So N'Keal Harry has formally requested a trade from the New England Patriots. This is interesting, in that Harry and his agent are apparently oblivious to the fact that the Patriots have, by various reports, been trying to trade him for the past year or more. We can find a couple of highlight plays he made as a rookie, but by any measure he's been a bust.
About the kindest thing that can be said for Harry is that while he's been a high-profile bust, he hasn't exactly been an anomaly lately. In general, it's been a disappointing past few years for first-round wideouts.
The last really good year for the position seems to be 2014. That year produced Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham, Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin. Watkins has been a disappointment, Benjamin is trying to stick in the league as a bottom-of-the-roster tight end, and Beckham has battled injuries lately. And yet, those five players have combined for 17 top-20 seasons (PPR) over the last seven years. That's a far cry from what first-rounders selected since then have done.
From 2015 through 2020, there were 23 wide receivers drafted in the first round. Those players have combined for a total of 9 top-20 seasons, out of 79 total years that made it into our files. Nearly half (4) were by Amari Cooper. Other clear hits from those seasons include Calvin Ridley and Justin Jefferson, with DeVante Parker and DJ Moore also turning in a fine season or two. But the vast majority have flopped hard: Harry, John Ross, Corey Coleman, Phillip Dorsett, Laquon Treadwell, Josh Doctson, Kevin White.
For some of the below players, most notably 2020's first-rounders, it's early. For many, it already looks too late. Table is ordered by performance (PPR) in each of the last six seasons.
| 1ST-ROUND WIDE RECEIVERS, 2015-2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Rk |
| 2020 | Calvin Ridley, Atl. | 143 | 90 | 1374 | 15.3 | 9 | 5 |
| 2020 | Justin Jefferson, Min. | 125 | 88 | 1400 | 15.9 | 7 | 6 |
| 2019 | Amari Cooper, Dall. | 119 | 79 | 1189 | 15.1 | 8 | 10 |
| 2019 | DeVante Parker, Mia. | 128 | 72 | 1202 | 16.7 | 9 | 11 |
| 2016 | Amari Cooper, Oak. | 132 | 83 | 1153 | 13.9 | 5 | 15 |
| 2020 | Amari Cooper, Dall. | 130 | 92 | 1114 | 12.1 | 5 | 15 |
| 2019 | DJ Moore, Car. | 135 | 87 | 1175 | 13.5 | 4 | 16 |
| 2018 | Amari Cooper, 2TM | 107 | 75 | 1005 | 13.4 | 7 | 19 |
| 2018 | Calvin Ridley, Atl. | 92 | 64 | 821 | 12.8 | 10 | 20 |
| 2015 | Amari Cooper, Oak. | 130 | 72 | 1070 | 14.9 | 6 | 21 |
| 2020 | CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 111 | 74 | 935 | 12.6 | 5 | 22 |
| 2017 | Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 95 | 62 | 768 | 12.4 | 8 | 23 |
| 2020 | DJ Moore, Car. | 118 | 66 | 1193 | 18.1 | 4 | 25 |
| 2019 | Calvin Ridley, Atl. | 93 | 63 | 866 | 13.8 | 7 | 27 |
| 2018 | Corey Davis, Ten. | 112 | 65 | 891 | 13.7 | 4 | 29 |
| 2020 | Corey Davis, Ten. | 92 | 65 | 984 | 15.1 | 5 | 29 |
| 2020 | Will Fuller, Hou. | 75 | 53 | 879 | 16.6 | 8 | 32 |
| 2018 | Mike Williams (Clemson), LAC | 66 | 43 | 664 | 15.4 | 10 | 33 |
| 2018 | Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 97 | 64 | 736 | 11.5 | 4 | 34 |
| 2020 | Nelson Agholor, L.V. | 82 | 48 | 896 | 18.7 | 8 | 34 |
| 2020 | Brandon Aiyuk, S.F. | 96 | 60 | 748 | 12.5 | 5 | 35 |
| 2020 | Marquise Brown, Balt. | 100 | 58 | 769 | 13.3 | 8 | 36 |
| 2018 | DJ Moore, Car. | 82 | 55 | 788 | 14.3 | 2 | 36 |
| 2017 | Amari Cooper, Oak. | 96 | 48 | 680 | 14.2 | 7 | 36 |
| 2020 | DeVante Parker, Mia. | 103 | 63 | 793 | 12.6 | 4 | 40 |
| 2019 | Mike Williams, LAC | 90 | 49 | 1001 | 20.4 | 2 | 41 |
| 2020 | Jerry Jeudy, Den. | 113 | 52 | 856 | 16.5 | 3 | 45 |
| 2019 | Marquise Brown, Balt. | 71 | 46 | 584 | 12.7 | 7 | 46 |
| 2020 | Mike Williams, LAC | 85 | 48 | 756 | 15.8 | 5 | 48 |
| 2016 | DeVante Parker, Mia. | 87 | 56 | 744 | 13.3 | 4 | 50 |
| 2019 | Breshad Perriman, T.B. | 69 | 36 | 645 | 17.9 | 6 | 51 |
| 2017 | DeVante Parker, Mia. | 96 | 57 | 670 | 11.8 | 1 | 52 |
| 2019 | Will Fuller, Hou. | 71 | 49 | 670 | 13.7 | 3 | 54 |
| 2017 | Josh Doctson, Was. | 78 | 35 | 502 | 14.3 | 6 | 57 |
| 2016 | Will Fuller, Hou. | 92 | 47 | 635 | 13.5 | 2 | 61 |
| 2017 | Will Fuller, Hou. | 50 | 28 | 423 | 15.1 | 7 | 61 |
| 2019 | Corey Davis, Ten. | 69 | 43 | 601 | 14.0 | 2 | 64 |
| 2018 | Josh Doctson, Was. | 78 | 44 | 532 | 12.1 | 2 | 67 |
| 2018 | Will Fuller, Hou. | 45 | 32 | 503 | 15.7 | 4 | 69 |
| 2019 | Phillip Dorsett, N.E. | 54 | 29 | 397 | 13.7 | 5 | 71 |
| 2019 | John Ross, Cin. | 56 | 28 | 506 | 18.1 | 3 | 74 |
| 2019 | Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 69 | 39 | 363 | 9.3 | 3 | 75 |
| 2016 | Breshad Perriman, Balt. | 66 | 33 | 499 | 15.1 | 3 | 77 |
| 2020 | Breshad Perriman, NYJ | 60 | 30 | 505 | 16.8 | 3 | 78 |
| 2015 | DeVante Parker, Mia. | 50 | 26 | 494 | 19.0 | 3 | 78 |
| 2016 | Phillip Dorsett, Ind. | 59 | 33 | 528 | 16.0 | 2 | 79 |
| 2016 | Corey Coleman, Cle. | 73 | 33 | 413 | 12.5 | 3 | 82 |
| 2017 | Corey Davis, Ten. | 65 | 34 | 375 | 11.0 | 0 | 85 |
| 2018 | John Ross, Cin. | 58 | 21 | 210 | 10.0 | 7 | 86 |
| 2016 | Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 69 | 36 | 365 | 10.1 | 2 | 86 |
| 2018 | Phillip Dorsett, N.E. | 42 | 32 | 290 | 9.1 | 3 | 88 |
| 2020 | Henry Ruggs, L.V. | 43 | 26 | 452 | 17.4 | 2 | 89 |
| 2020 | Jalen Reagor, Phil. | 54 | 31 | 396 | 12.8 | 1 | 91 |
| 2017 | Corey Coleman, Cle. | 58 | 23 | 305 | 13.3 | 2 | 92 |
| 2018 | Laquon Treadwell, Min. | 53 | 35 | 302 | 8.6 | 1 | 94 |
| 2020 | N'Keal Harry, N.E. | 57 | 33 | 309 | 9.4 | 2 | 98 |
| 2015 | Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 44 | 23 | 283 | 12.3 | 1 | 101 |
| 2018 | Breshad Perriman, Cle. | 25 | 16 | 340 | 21.3 | 2 | 103 |
| 2018 | DeVante Parker, Mia. | 47 | 24 | 309 | 12.9 | 1 | 107 |
| 2015 | Phillip Dorsett, Ind. | 39 | 18 | 225 | 12.5 | 1 | 110 |
| 2017 | Laquon Treadwell, Min. | 35 | 20 | 200 | 10.0 | 0 | 121 |
| 2016 | Kevin White, Chi. | 36 | 19 | 187 | 9.8 | 0 | 122 |
| 2019 | N'Keal Harry, N.E. | 24 | 12 | 105 | 8.8 | 2 | 124 |
| 2017 | Phillip Dorsett, N.E. | 18 | 12 | 194 | 16.2 | 0 | 127 |
| 2019 | Laquon Treadwell, Min. | 16 | 9 | 184 | 20.4 | 1 | 135 |
| 2017 | Mike Williams, LAC | 23 | 11 | 95 | 8.6 | 0 | 139 |
| 2017 | Breshad Perriman, Balt. | 35 | 10 | 77 | 7.7 | 0 | 145 |
| 2020 | Laquon Treadwell, Atl. | 7 | 6 | 49 | 8.2 | 2 | 156 |
| 2018 | Kevin White, Chi. | 8 | 4 | 92 | 23.0 | 0 | 164 |
| 2018 | Corey Coleman, NYG | 8 | 5 | 71 | 14.2 | 0 | 165 |
| 2016 | Josh Doctson, Was. | 6 | 2 | 66 | 33.0 | 0 | 169 |
| 2016 | Laquon Treadwell, Min. | 3 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 187 |
| 2017 | Kevin White, Chi. | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 189 |
| 2017 | John Ross, Cin. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 199 | |
| 2020 | John Ross, Cin. | 7 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 203 |
| 2019 | Josh Doctson, Min. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 226 | |
| 2020 | Kevin White, S.F. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235 | |
| 2015 | Breshad Perriman, Balt. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | |
| 2015 | Kevin White, Chi. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | |
Harry will be on another team this season. Maybe New England suckers some team into giving up a mid-round pick; the Texans have been popular destinations for other teams' disappointments in recent years. He's only had two poor seasons, so maybe there's a Nelson Agholor type revival in his future.
But just as likely he's the next Ross or White, getting a look-see with some other team but never being the player he was in college. Very optimistic to imagine he makes an impact anywhere.
--Andy Richardson