No one knows which wide receiver will be first off the board in the 2018 NFL Draft

Nothing is certain when it comes to wide receivers in the 2018 NFL Draft. No one’s really sure who the first wide receiver off the board will be, where he’ll go, or how many of his peers will follow him Thursday night.

SB Nation’s Dan Kadar has Alabama’s Calvin Ridley getting snapped up with the 19th overall pick. CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso thinks SMU’s Courtland Sutton will be there for the 49ers at No. 9. Fellow CBS scribe Will Brinson projects Maryland’s D.J. Moore taking Ridley’s spot at No. 19. Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com sees Ridley as the Cardinals’ first pick at No. 15.

Ridley, Sutton, and Moore are all worthy candidates of being the first wideout to hear his name called in Arlington. Sleeper picks like Christian Kirk or Anthony Miller could also slide to the head of the class.

Unlike 2017, when three wide receivers were chosen in the first nine selections, 2018 should be less of a feeding frenzy at the position. There’s no can’t-miss player like Julio Jones, A.J. Green, or Amari Cooper drawing census raves as a game-changing playmaker. What there are, however, is a long list of athletes who could develop into a WR1 in the NFL.

A handful of teams will be looking for impact receivers on Day 1 of this year’s draft. The Ravens saw Joe Flacco struggle to the worst season of his pro career thanks in part to a limited receiving corps, then patched the position up with an aging Michael Crabtree in free agency. The Cowboys are in the market for a top wideout after cutting Dez Bryant. The Panthers need someone to pair with Devin Funchess at the top of their depth chart.

Here are the most likely candidates to be the first receivers off the board April 26.

Ridley is a bit of a mystery despite his three years as a starter and No. 1 target for one of the nation’s most visible teams. The blue-chip recruit was effective from day one with the Crimson Tide, even if his resume doesn’t suggest the same kind of all-around impact peers like Sutton or Miller did.

His reduced output can be traced Alabama’s incredible depth and ground-based offense. Ridley had more than 700 more yards than his next-closest teammate last fall, but still didn’t crack the 1,000-yard mark despite his team’s 14-game schedule. At 6-feet tall and 190 pounds, he’s not the kind of threat Julio Jones or Mike Evans is as a red zone target, but his elite speed and precise routes make him a real home run threat at the next level.

Questions about his size, hands, and ability to handle physical press coverage are enough to likely keep him from a top-10 spot.

Sutton was prolific while toiling for the American Athletic Conference’s fifth-best team, recording more than 2,300 receiving yards the past two seasons and 22 receiving touchdowns. The high school safety was a big (6’3) and versatile target who averaged better than 16.5 yards per catch with the Mustangs, earning him the label of a possible draft “steal” who suddenly could climb into the top 20 after a solid pro day performance.

While he projects out as a possession receiver, his use as a deep threat at SMU paints him as the kind of weapon who could emerge as the top receiver of this draft. The Cowboys have already taken a good, long look at the Texan, and could make him the 19th pick of this year’s draft.

Moore has a slighter overall resume than Ridley, but his breakout 2017 — he was the Big Ten’s Receiver of the Year and one of the Terrapins’ only reasons for optimism after September — means he’s entering the draft at the height of his NFL value. He’s a thick 6’0 whose fluid hips bring value as a route runner and punt returner. Despite his slot size, his success playing on the outside for a Maryland team with few other passing threats showcased his ability to make plays both on deep balls and quick slants. He’s shifty enough to turn broken plays into big gains regardless of where he lines up.

He’s bigger than the last Maryland wideout to make his mark in the NFL — Vikings star Stefon Diggs. He’s visited the Bills, Cowboys, and Washington, and with a first-round grade, he won’t be overlooked in the draft like Diggs was before him.

Kirk’s elite speed and ability to shake defenders with absurd lateral quickness makes him a dangerous playmaker at both wideout and on special teams. He had 33 total touchdowns in three seasons with the Aggies (26 receiving, seven on returns) and is a versatile player who can play several roles in the NFL.

He’s not content to just rely on his athletic gifts, either — he worked his ass off to make an impact at Texas A&M, according to his former coach Kevin Sumlin.

“As a really young player, he put in the extra time and the extra work with his body to not only get stronger, but everything with nutrition, flexibility, you name it,” Sumlin said. “What usually takes a lot of college players time, he embraced his physical maintenance early in his career, and approached it really like a pro does.”

The biggest question is whether he’ll be able to excel at any one position. He looks like a perfect slot receiver after slicing up SEC defenses between the hashmarks — but are teams willing to make a slot wideout the top receiver in the draft? The Cardinals and Seahawks have reportedly shown interest by bringing him in for predraft workouts.

Miller is a long shot to be the first wideout selected, but his stoic collegiate production in 2016 and 2017 gives him one of the strongest resumes among this year’s crop of eligible prospects. He averaged nearly 3.5 yards per route run and was a yards-after-catch monster who forced 37 missed tackles over the course of two seasons. Like Kirk and Moore, his lack of height could force him primarily into the slot, but his near 2,900 yards and 32 touchdowns the past two years suggest he’s got the chops to be successful near the sideline.

The only question is whether he can translate his AAC brilliance to the NFL. Based on his early workouts, the Vikings, Panthers, and Chiefs are all interested in finding out.