It’s early, but I notice that wide receivers might be used as runners more often this year. Especially the two guys involved in a trade prior to last year. Percy Harvin carried 4 times for 41 yards in the opener against Green Bay, and then Cordarrelle Patterson (picked with the first-rounder Seattle gave up to get Harvin) had a 67-yard TD run and 102 yards total.
I think those guys are for real. Both might average over 20 rushing yards per game this season. As in we may see them finishing the year with 350 rushing yards or more.
In addition, Julian Edelman had 2 carries for 21 yards at Miami, and Brandin Cooks looks like he might develop into a Harvin-type guy. Cooks had an 18-yard run at Atlanta. The Rams gave Tavon Austin, and I think the Giants will continue to utilize Jerrel Jernigan, who had a 49-yard touchdown run in Week 17 last year.
So after one week, wide receivers are on pace to run for 3,584 yards. That’s all wide receivers on all teams. And that would over 1,000 yards more than any other season in this century.
This seems to be a trend that’s developed. Only four seasons in this century have wide receivers run for over 2,000 yards, and three of those came in the last five years.
RUSHING BY WIDE RECEIVERS (Total) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
2014 | 400 | 3584 | 9.0 | 16 |
2012 | 541 | 3362 | 6.2 | 8 |
2002 | 343 | 2329 | 6.8 | 7 |
2009 | 317 | 2102 | 6.6 | 7 |
2010 | 316 | 2013 | 6.4 | 7 |
2003 | 321 | 1889 | 5.9 | 1 |
2008 | 241 | 1643 | 6.8 | 10 |
2001 | 231 | 1556 | 6.7 | 5 |
2013 | 226 | 1472 | 6.5 | 6 |
2006 | 250 | 1447 | 5.8 | 5 |
2000 | 214 | 1408 | 6.6 | 6 |
2004 | 260 | 1322 | 5.1 | 1 |
2005 | 238 | 1285 | 5.4 | 7 |
2007 | 203 | 873 | 4.3 | 4 |
(And on that chart, the 2014 numbers are projected 16-game totals, if guys were to stay on the pace they set in Week 1.)
Only four wide receivers in this century have run for 200 yards in a season, and three of them did it while playing some as a running quarterback. My thinking right now is that 2014 will be remembered as the best for running wide receivers.
It’s something to keep in mind when building your draft board. Patterson and Harvin in particularly need to be slotted with about an extra 2-4 points per week.
WIDE RECEIVERS WITH 100 RUSHING YARDS SINCE 2000 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | Player | Att | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
2009 | Clev. | Josh Cribbs | 55 | 381 | 6.9 | 37 | 1 |
2012 | Minn. | Percy Harvin | 52 | 345 | 6.6 | 39 | 2 |
2010 | NYJ | Brad Smith | 38 | 299 | 7.9 | 53t | 1 |
2009 | NYJ | Brad Smith | 18 | 207 | 11.5 | 57 | 1 |
2008 | Clev. | Josh Cribbs | 29 | 167 | 5.8 | 27 | 1 |
2013 | Minn. | Cordarrelle Patterson | 12 | 158 | 13.2 | 50t | 3 |
2003 | Cin. | Peter Warrick | 18 | 157 | 8.7 | 50 | 0 |
2010 | Oak. | Jacoby Ford | 10 | 155 | 15.5 | 71t | 2 |
2013 | St.L. | Tavon Austin | 9 | 151 | 16.8 | 65t | 1 |
2000 | Cin. | Peter Warrick | 16 | 148 | 9.3 | 77t | 2 |
2002 | Pitt. | Hines Ward | 12 | 142 | 11.8 | 39 | 0 |
2009 | Phil. | DeSean Jackson | 11 | 137 | 12.5 | 67t | 1 |
2009 | Minn. | Percy Harvin | 15 | 135 | 9.0 | 35 | 0 |
2002 | Pitt. | Antwaan Randle El | 19 | 134 | 7.1 | 24 | 0 |
2012 | G.B. | Randall Cobb | 10 | 132 | 13.2 | 28 | 0 |
2002 | Phil. | James Thrash | 18 | 126 | 7.0 | 32 | 2 |
2002 | K.C. | Johnnie Morton | 10 | 124 | 12.4 | 36 | 0 |
2006 | Den. | Javon Walker | 9 | 123 | 13.7 | 72t | 1 |
2006 | Wash. | Antwaan Randle El | 19 | 118 | 6.2 | 20 | 0 |
2012 | Buff. | Brad Smith | 14 | 116 | 8.3 | 35 | 1 |
2001 | S.D. | Curtis Conway | 7 | 116 | 16.6 | 67t | 1 |
2010 | Jac. | Mike Thomas | 12 | 114 | 9.5 | 33 | 0 |
2008 | NYJ | Brad Smith | 12 | 113 | 9.4 | 36 | 0 |
2008 | Den. | Eddie Royal | 11 | 109 | 9.9 | 71 | 0 |
2002 | S.D. | Tim Dwight | 12 | 108 | 9.0 | 20 | 1 |
2001 | NYJ | Laveranues Coles | 10 | 108 | 10.8 | 20 | 0 |
2010 | Minn. | Percy Harvin | 18 | 107 | 5.9 | 17t | 1 |
2013 | Chi. | Alshon Jeffery | 16 | 105 | 6.6 | 38 | 0 |
2002 | Balt. | Travis Taylor | 11 | 105 | 9.5 | 39 | 0 |
2010 | Phil. | DeSean Jackson | 16 | 104 | 6.5 | 31t | 1 |
2002 | Clev. | Dennis Northcutt | 8 | 104 | 13.0 | 36t | 1 |
2006 | NYJ | Brad Smith | 18 | 103 | 5.7 | 32 | 0 |
2014 | Minn. | Cordarrelle Patterson | 3 | 102 | 34.0 | 67t | 1 |
—Ian Allan