I haven't really understood what Jacksonville was doing with its wide receivers. The Jaguars first gave Donte Moncrief a lot of money, and then drafted D.J. Chark in the second round. They already had Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole, who I thought were all pretty good last year. What gives?
Not that receiving depth is a bad thing, just, the Moncrief and Chark expenditures of resources seemed extravagant for a team with a seemingly good receiving corps. But maybe they're not as happy with the incumbents as I had thought they should be.
Looking at the drop numbers, Lee and Westbrook didn't fare particularly well last season. Especially Lee, who dropped 8 passes while catching 56, one of the worst drop rates (12.5 percent) in the league. Among all pass catchers who caught at least 20 passes, only 20 of them dropped at least 10 percent. Jacksonville had three of those players: Lee, Westbrook and Marcedes Lewis.
| DROPS, 2017 (20-PLUS REC, OVER 8%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Drop | Pct |
| Matt Breida, S.F. | 21 | 5 | 19.2% |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 23 | 5 | 17.9% |
| Ricardo Louis, Clev. | 27 | 5 | 15.6% |
| Corey Coleman, Clev. | 23 | 4 | 14.8% |
| Marcedes Lewis, Jac. | 24 | 4 | 14.3% |
| Odell Beckham, NYG | 25 | 4 | 13.8% |
| Marshawn Lynch, Oak. | 20 | 3 | 13.0% |
| Marqise Lee, Jac. | 56 | 8 | 12.5% |
| Marlon Mack, Ind. | 21 | 3 | 12.5% |
| Paul Richardson, Sea. | 44 | 6 | 12.0% |
| Geronimo Allison, G.B. | 23 | 3 | 11.5% |
| Jay Ajayi, tms | 24 | 3 | 11.1% |
| Jimmy Graham, Sea. | 57 | 7 | 10.9% |
| Dontrelle Inman, tms | 25 | 3 | 10.7% |
| Stephen Anderson, Hou. | 25 | 3 | 10.7% |
| George Kittle, S.F. | 43 | 5 | 10.4% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 36 | 4 | 10.0% |
| Torrey Smith, Phil. | 36 | 4 | 10.0% |
| Dede Westbrook, Jac. | 27 | 3 | 10.0% |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 27 | 3 | 10.0% |
| Amari Cooper, Oak. | 48 | 5 | 9.4% |
| Andre Ellington, tms | 39 | 4 | 9.3% |
| Charles Clay, Buff. | 49 | 5 | 9.3% |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 59 | 6 | 9.2% |
| Martellus Bennett, tms | 30 | 3 | 9.1% |
| Justin Hardy, Atl. | 20 | 2 | 9.1% |
| Kenny Britt, tms | 20 | 2 | 9.1% |
| Terrelle Pryor Sr., Wash. | 20 | 2 | 9.1% |
| Albert Wilson, K.C. | 42 | 4 | 8.7% |
| Tyler Kroft, Cin. | 42 | 4 | 8.7% |
| David Njoku, Clev. | 32 | 3 | 8.6% |
| Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 43 | 4 | 8.5% |
| Jared Cook, Oak. | 54 | 5 | 8.5% |
| Jermaine Gresham, Ariz. | 33 | 3 | 8.3% |
| Coby Fleener, N.O. | 22 | 2 | 8.3% |
| Samaje Perine, Wash. | 22 | 2 | 8.3% |
| Tyler Boyd, Cin. | 22 | 2 | 8.3% |
| Mohamed Sanu, Atl. | 67 | 6 | 8.2% |
| DeAndre Washington, Oak. | 34 | 3 | 8.1% |
| Travis Benjamin, LAC | 34 | 3 | 8.1% |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 69 | 6 | 8.0% |
| Chester Rogers, Ind. | 23 | 2 | 8.0% |
Now, Blake Bortles isn't Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. Maybe he's throwing some especially difficult passes, either due to timing or angles or whatnot. But looking at the numbers, it's less surprising that Jacksonville keeps trying to change its receiving corps. Plenty of room for improvement.
--Andy Richardson