It was a good year for rookie receivers. Three of them went for 900-plus yards, and three others also have very bright futures. Overall, a much deep group than what’s typically seen.
A.J. Brown led the way with 1,051 yards and 9 TDs. His college teammate, DK Metcalf, also went over 1,000 yards if the postseason is included. Terry McLaurin caught 58 passes for 919 yards and 7 TDs despite being stuck on a lesser team.
Deebo Samuel, Darius Slayton and Diontae Johnson also had their moments, and all six of those receivers scored at least 6 TDs.
All six of those receivers scored over 165 points in PPR leagues. Only once in the last 10 years has there been another year (2014) with six such players. In the last eight other years combined, only 15 wide receivers have gone over 165 points.
Outside those first six (from 2019) another four receivers showed some potential. Hollywood Brown looks like he's going to be Baltimore's No. 1 wide receiver. Mecole Hardman looks like he could develop into an impact player; he was Kansas City’s 4th receiver in most games. Hunter Renfrow appeared to be developing into Oakland’s best wide receiver before being sidelined by a broken rib and lung injury. And Steven Sims had a couple of good games late in the year for Washington.
On the chart below, you’re seeing catches and receiving yards. The touchdowns includes those scored on runs and returns. And the points (PPR) includes rushing yards, even though those aren’t listed.
| ROOKIE RECEIVERS (last 10 years) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | No | Rec | Avg | TD | PPR |
| 2014 | Odell Beckham, NYG | 91 | 1,305 | 14.3 | 12 | 297.0 |
| 2016 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 92 | 1,137 | 12.4 | 9 | 259.7 |
| 2014 | Mike Evans, T.B. | 68 | 1,051 | 15.5 | 12 | 245.1 |
| 2014 | Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 73 | 1,008 | 13.8 | 9 | 227.8 |
| 2010 | Mike Williams, T.B. | 65 | 964 | 14.8 | 11 | 227.4 |
| 2013 | Keenan Allen, S.D. | 71 | 1,046 | 14.7 | 8 | 223.6 |
| 2016 | Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 61 | 593 | 9.7 | 12 | 219.0 |
| 2011 | A.J. Green, Cin. | 65 | 1,057 | 16.3 | 7 | 218.0 |
| 2019 | A.J. Brown, Ten. | 52 | 1,051 | 20.2 | 9 | 217.1 |
| 2015 | Amari Cooper, Oak. | 72 | 1,070 | 14.9 | 6 | 214.7 |
| 2018 | Calvin Ridley, Atl. | 64 | 821 | 12.8 | 10 | 208.8 |
| 2011 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 54 | 959 | 17.8 | 8 | 203.5 |
| 2014 | Jordan Matthews, Phil. | 67 | 872 | 13.0 | 8 | 202.2 |
| 2014 | Sammy Watkins, Buff. | 65 | 982 | 15.1 | 6 | 200.0 |
| 2017 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 58 | 917 | 15.8 | 8 | 197.7 |
| 2019 | DK Metcalf, Sea. | 58 | 900 | 15.5 | 7 | 193.1 |
| 2019 | Terry McLaurin, Was. | 58 | 919 | 15.8 | 7 | 191.9 |
| 2019 | Deebo Samuel, S.F. | 57 | 802 | 14.1 | 6 | 191.1 |
| 2014 | Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 84 | 758 | 9.0 | 5 | 189.4 |
| 2012 | T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 50 | 861 | 17.2 | 8 | 187.0 |
| 2012 | Justin Blackmon, Jac. | 64 | 865 | 13.5 | 5 | 184.8 |
| 2016 | Sterling Shepard, NYG | 65 | 683 | 10.5 | 8 | 184.4 |
| 2011 | Torrey Smith, Balt. | 50 | 841 | 16.8 | 7 | 180.0 |
| 2017 | Cooper Kupp, LAR | 62 | 869 | 14.0 | 5 | 178.9 |
| 2019 | Darius Slayton, NYG | 48 | 740 | 15.4 | 8 | 170.0 |
| 2015 | Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 51 | 664 | 13.0 | 8 | 167.4 |
| 2019 | Diontae Johnson, Pitt. | 59 | 680 | 11.5 | 6 | 167.1 |
| 2018 | DJ Moore, Car. | 55 | 788 | 14.3 | 2 | 163.0 |
| 2013 | Cordarrelle Patterson, Minn. | 45 | 469 | 10.4 | 9 | 161.7 |
| 2012 | Josh Gordon, Clev. | 50 | 805 | 16.1 | 5 | 160.5 |
| 2014 | Allen Hurns, Jac. | 51 | 677 | 13.3 | 6 | 154.7 |
| 2011 | Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 51 | 788 | 15.5 | 4 | 153.6 |
| 2012 | Kendall Wright, Tenn. | 64 | 626 | 9.8 | 4 | 151.0 |
| 2013 | Terrance Williams, Dall. | 44 | 736 | 16.7 | 5 | 150.0 |
| 2019 | also: Marquise Brown, Bal. | 46 | 584 | 12.7 | 7 | 146.4 |
| 2019 | also: Hunter Renfrow, Oak. | 49 | 605 | 12.4 | 4 | 133.5 |
| 2019 | also: Mecole Hardman, K.C. | 26 | 538 | 20.7 | 7 | 123.5 |
| 2019 | also: Steven Sims, Was. | 34 | 310 | 9.1 | 6 | 109.5 |
—Ian Allan