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minny65 said:
Perspective from around the League.
OK did a little research on the last few first round WR drafts:
2017 - only two WR's taken in the first round and they are referenced above. Both Top 10 picks and neither has done squat.
2016 - 4 WR's taken - at 15 Coleman, 21 Fuller, 22 Doctson and 23 Treadwell
2015 - 6 WR's taken - at 4 Cooper, 7 Kevin White, 14 Devante Parker, 20 Agholor, 26 Brashard Perriman, 29 Philip Dorsett
2014 - 5 WR's taken - 4 Sammy Watkins, 7 Mike Evans, 12 Odell Beckem, 20 Branden Cooks, 28 Calvin Benjamin
If we only look at WR's taken in the 20's like Treadwell:
2016 - Fuller has been dinged both season and has played 3 games this year with 8 catches.
Doctson has been injured the whole time and has played in 7 games in 2 years with a total of 6 catches
Treadwell has been targeted 16 times total in 2 years with 9 catches (5 first downs, yippee
2015 - Agholor looks to be one of the most productive 20th picks of 2015 with 23 catches as a rookie, 36 last year and 20 already this year for the Eagles.
Perriman with the Ravens didn't play in one game as a rookie, had 33 catches last year and has a total of 4 catches on 17 targets through 6 games this year.
Dorsett with the Colts had 18 catches as a rookie, 33 last year and was traded to the Patriots where he has 4 catches on 8 targets on the year.
2014 - Cooks and Benjamin both productive from the get-go
Cooks 53 catches in 10 games as a rookie followed by 84 catches, 78 catches and was then traded to the Patriots where he has 24 catches in 6 games.
Benjamin played in all 16 games as a rookie and had 73 catches but was injured for the whole following year of 2015. 2016 he had 63 catches. This year he has 26 catches in 6 games but might have another knee injury and isn't practicing.
So to give some perspective, WR's taken in the first round and also in the 20's are about a 50/50 chance of making immediate impacts as rookies. Treadwell is coming on and it is his chance to step-up in year 2 with Diggs hurt again.
Excellent research and perspective. But...it doesn't necessarily show that Treadwell is likely to emerge - it might just mean that most WRs drafted in round 1 (since 2014) are disappointing.
I would add that the modest success rate you cite of first rounders - and those drafted in the 20s - is skewed even further by 2014. That was an unreal outlier draft for WRs, maybe the equivalent of 1983 for QBs. 5-for-5 success in the first round (even the 2nd round had Jarvis Landry, Allen Robinson, Jordan Matthews, Davante Adams, Marqise Lee...) In almost any other year, Cooks and Benjamin would have been drafted well before #20.
But 2014 is so recent that all NFL fans hope for that kind of result. And we Vikings fans expect Randy Moss every time we pick a WR! And: WRs picked after Treadwell in 2016 have been better than him.
Regardless, I think Treadwell will have a hard time emerging on this team because Zimmer won't let his QBs throw into a crowd on a regular basis.