who was absolutely snubbed from the list is Braylon Staley.

Staley is the slot receiver for the Vols and is expected to be a star for the team yet again. He finished his season with 837 receiving yards a season ago, along with six receiving touchdowns. A stat that many have yet to know is that the talented wide receiver finished with 389 yards after the catch, according to nfldraftbuzz.com. This means that among his 837 yards, nearly half of them came from after the catch.

Who Made the Cut Over Braylon Staley

Yet the talented wide receiver didn’t make the list as one of the more dangerous players after the catch. Instead, the five players who made the list include Malachi Toney (Miami), Wyatt Young (Oklahoma State), Jalen Jones (Texas Tech), Mario Craver (Texas A&M), and, to round out the list, Ryan Coleman-Williams (Alabama).

While I won’t argue when it comes to the first four, Staley at least deserves to make this list as the No. 5 option. Coleman-Williams is a great wide receiver and one of the more dangerous young options that there is in the game; however, last season’s production was a big hit-or-miss for the Alabama wide receiver.

Coleman-Williams finished the season with a worse PFF grade and fewer yards after the catch than Staley. Staley also finished the season with more yards receiving than Coleman-Williams, making this move even more questionable than before.

PFF Explains the Decision to Put Ryan Coleman-Williams in at No. 5

“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 the 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.”

Braylon Staley’s Production Rebuttals the Selection

While the point of fumbling just once is a good talking point, Staley has yet to fumble in his college career. Coleman-Williams has been more active than Staley in terms of catches throughout both players’ first two seasons put together, but when it comes to both having an equal role in the offense last season, Staley was the much better wide receiver.

Sure, Staley wasn’t always the player who was breaking tackles, but he does have his fair share under his belt. What can’t be done is leaving Staley off a list due to him not missing tackles when he is running wide open multiple times a game.

In conclusion, this was a terrible snub and is likely just added bulletin board material for the slot receiver, who is expected to have a massive role in the offense yet again.