First-round wideout Josh Doctson made no noise as a rookie, his season wiped out by a lingering Achilles injury. What should be the expectations for the Washington receiver in Year 2?
The recent history of other highly regarded rookie wideouts whose first seasons were scuttled for one reason or another isn't terribly promising. Since 2000, 32 other first-round wide receivers, like Doctson, Corey Coleman and Laquon Treadwell, failed to reach 500 receiving yards in their initial seasons. In year 2, seven of those players -- a little over one in five -- made it up to 600 receiving yards. About half (15) didn't even reach 400.
For players whose rookie seasons, like Doctson, were entirely wiped out by injury, they generally did little in their second seasons. Kevin White and Breshad Perriman, for example, put up modest numbers in Year 2 -- both under 500 yards.
If Doctson (unlike those recent rookies) is healthy all preseason, maybe an optimistic projection will be valid. But it seems a little more likely that, as a virtual rookie in 2017, he finishes with lesser numbers.
In the table, first-round wide receivers since 2000 who finished under 500 receiving yards in that rookie season are sorted by Year 2 receiving yards.
| FIRST-ROUND WRS (UNDER 500 YARDS) IN YEAR 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Yds(1) | TD(1) | Yds(2) | TD(2) |
| 2000 | Plaxico Burress, Pitt. | 273 | 0 | 1008 | 6 |
| 2005 | Mark Clayton, Balt. | 471 | 3 | 939 | 5 |
| 2007 | Ted Ginn Jr., Mia. | 420 | 3 | 790 | 4 |
| 2015 | DeVante Parker, Mia. | 494 | 3 | 744 | 4 |
| 2002 | Javon Walker, G.B. | 319 | 1 | 716 | 9 |
| 2001 | Reggie Wayne, Ind. | 345 | 0 | 716 | 4 |
| 2005 | Matt Jones, Jac. | 432 | 5 | 643 | 4 |
| 2000 | Travis Taylor, Balt. | 276 | 3 | 560 | 3 |
| 2010 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 283 | 2 | 551 | 4 |
| 2003 | Bryant Johnson, Ariz. | 438 | 1 | 537 | 1 |
| 2015 | Phillip Dorsett, Ind. | 225 | 1 | 528 | 2 |
| 2004 | Michael Jenkins, Atl. | 119 | 0 | 508 | 3 |
| 2005 | Roddy White, Atl. | 446 | 3 | 506 | 0 |
| 2015 | Breshad Perriman, Balt. | 0 | 0 | 499 | 3 |
| 2005 | Troy Williamson, Minn. | 372 | 2 | 455 | 0 |
| 2004 | Reggie Williams, Jac. | 268 | 1 | 445 | 0 |
| 2001 | Santana Moss, NYJ | 40 | 0 | 433 | 6 |
| 2013 | Cordarrelle Patterson, Minn. | 469 | 9 | 384 | 2 |
| 2009 | Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oak. | 124 | 1 | 366 | 1 |
| 2015 | Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 283 | 1 | 365 | 2 |
| 2011 | Jon Baldwin, K.C. | 254 | 1 | 325 | 1 |
| 2007 | Robert Meachem, N.O. | 0 | 0 | 289 | 4 |
| 2013 | Tavon Austin, St.L. | 418 | 6 | 242 | 3 |
| 2015 | Kevin White, Chi. | 0 | 0 | 187 | 0 |
| 2012 | A.J. Jenkins, S.F. | 0 | 0 | 130 | 0 |
| 2001 | David Terrell, Chi. | 415 | 4 | 127 | 3 |
| 2001 | Freddie Mitchell, Phil. | 283 | 1 | 105 | 0 |
| 2005 | Mike Williams, Det. | 350 | 1 | 99 | 1 |
| 2007 | Craig Davis, S.D. | 188 | 1 | 59 | 0 |
| 2003 | Charles Rogers, Det. | 243 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | Rashaun Woods, S.F. | 160 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | R. Jay Soward, Jac. | 154 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Corey Coleman, Clev. | 413 | 3 | ??? | ??? |
| 2016 | Josh Doctson, Wash. | 66 | 0 | ??? | ??? |
| 2016 | Laquon Treadwell, Minn. | 15 | 0 | ??? | ??? |
--Andy Richardson