Four wide receivers were selected in the first round of April's NFL Draft. All four of them put up strong numbers in their final year of college, going over 1,000 receiving yards and catching double-digit touchdowns. How might their NFL careers turn out?
The recent track record of first-round picks who went over 1,000 yards in their final year of college is favorable. Very few of those players have busted. Certainly a few have been just mediocre, but the vast majority of them have been good or great.
Since 2000, there have been 42 first-round wide receivers who also went over 1,000 yards in their final college season. By our count, only seven of those wideouts were out and out bad in the NFL; never did much of anything. Seven more (drafted in 2015 or this year) the jury is still out on. The other 28 have been either good or great NFL receivers.
The list is below, sorted by final year of college yardage totals.
| 1ST-ROUND WRS, 1,000 YARDS IN FINAL COLLEGE SEASON, 2000- | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | No | Yds | TD | NFL |
| 2014 | 20 | Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 128 | 1730 | 18 | Good |
| 2015 | 4 | Amari Cooper, Oak. | 124 | 1727 | 16 | Good |
| 2002 | 19 | Ashley Lelie, Den. | 84 | 1713 | 19 | So-So |
| 2004 | 3 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 92 | 1672 | 22 | Good |
| 2012 | 20 | Kendall Wright, Tenn. | 108 | 1663 | 14 | So-So |
| 2004 | 13 | Lee Evans, Buff. | 75 | 1545 | 9 | Good |
| 2012 | 5 | Justin Blackmon, Jac. | 121 | 1522 | 18 | Good |
| 2014 | 4 | Sammy Watkins, Buff. | 101 | 1464 | 12 | Good |
| 2005 | 27 | Roddy White, Atl. | 71 | 1452 | 14 | Good |
| 2015 | 7 | Kevin White, Chi. | 109 | 1447 | 10 | ? |
| 2013 | 27 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 82 | 1405 | 18 | Good |
| 2014 | 7 | Mike Evans, T.B. | 69 | 1394 | 12 | Good |
| 2009 | 30 | Kenny Britt, Tenn. | 87 | 1371 | 7 | So-So |
| 2004 | 31 | Rashaun Woods, S.F. | 77 | 1367 | 15 | Bad |
| 2016 | 15 | Corey Coleman, Clev. | 74 | 1363 | 20 | ? |
| 2003 | 2 | Charles Rogers, Det. | 68 | 1351 | 13 | Bad |
| 2005 | 3 | Braylon Edwards, Clev. | 97 | 1330 | 15 | Good |
| 2016 | 22 | Josh Doctson, Wash. | 79 | 1327 | 14 | ? |
| 2005 | 10 | Mike Williams, Det. | 95 | 1314 | 16 | Bad |
| 2001 | 25 | Freddie Mitchell, Phil. | 68 | 1314 | 8 | Bad |
| 2015 | 20 | Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 104 | 1313 | 12 | ? |
| 2007 | 27 | Robert Meachem, N.O. | 71 | 1298 | 11 | So-So |
| 2013 | 8 | Tavon Austin, St.L. | 114 | 1289 | 12 | Good |
| 2000 | 21 | Sylvester Morris, K.C. | 69 | 1286 | 15 | Bad |
| 2012 | 30 | A.J. Jenkins, S.F. | 90 | 1276 | 8 | Bad |
| 2009 | 19 | Jeremy Maclin, Phil. | 102 | 1260 | 13 | Good |
| 2016 | 21 | Will Fuller, Hou. | 62 | 1258 | 14 | ? |
| 2009 | 29 | Hakeem Nicks, NYG | 68 | 1222 | 12 | Good |
| 2007 | 2 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 76 | 1202 | 15 | Good |
| 2009 | 10 | Michael Crabtree, S.F. | 97 | 1165 | 19 | Good |
| 2010 | 22 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 46 | 1154 | 8 | Good |
| 2016 | 23 | Laquon Treadwell, Minn. | 82 | 1153 | 11 | ? |
| 2014 | 12 | Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 59 | 1152 | 9 | Good |
| 2012 | 13 | Michael Floyd, Ariz. | 100 | 1147 | 9 | Good |
| 2011 | 6 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 78 | 1133 | 7 | Good |
| 2004 | 9 | Reggie Williams, Jac. | 89 | 1109 | 8 | Bad |
| 2003 | 3 | Andre Johnson, Hou. | 52 | 1092 | 9 | Good |
| 2004 | 7 | Roy Williams, Det. | 70 | 1079 | 9 | Good |
| 2004 | 15 | Michael Clayton, T.B. | 78 | 1079 | 10 | So-So |
| 2001 | 9 | Koren Robinson, Sea. | 62 | 1061 | 13 | Good |
| 2015 | 26 | Breshad Perriman, Balt. | 50 | 1044 | 9 | ? |
| 2014 | 28 | Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 54 | 1011 | 15 | Good |
--Andy Richardson