There were six wideouts selected in the first round this year, and seven more in the second. I notice that three of the teams that drafted wide receivers early this year also used early picks last year: San Francisco, Indianapolis and Philadelphia. Deebo Samuel was a hit; Parris Campbell (pictured) and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside weren't. Should people be giving up on last year's disappointments?
Neither Arcega-Whiteside, Campbell nor Arizona's Andy Isabella reached 200 yards last season. (Contrasting with the other second-rounders: Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf and Mecole Hardman, all of whom had noteworthy rookie seasons.) Campbell was hurt half the year, Isabella was buried in Arizona, Arcega-Whiteside barely got on the field. What are the chances one or two of them will be significant players in 2020?
Over the last 20 years, there have been 47 second-round wideouts who, like those three players, finished under 400 receiving yards in their rookie seasons. In year 2, just about 20 percent of those players (nine) put up notable receiving numbers; over 500 yards. As luck would have it, the very best of those guys is Arcega-Whiteside's teammate in Philadelphia. And another of the best did it just last year, and it seemed just as unlikely at this time a year ago (DJ Chark).
| SECOND-ROUND WIDEOUTS, YEAR 2 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | No | Yards | TD | Rookie |
| 2012 | 45 | Alshon Jeffery | 89 | 1421 | 7 | 24-367-3 |
| 2001 | 36 | Chad Johnson | 69 | 1166 | 5 | 28-329-1 |
| 2018 | 61 | DJ Chark | 73 | 1008 | 8 | 14-174-0 |
| 2011 | 64 | Randall Cobb | 80 | 954 | 8 | 25-375-1 |
| 2018 | 60 | James Washington | 44 | 735 | 3 | 16-217-1 |
| 2017 | 37 | Zay Jones | 56 | 652 | 7 | 27-316-2 |
| 2012 | 63 | Rueben Randle | 41 | 611 | 6 | 19-298-3 |
| 2000 | 36 | Todd Pinkston | 42 | 586 | 4 | 10-181-0 |
| 2007 | 51 | Steve Smith | 57 | 574 | 1 | 8-63-0 |
| 2013 | 34 | Justin Hunter | 28 | 498 | 3 | 18-354-4 |
| 2017 | 40 | Curtis Samuel | 39 | 494 | 7 | 15-115-0 |
| 2005 | 61 | Vincent Jackson | 27 | 453 | 6 | 3-59-0 |
| 2010 | 39 | Arrelious Benn | 30 | 441 | 3 | 25-395-2 |
| 2010 | 60 | Golden Tate | 35 | 382 | 3 | 21-227-0 |
| 2008 | 51 | Malcolm Kelly | 25 | 347 | 0 | 3-18-0 |
| 2004 | 50 | Devery Henderson | 22 | 343 | 3 | 0-0-0 |
| 2012 | 43 | Stephen Hill | 24 | 342 | 1 | 21-252-3 |
| 2010 | 36 | Dexter McCluster | 46 | 328 | 1 | 21-209-1 |
| 2008 | 34 | Devin Thomas | 25 | 325 | 3 | 15-120-1 |
| 2008 | 36 | Jordy Nelson | 22 | 320 | 2 | 33-366-2 |
| 2005 | 55 | Roscoe Parrish | 23 | 320 | 3 | 15-148-1 |
| 2009 | 36 | Brian Robiskie | 29 | 310 | 3 | 7-106-0 |
| 2002 | 46 | Tim Carter | 26 | 309 | 0 | 2-37-0 |
| 2012 | 33 | Brian Quick | 18 | 302 | 2 | 11-156-2 |
| 2001 | 41 | Robert Ferguson | 22 | 293 | 3 | 0-0-0 |
| 2005 | 39 | Mark Bradley | 14 | 282 | 3 | 18-230-0 |
| 2006 | 44 | Sinorice Moss | 21 | 225 | 0 | 5-25-0 |
| 2000 | 47 | Jerry Porter | 19 | 220 | 0 | 1-6-0 |
| 2003 | 44 | Taylor Jacobs | 16 | 178 | 0 | 3-37-1 |
| 2003 | 45 | Bethel Johnson | 10 | 174 | 2 | 16-209-3 |
| 2007 | 44 | Sidney Rice | 15 | 141 | 4 | 31-396-4 |
| 2007 | 45 | Dwayne Jarrett | 10 | 119 | 0 | 6-73-0 |
| 2012 | 54 | Ryan Broyles | 8 | 85 | 0 | 22-310-2 |
| 2002 | 48 | Reche Caldwell | 8 | 80 | 0 | 22-208-3 |
| 2014 | 56 | Cody Latimer | 6 | 59 | 1 | 2-23-0 |
| 2014 | 45 | Paul Richardson | 1 | 40 | 0 | 29-271-1 |
| 2004 | 54 | Darius Watts | 2 | 22 | 0 | 31-385-1 |
| 2015 | 37 | Devin Smith | 1 | 20 | 0 | 9-115-1 |
| 2003 | 60 | Tyrone Calico | 2 | 13 | 0 | 18-297-4 |
| 2008 | 41 | James Hardy | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9-87-2 |
| 2008 | 53 | Limas Sweed | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6-64-0 |
| 2006 | 36 | Chad Jackson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13-152-3 |
| 2005 | 58 | Terrence Murphy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5-36-0 |
| 2008 | 46 | Jerome Simpson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-2-0 |
| 2019 | 62 | Andy Isabella | ? | ? | ? | 9-189-1 |
| 2019 | 57 | JJ Arcega-Whiteside | ? | ? | ? | 10-169-1 |
| 2019 | 59 | Parris Campbell | ? | ? | ? | 18-127-1 |
So not great odds for these guys. Isabella could have a tough time on a team that traded for DeAndre Hopkins and still has Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk. Campbell and Arcega-Whiteside need to compete with the wideouts their teams just drafted, Michael Pittman in Indianapolis and Jalen Reagor in Philadelphia.
Long-term, I notice a few players who didn't reach that 500-yard mark in Year 2 but eventually emerged as more significant contributors. Vincent Jackson, Golden Tate and Jordy Nelson all needed a little more seasoning.
Maybe one of these guys will be the next Jeffery or Chark, but the odds aren't really favorable.
--Andy Richardson