Are the Lions sitting on the league’s next breakout receiver? Golden Tate and Marvin Jones are both really good, but Kenny Golladay looks like he might soon join them.
Detroit selected Golladay in the third round last year, and he showed flashes of big-time potential as a rookie. He’s huge (6-4, 218), with enough speed and leaping ability to cause mismatch problems downfield. He averaged 17.0 yards per catch in his rookie season.
Jones was one of the league’s best downfield receivers last year, but Golladay looks like he might be able to make the same kind of catches. They might also look to tap into that size and leaping ability on fade routes around the goal line.
"He's a big target," says Golden Tate in an article by Kyle Meinke posted at MLive.com.. "He's got length. He can go up and get it, and, you know, we'll try to put him in situations to do that."
Golladay might be even better now that he’s had a chance to learn the offense for a year – and with the Lions knowing there’s some viable talent to tap into.
"I saw freakish catches, man," says Tate. "Some real freakin' freakish catches. Kenny's still a young guy trying to figure it out, but he's moving at a great pace. If he can just keep the mentality he has coming in, he studies, and just tries to get better every day, I'm telling you, this guy can be dominant. He's a WR1 kind of guy."
In the last five years, 66 wide receivers have had a season with a least 5 catches of 40-plus yards. Golladay is the only player in this group who’s done it while catching fewer than 30 passes. Only four other rookies in the last five years (tagged with dots) have had at least 5 catches of 40-plus yards.
Of Golladay’s 28 catches last year, 18 percent went for at least 40 yards. That’s the 2nd-highest total of any wide receiver (in this group) in the last five years.
Golladay looks like an intriguing prospect. I would select him before the second wide receiver on a lot of other teams.
| RECEIVERS WITH 5 RECEPTIONS OF 40-PLUS YARDS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | 40+ | Pct |
| 2014 | DeSean Jackson, WAS | 56 | 1,169 | 20.9 | 6 | 13 | 23.2% |
| 2017 | • Kenny Golladay, DET | 28 | 477 | 17.0 | 3 | 5 | 17.9% |
| 2013 | • Kenny Stills, NO | 32 | 641 | 20.0 | 5 | 5 | 15.6% |
| 2015 | Torrey Smith, SF | 33 | 663 | 20.1 | 4 | 5 | 15.2% |
| 2015 | Kenny Britt, STL | 36 | 681 | 18.9 | 3 | 5 | 13.9% |
| 2014 | Michael Floyd, ARI | 47 | 841 | 17.9 | 6 | 6 | 12.8% |
| 2013 | Riley Cooper, PHI | 47 | 835 | 17.8 | 8 | 6 | 12.8% |
| 2016 | Travis Benjamin, SD | 47 | 677 | 14.4 | 4 | 6 | 12.8% |
| 2013 | Torrey Smith, BAL | 65 | 1,128 | 17.4 | 4 | 8 | 12.3% |
| 2017 | Tyreek Hill, KC | 75 | 1,183 | 15.8 | 7 | 9 | 12.0% |
| 2015 | Sammy Watkins, BUF | 60 | 1,047 | 17.5 | 9 | 7 | 11.7% |
| 2015 | Markus Wheaton, PIT | 44 | 749 | 17.0 | 5 | 5 | 11.4% |
| 2015 | Ted Ginn, CAR | 44 | 739 | 16.8 | 10 | 5 | 11.4% |
| 2017 | Brandin Cooks, NE | 65 | 1,082 | 16.6 | 7 | 7 | 10.8% |
| 2017 | T.Y. Hilton, IND | 57 | 966 | 16.9 | 4 | 6 | 10.5% |
| 2013 | Josh Gordon, CLE | 87 | 1,646 | 18.9 | 9 | 9 | 10.3% |
| 2017 | • JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT | 58 | 917 | 15.8 | 7 | 6 | 10.3% |
| 2015 | Martavis Bryant, PIT | 50 | 765 | 15.3 | 6 | 5 | 10.0% |
| 2017 | Marvin Jones, DET | 61 | 1,101 | 18.0 | 9 | 6 | 9.8% |
| 2013 | DeSean Jackson, PHI | 82 | 1,332 | 16.2 | 9 | 8 | 9.8% |
| 2014 | Malcom Floyd, SD | 52 | 856 | 16.5 | 6 | 5 | 9.6% |
| 2014 | Kenny Stills, NO | 63 | 931 | 14.8 | 3 | 6 | 9.5% |
| 2017 | Ted Ginn, NO | 53 | 787 | 14.8 | 4 | 5 | 9.4% |
| 2015 | John Brown, ARI | 65 | 1,003 | 15.4 | 7 | 6 | 9.2% |
| 2013 | A.J. Green, CIN | 98 | 1,426 | 14.6 | 11 | 9 | 9.2% |
| 2016 | A.J. Green, CIN | 66 | 964 | 14.6 | 4 | 6 | 9.1% |
| 2016 | DeSean Jackson, WAS | 56 | 1,005 | 17.9 | 4 | 5 | 8.9% |
| 2017 | Marquise Goodwin, SF | 56 | 962 | 17.2 | 2 | 5 | 8.9% |
| 2015 | Travis Benjamin, CLE | 68 | 966 | 14.2 | 5 | 6 | 8.8% |
| 2015 | Rueben Randle, NYG | 57 | 797 | 14.0 | 8 | 5 | 8.8% |
| 2015 | T.Y. Hilton, IND | 69 | 1,124 | 16.3 | 5 | 6 | 8.7% |
| 2016 | Tyrell Williams, SD | 69 | 1,059 | 15.3 | 7 | 6 | 8.7% |
| 2015 | • Amari Cooper, OAK | 72 | 1,070 | 14.9 | 6 | 6 | 8.3% |
| 2015 | Odell Beckham, NYG | 96 | 1,450 | 15.1 | 13 | 8 | 8.3% |
| 2014 | Jeremy Maclin, PHI | 85 | 1,318 | 15.5 | 10 | 7 | 8.2% |
| 2014 | Jordy Nelson, GB | 98 | 1,519 | 15.5 | 13 | 8 | 8.2% |
| 2014 | DeAndre Hopkins, HOU | 76 | 1,210 | 15.9 | 6 | 6 | 7.9% |
| 2015 | Emmanuel Sanders, DEN | 76 | 1,135 | 14.9 | 6 | 6 | 7.9% |
| 2013 | Alshon Jeffery, CHI | 89 | 1,421 | 16.0 | 7 | 7 | 7.9% |
| 2016 | Brandin Cooks, NO | 78 | 1,173 | 15.0 | 8 | 6 | 7.7% |
| 2015 | Allen Robinson, JAC | 80 | 1,400 | 17.5 | 14 | 6 | 7.5% |
| 2014 | T.Y. Hilton, IND | 82 | 1,345 | 16.4 | 7 | 6 | 7.3% |
| 2013 | T.Y. Hilton, IND | 82 | 1,083 | 13.2 | 5 | 6 | 7.3% |
| 2016 | Mike Wallace, BAL | 72 | 1,017 | 14.1 | 4 | 5 | 6.9% |
| 2017 | Antonio Brown, PIT | 101 | 1,533 | 15.2 | 9 | 7 | 6.9% |
| 2013 | Eric Decker, DEN | 87 | 1,288 | 14.8 | 11 | 6 | 6.9% |
| 2013 | Mike Wallace, MIA | 73 | 930 | 12.7 | 5 | 5 | 6.8% |
| 2014 | • Odell Beckham, NYG | 91 | 1,305 | 14.3 | 12 | 6 | 6.6% |
| 2013 | Vincent Jackson, TB | 78 | 1,224 | 15.7 | 7 | 5 | 6.4% |
| 2014 | Steve Smith, BAL | 79 | 1,065 | 13.5 | 6 | 5 | 6.3% |
| 2016 | Julio Jones, ATL | 83 | 1,409 | 17.0 | 6 | 5 | 6.0% |
| 2015 | Brandin Cooks, NO | 84 | 1,138 | 13.5 | 9 | 5 | 6.0% |
| 2013 | Calvin Johnson, DET | 84 | 1,492 | 17.8 | 12 | 5 | 6.0% |
| 2016 | Odell Beckham, NYG | 101 | 1,367 | 13.5 | 10 | 6 | 5.9% |
| 2015 | Antonio Brown, PIT | 136 | 1,834 | 13.5 | 10 | 8 | 5.9% |
| 2013 | Harry Douglas, ATL | 85 | 1,067 | 12.6 | 2 | 5 | 5.9% |
| 2015 | A.J. Green, CIN | 86 | 1,297 | 15.1 | 10 | 5 | 5.8% |
| 2014 | Dez Bryant, DAL | 88 | 1,320 | 15.0 | 16 | 5 | 5.7% |
| 2017 | Adam Thielen, MINN | 91 | 1,276 | 14.0 | 4 | 5 | 5.5% |
| 2013 | Antonio Brown, PIT | 110 | 1,499 | 13.6 | 8 | 6 | 5.5% |
| 2013 | Demaryius Thomas, DEN | 92 | 1,430 | 15.5 | 14 | 5 | 5.4% |
| 2014 | Demaryius Thomas, DEN | 111 | 1,619 | 14.6 | 11 | 6 | 5.4% |
| 2016 | Doug Baldwin, SEA | 94 | 1,128 | 12.0 | 7 | 5 | 5.3% |
| 2014 | Golden Tate, DET | 99 | 1,331 | 13.4 | 4 | 5 | 5.1% |
| 2015 | Brandon Marshall, NYJ | 109 | 1,502 | 13.8 | 14 | 5 | 4.6% |
| 2015 | Julio Jones, ATL | 136 | 1,871 | 13.8 | 8 | 5 | 3.7% |
—Ian Allan