The Saints have released Marques Colston, and it's probably the end of the line for their all-time leading wideout. End of the line for one of the more remarkable late-round draft picks, too.
It's rare for wide receivers to go over 1,000 yards as rookies. Since the NFL went to a 16-game season nearly 30 years ago (1978), it's happened only 16 times. Colston was one of those players, and he stands alone in that he was selected in the seventh round. None of those other 1,000-yarders was drafted later than the fourth round, and only two were taken outside the second.
Ten of the 16, in fact, were drafted in the first round, and those players typically get more opportunity to contribute right away than a seventh-rounder like Colston. Pretty remarkable.
Thousand-yard rookie wideouts since 1978, as well as a handful of near misses (most also first-rounders) are presented below.
| 1000-YARD ROOKIE WIDEOUTS, PLUS NEAR MISSES, 1978-PRESENT | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player, Team | No | Yards | Avg | TD | Draft Rd |
| 2003 | Anquan Boldin, Ariz. | 101 | 1377 | 13.6 | 8 | 2nd |
| 1998 | Randy Moss, Minn. | 69 | 1313 | 19.0 | 17 | 1st |
| 2014 | Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 91 | 1305 | 14.3 | 12 | 1st |
| 2004 | Michael Clayton, T.B. | 80 | 1193 | 14.9 | 7 | 1st |
| 1996 | Terry Glenn, N.E. | 90 | 1132 | 12.6 | 6 | 1st |
| 1986 | Bill Brooks, Ind. | 65 | 1131 | 17.4 | 8 | 4th |
| 2015 | Amari Cooper, Oak. | 72 | 1070 | 14.9 | 6 | 1st |
| 1986 | Ernest Givins, Hou. | 61 | 1062 | 17.4 | 3 | 2nd |
| 2011 | A.J. Green, Cin. | 65 | 1057 | 16.3 | 7 | 1st |
| 2014 | Mike Evans, T.B. | 68 | 1051 | 15.5 | 12 | 1st |
| 2013 | Keenan Allen, S.D. | 71 | 1046 | 14.7 | 8 | 3rd |
| 1995 | Joey Galloway, Sea. | 67 | 1039 | 15.5 | 7 | 1st |
| 2006 | Marques Colston, N.O. | 70 | 1038 | 14.8 | 8 | 7th |
| 1981 | Cris Collinsworth, Cin. | 67 | 1009 | 15.1 | 8 | 2nd |
| 2014 | Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 73 | 1008 | 13.8 | 9 | 1st |
| 1978 | John Jefferson, S.D. | 56 | 1001 | 17.9 | 13 | 1st |
| 2007 | Dwayne Bowe, K.C. | 70 | 995 | 14.2 | 5 | 1st |
| 2014 | Sammy Watkins, Buf. | 65 | 982 | 15.1 | 6 | 1st |
| 2008 | Eddie Royal, Den. | 91 | 980 | 10.8 | 5 | 2nd |
| 2003 | Andre Johnson, Hou. | 66 | 976 | 14.8 | 4 | 1st |
| 2010 | Mike Williams, T.B. | 65 | 964 | 14.8 | 11 | 4th |
| 2011 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 54 | 959 | 17.8 | 8 | 1st |
--Andy Richardson