- Joined
- Jun 20, 2010
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- Name
- The Dude
D'Marco Farr
http://www.101espn.com/category/dfarr-b ... l-Attacks/
Let’s do a little myth busting, shall we!
While engaged in a semi-heated battle over whom the Rams should draft with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, I injected a question about just how big of an impact a wide receiver like Justin Blackmon might actually have on the offense. Now, as a disclaimer, I believe it’s near impossible to predict what a player will or won’t do once he’s drafted. You can’t make a dog want to hunt; he’s either born with it or not, and sometimes the best hunting dogs don’t have to be taught a darn thing.
If predicting the success of a player coming out of the draft was an exact science, do you think New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz would have made it out of the first or second round? Instead, he went undrafted and then “went off” on the rest of the league. How many experts missed on Marques Colston? Hindsight tells me he would have come off the board well before the sixth round knowing what we know now. And speaking of the Saints, a little birdie told me to look at the NFL’s top passing offenses and see what they have done in the draft selecting wide receivers. So I looked at the top three from last season. This is what I found so far.
The New Orleans Saints finished the 2011 regular season as the top-ranked passing offense in the NFL, going for about 334 yards per game. They have been ranked in the top five in passing offense every year since 2006.
New Orelans has drafted just four wide receivers since 2006 and none since 2008:
2008 Adrian Arrington Michigan Seventh round, No. 237 overall
[hil]Career: Nine receptions, 110 yds, no touchdowns. Played in four games in 2011, catching two passes for 31 yards[/hil].
2007 Robert Meachem Tennessee First round, No. 27 overall
[hil]Career: 141 catches, 2,269 yards, 23 touchdowns. Last year, he recorded 40 receptions for 620 yards and six scores.[/hil]
2006 Mike Hass Oregon State Sixth round, No. 171 overall
[hil]He recorded three receptions for 28 yards in his first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. He was released by the Saints on Sept. 3, 2006.[/hil]
2006 Marques Colston Hofstra Sixth round
[hil]Colston set the NFL record for most receptions in a player's first two seasons with 168. Just over a month ago, he signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension with the Saints.[/hil]
The New England Patriots were the second-ranked passing offense in 2011 at just over 317 per game.
The Pats didn’t even draft a wide receiver in 2011. In fact, of the five receivers that Bill Belichick has drafted since 2006, only one, Julian Edleman has had success as a true wideout. Matthew Slater’s impact has mostly been on special teams.
In the last five seasons, the Patriots have ranked in the top three as far as passing yards three times (2007, '09, and '11) and no lower than 12th.
2010 Taylor Price Ohio Univ. Third round, No. 90 overall
[hil]Career: Three receptions for 41 yards. Pats released him in 2011.[/hil]
2009 Brandon Taint UNC Third round, No. 83 overall
[hil]Career: 24 catches, 432 yards, three touchdowns. Released in 2011.[/hil]
2009 Julian Edleman Kent State Seventh round, No. 232 overall
[hil]Career: 48 receptions, 479 yards, one touchdown.[/hil]
2008 Matt Slater UCLA Fifth round
2006 Chad Jackson Florida Second round
[hil]Career: 13 catches, 152 yards, three touchdowns. Jackson was cut in 2008.[/hil]
Last but not least, we have the Green Bay Packers, who finished third in passing offense, throwing for over 307 yards per game. The Packers have had far better luck evaluating and selecting wide receiver talent since 2006. Of the six WRs drafted since 2006, all but two have made huge contributions to a wide open passing attack. The Packers haven’t finished a season ranked lower than eighth in passing since the 06 season.
2011 Randall Cobb Kentucky Second round
[hil]As a rookie, he made 25 catches for 375 yards and a touchdown.[/hil]
2008 Jordy Nelson Kansas State Second round
[hil]Career: 168 receptions, 2,531 yards, 21 TDs.[/hil]
2007 James Jones San Jose State Third round
[hil]Career: 187 catches, 2,704 yards, 20 TDs.[/hil]
2007 David Clowney Va. Tech Fifth round
[hil]Cut in 2007. Never played a down.[/hil]
2006 Greg Jennings West Michigan Second round
[hil]Career: 384 receptions, 6,171 yards, 49 TDs.[/hil]
2006 Cory Rodgers TCU Fourth round
[hil]Cut in 2006.[/hil]
http://www.101espn.com/category/dfarr-b ... l-Attacks/
Let’s do a little myth busting, shall we!
While engaged in a semi-heated battle over whom the Rams should draft with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, I injected a question about just how big of an impact a wide receiver like Justin Blackmon might actually have on the offense. Now, as a disclaimer, I believe it’s near impossible to predict what a player will or won’t do once he’s drafted. You can’t make a dog want to hunt; he’s either born with it or not, and sometimes the best hunting dogs don’t have to be taught a darn thing.
If predicting the success of a player coming out of the draft was an exact science, do you think New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz would have made it out of the first or second round? Instead, he went undrafted and then “went off” on the rest of the league. How many experts missed on Marques Colston? Hindsight tells me he would have come off the board well before the sixth round knowing what we know now. And speaking of the Saints, a little birdie told me to look at the NFL’s top passing offenses and see what they have done in the draft selecting wide receivers. So I looked at the top three from last season. This is what I found so far.
The New Orleans Saints finished the 2011 regular season as the top-ranked passing offense in the NFL, going for about 334 yards per game. They have been ranked in the top five in passing offense every year since 2006.
New Orelans has drafted just four wide receivers since 2006 and none since 2008:
2008 Adrian Arrington Michigan Seventh round, No. 237 overall
[hil]Career: Nine receptions, 110 yds, no touchdowns. Played in four games in 2011, catching two passes for 31 yards[/hil].
2007 Robert Meachem Tennessee First round, No. 27 overall
[hil]Career: 141 catches, 2,269 yards, 23 touchdowns. Last year, he recorded 40 receptions for 620 yards and six scores.[/hil]
2006 Mike Hass Oregon State Sixth round, No. 171 overall
[hil]He recorded three receptions for 28 yards in his first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. He was released by the Saints on Sept. 3, 2006.[/hil]
2006 Marques Colston Hofstra Sixth round
[hil]Colston set the NFL record for most receptions in a player's first two seasons with 168. Just over a month ago, he signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension with the Saints.[/hil]
The New England Patriots were the second-ranked passing offense in 2011 at just over 317 per game.
The Pats didn’t even draft a wide receiver in 2011. In fact, of the five receivers that Bill Belichick has drafted since 2006, only one, Julian Edleman has had success as a true wideout. Matthew Slater’s impact has mostly been on special teams.
In the last five seasons, the Patriots have ranked in the top three as far as passing yards three times (2007, '09, and '11) and no lower than 12th.
2010 Taylor Price Ohio Univ. Third round, No. 90 overall
[hil]Career: Three receptions for 41 yards. Pats released him in 2011.[/hil]
2009 Brandon Taint UNC Third round, No. 83 overall
[hil]Career: 24 catches, 432 yards, three touchdowns. Released in 2011.[/hil]
2009 Julian Edleman Kent State Seventh round, No. 232 overall
[hil]Career: 48 receptions, 479 yards, one touchdown.[/hil]
2008 Matt Slater UCLA Fifth round
2006 Chad Jackson Florida Second round
[hil]Career: 13 catches, 152 yards, three touchdowns. Jackson was cut in 2008.[/hil]
Last but not least, we have the Green Bay Packers, who finished third in passing offense, throwing for over 307 yards per game. The Packers have had far better luck evaluating and selecting wide receiver talent since 2006. Of the six WRs drafted since 2006, all but two have made huge contributions to a wide open passing attack. The Packers haven’t finished a season ranked lower than eighth in passing since the 06 season.
2011 Randall Cobb Kentucky Second round
[hil]As a rookie, he made 25 catches for 375 yards and a touchdown.[/hil]
2008 Jordy Nelson Kansas State Second round
[hil]Career: 168 receptions, 2,531 yards, 21 TDs.[/hil]
2007 James Jones San Jose State Third round
[hil]Career: 187 catches, 2,704 yards, 20 TDs.[/hil]
2007 David Clowney Va. Tech Fifth round
[hil]Cut in 2007. Never played a down.[/hil]
2006 Greg Jennings West Michigan Second round
[hil]Career: 384 receptions, 6,171 yards, 49 TDs.[/hil]
2006 Cory Rodgers TCU Fourth round
[hil]Cut in 2006.[/hil]
