Best & Worst WR Picks From Each NFL Draft (2000-2024)

ah the NFL draft I can't believe you guys are booing the Cowboys come on a time of importance for NFL franchises to get the pick right and that could completely turn around the franchise forever or get the pick wrong and you're doomed for 10 more years of failure Scouts do their best to evaluate talent for their organization But ultimately it's just a crapshoot the wide receiver position is one of the most difficult to evaluate every single year with the challenge of picking the best pass catcher of the entire draft class it's rarely the first one selected so let's go over the best and worst wide receivers taken in every draft since 2000 welcome to the first NFL college player draft of the New Millennium kicking things off for us is the 2000 draft class which had two great wide receivers but also two receivers that went in completely polar opposite directions let's start with Plaxico burus with the pick at number eight burus was a consistent producer in the NFL amassing over 8,000 yards and 64 touchdowns including one crucial score in Super Bowl 42 in which the Giants beat the New England Patriots Manning loves it bis alone touchdown New York the wide receiver taken four selections before him though will go down as our first big bust the corner he to be revers fi inside the 3 war is going to score [Applause] Peter war was the fourth overall selection in the 2000 draft but fell well short of the hype he never topped more than 819 yards and was out of the league after just six seasons good afternoon welcome to the 2001 NFL college player draft now in 2001 it featured several high-profile names including Steve Smith Cad choso and Santana Moss but the most successful of the lot was Was Won by the name of Reggie Wayne who was taken with the 30th overall pick after a slow start to his career Wayne went on to post 14,34 yards and 82 touchdowns earning himself an allp Pro selection and six Pro bowls he led the league in receiving in 2007 and won a Super Bowl with the Colts who he spent his entire 14-year career with at the other end of the spectrum though we have David Terrell who was taken eighth overall by the Bears for whom he collected just 1,00 62 yards across His Four Seasons and never played another snap of ball good afternoon good afternoon to football fans here and around the nation welcome to the 2002 National Football League college player draft in 2002 the best value didn't arrive until pick number 62 when Antoine Randall L was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers it honestly was a relatively subdued class this year with Randall Landing as the best receiver taken despite never topping 1,000 yards throughout his career though Randall collected 4,467 yards across nine Seasons but he did get an all pro selection in 2005 and was nominated to the all rookie team in 2002 he also managed to NAB a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2005 taken over 40 picks before him though was Ashley lelay who was drafted by Denver in the first round to be a Difference Maker instead the dude just lasted 4 years with the team before bouncing around the league in a mass in just 742 yards from his final three seasons and now in 2003 there was a lot of hype building around this wide receiver class but we don't have to go past pick number three to get our first Hall of Fame pick from this draft class Andre Johnson came off the board with the third pick becoming a Houston Texan he was a Surefire stud from the get-go posting 14,18 yards in 70 touchdowns across 14 seasons in the NFL he earned two All Pro selections seven Pro bows and led the league in receptions and receiving yards twice his legendary status was solidified by being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024 Andre Johnson on behalf of the Pro Football Hall of fank and ER every Hall of Famer that's ever played this game we want to welcome you to football Heen welcome the wide receiver taken before Johnson though might go down as the biggest bust we've ever seen at the position Charles rogers's career was marred by injuries and legal issues with the white out playing Just 15 games in his entire career which span just three seasons tragically Rogers died at the age of just 38 thank [Applause] you thank you and now we open the uh 2004 college draft one year after Hall of Famer Andre Johnson entered the league another potential Hall of Famer arrived in the form of Larry Fitzgerald just like Johnson he was taken third overall This Time by the Cardinals bits went on to compete for 17 NFL seasons racking up 17,4 192 yards and 121 touchdowns for his efforts fitzg has earned an all pro selection 11 Pro bowls and was named to the 2010's all decade team and the 100th anniversary team also taken in the top 10 of that year was Reggie Williams who fell well short of the production that they were hoping for after not passing 450 yards in his first two seasons Williams hit a career best 629 yards in 2007 he did score 10 touchdowns that year but dropped back to just 364 yards in his Fifth and final year in the league good afternoon to football fans here and around the nation welcome to the Jacob javitz Convention Center in New York City and to the 2005 National Football League college draft the 2005 draft class featured the best wide receiver taken at pick six his name is Rodney White and he went on to become the Atlanta Falcons leading receiver until he was passed by Julio Jones White posted six consecutive 1,000 yard seasons earning four Pro bowls in one all proo selection he was a consistent producer for Atlanta which cannot be said about Troy Williamson who went seventh overall but I mean hey when you have to fill the shoes of Randy Moss I don't really ever think that's going to be an easy job to do but when you can't catch the ball that only makes it harder and they shut the door on him pretty quickly because of that in the 2006 draft class taken by the Broncos in the fourth round Brandon Marshall went on to pass 1,000 yards in eight seasons collecting over 12,000 yards and 83 touchdowns this resulted in six Pro bowls in an all pro selection in addition to the honor of co-leading the league in touchdowns in 2015 and our bad pick of this draft came at pick 44 when the giant selected soric Moss despite winning a Super Bowl ring with the team his time in New York was remembered more for his injuries he produced just 26 receptions for 230 yards across his first two seasons 2007 though brought us possibly the greatest wide receiver we've ever seen play the sport as 2007 marked the arrival of Calvin Johnson otherwise known as Megatron Johnson spent all nine years of his career in Detroit where I mean the dude was absolutely incredible pulls the trigger Johnson he collected 11,619 yards leading the league and receiving in both 2011 and 2012 his 1,964 yards in 2012 set a new NFL record he was a truly dominant Force passing 1,000 yards in all but two seasons in retiring as a legend in Detroit the only downside of his career is that he was on such a poor poor Lions team Here Comes dared Allen and he's out of bounds poor guy I don't even know if he realized it and that's a safety there were very few team achievements but I mean Megatron himself nabbed three all pros and six Pro Bowes in addition to being named to the 2010's all decade team but the guy who literally put no career even close to Calvin Johnson goes by the name of Craig Davis who was picked at 30 he had a very unremarkable career that lasted Just 4 years and produced am measly 558 yards over those four years and now in 200 Nate I'm going to go ahead and say it but I think that it produced the greatest deep threat that we've ever seen come into the sport in Deshawn Jackson he was taken with the 49th pick going on to notch 11,262 yards and 58 touchdowns primarily for Philadelphia and Washington Jackson's Elite Speed landed him a second Team all pro selection in three Pro bowls in our bus for 2008 I have absolutely no clue who he is in Donnie Avery but he was the first white out taken heading to the St Louis Rams with the second pick in the second round the dude struggled to make any sort of impact never surpassing 700 yards and finding himself out of the league after just six seasons now in the 2009 draft honestly there really weren't any good wide receivers in this draft class that I could find but one that did stand out to me that I always loves watching and just brings back some memories is Mike Wallace field converting 538 receptions into 8,072 yards in 57 touchdowns across his nine completed Seasons the wide receiver taken in 2009 with the most hype was Darius Hayward Bay who will unfortunately be the Undisputed bust of this class and I mean despite being the first white out taken Hayward Bay struggled with consistency and never pass the thousand yard Mark he managed to last somehow 10 years in the league but accumulated just 2,897 yards to show for it kicking off the next decade though in 2010 was Antonio Brown who had to wait until the sixth round yes Antonio Brown wasn't drafted until the sixth round of this draft I mean this was an absolutely loaded draft class with Demaryius Thomas Dez Bryant Emanuel Sanders and Golden Tate also being taken and I mean despite him being possibly I think the last or at least one of the last wide receivers taken in this draft he was by far the most productive of the lot as we all know most of his success came in Pittsburgh but it was with the Buccaneers in 2020 that he won his only this resulted in forall Pro selections Seven Pro bows in recognition in the 2010's all decade team and the opposite success was achieved by aelius Ben at the time he was drafted much higher than brown but fell miles miles short of production after being taken at the top of the second round Ben managed just five seasons in the NFL and never made it past a, yards and I mean honestly the 2010s produced some of the greatest wide receivers that we have seen play the sport and in 2011 was no different when Julio Jones was drafted and is going to be the star of this draft AJ Green went a couple spots before him making it a very special draft class but I mean Julio Jones was I mean the dude is just a physical specimen in entering the league he offered a size and speed combination that nobody had seen before he has produced 13,736 touchdowns in his career so far highlighted by a 2015 season that saw him lead the league with 136 receptions and 1,871 yards he also led the league in receiving in 2018 as Julio is now a two-time all proo player with seven Pro bowls as well at the other end of the spectrum we have Jonathan Baldwin who had a lot of off field injuries and just a lot of off field issues which made his pick at 26 by the Chiefs just completely useless pretty much good evening welcome to Prime Time in the 2012 NFL Draft in 2012 though Ty Hilton was by far the most productive receiver of that draft accumulating under just 10,000 yards 53 touchdowns and four proar after being taken in the third round and this next name I remember coming out of college he had some remarkable moments and I even thought was going to be good but for the bust of this draft we have to jump all the way up to the fifth overall selection where Justin Blackman was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars as I said I mean the dude had all the tools to succeed but constant legal issues completely derailed what could have been a promising career he was arrested for driving Under the Influence prior to his rookie season and then several other instances afterward meant that he played only 20 games as a professional it's just not what you want from a fifth overall pick 2013 though we start to see some guys that are actually currently still producing four teams in the league where we have DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen who have been the best producers from this draft class I mean in his 11 seasons in the NFL Hopkins has played for three teams and racked up 12,355 yards and 78 touchdowns he led all wide outs and touchdowns in 2017 with 13 of them also earning three all pros and five Pro Bowl selections the bust of the 2013 class has to be Tavon Austin though he was taken in the top 10 by the St Louis Rams and in the moment I mean it was honestly a strange pick by the Rams because he never really was going to be more than a gadget player so I don't know why they wasted a top 10 pick on Tavon Austin and I mean when you never surpass 509 yards in a season you're a certified bust and as I said before these upcoming draft classes are going to start to get stronger and stronger at the wide receiver position headlining a very very strong 2014 class is Devonte Adams who was taken after the likes of Mike Evans Odell Beckham Jr and Brandon Cooks and before Jarvis Landry like this is an epic wide receiver class and to have Devonte Adams be the best wide receiver from that class tells you all you need to know about him after a steady start to his career Adams has hit the 1,000 yard Mark in five of his last six seasons resulting in 10,781 yards and 95 touchdowns for his efforts Adams has earned three all Pros six Pro bowls and was the League's leading receiver in 2020 and 2022 the bust of this class has to be Kelvin Benjamin hands down I mean despite having a good rookie season he also has one of the most viral clips of all time with Booger McFarland saying this when you look at Kelvin Benjamin guys he's 6'5 he's 245 lbs he's probably a popey biscuit away from being a tight end and I mean honestly ever since that he's been really inconsistent and had a lot of injuries that have just honestly been the downfall of his career in 2015 though Stefon Diggs was the big name to emerge from the 2015 NFL draft evolving into one of the League's most talented pass catchers after being taken in the fifth round he is currently on a run of six consecutive 1,000 yard seasons which started in Minnesota continued in Buffalo and will now move to Houston he has posted 9,995 yards and 67 touchdowns earning an all pro and four Pro Bowl selections and the bust of this draft is one of the most most notable wide receiver bus we have all heard before in Kevin white I mean the dude literally was never not injured and because of that he played five games in total in his first two seasons in the league in his entire NFL career he's played am measly 27 games which has amounted for 397 yards like that's one of the worst stat lines you can ever have as a wide receiver 2016 though saw the arrival of Tyreek kill another late round selection who went on to become one of the League's best wide receivers his blazing speed has helped him register 10,139 yards in 76 touchdowns in his first eight seasons after starting his career in Kansas City and helping them win a Super Bowl in 2019 Hill has moved to Miami where he has posted two consecutive 1700 yard seasons as a dolphin his 1,799 yards in 2023 led the NFL as he has also had five all Pros in eight Pro bowls meaning that he has been selected in a Pro Bowl in every single season he has has played Michael Thomas is also another great selection you could have from this draft but I'm not going to say that because of what he did to the Saints realizing that he didn't need to play football in order to make money but that's a whole another story for a whole another time now on the polar opposite end of the spectrum we have Corey Coleman who was drafted as the 15th overall pick Cory Coleman yes just like you I have no clue who this is so we're moving on to 2017 in 2017 we saw the white boy that is just the greatest white wide receiver of all time I'm going to say it cuz despite recording just two seasons with over 1,000 yards Cooper cup has unquestionably established himself as one of the most skilled receivers in the NFL since his draft selection in 2017 injuries have plagued his career just a little bit but I mean his 2021 season will go down as one of the greatest wide receiver Seasons we have ever seen been put together cup led the league with 145 receptions 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns he also won the Super Bowl with the Rams in a game where he won the Super Bowl MVP award like I mean the dude literally did it all on the bus side of things we have John Ross who yes he did run the fastest 40 time that was eventually broken by Xavier worthy this year but besides that literally he jumped to like the eighth overall pick by the Bengals and then did nothing in his career the dude can just run really fast in a straight line and now I'm going to go on and say that the next four years of receivers is just uncomparable to any fouryear stretch we've had we just have great wide receiver class after Great Wide Receiver class after Great Wide Receiver class in this fouryear span from 2018 to 2022 there might be one that's a little hiccup but for the most part they've all been legit like I said 2018 was another good year for receivers with DJ Moore Calvin Ridley courland Sutton and Christian Kirk all being taken in the first two rounds Moore was the first taken and he has been the best of the lot notching 1,000 yards in four of his six seasons in the league his best came in 2023 posting 1,36 64 yards in his first year as a bear the bust pick of this goes by the name of Dante Pettis who was taken by the San Francisco 49ers and somehow wasn't successful in a Shanahan offensive system that's all that you need to know about this dude like if you're not successful in a Shanahan system you're just bad that's all 2019 was another very strong year with AJ Brown Maris Brown DK metf and Debo Samuel all entering the league the dominance of AJ Brown in Philadelphia bumps him up as the best wide receiver from this class taking his tally up to 5,947 yards and 42 touchdowns from his first 5 years during his young career Brown has earned two second Team all pros and three Pro Bowl selections Nel Harry was the second wide receiver taken with the final pick in the first round and his career has really never amassed to anything as a New England Patriot and and again when you're in an offensive system that really doesn't respect wide receivers it's tough to make a living in New England 2020 we saw Justin Jefferson cidd lamb Jerry Judy Brandon auk T Higgins and Michael Pitman all entering the fry like I said this is a truly Elite wide receiver Group which is exactly what Justin Jefferson made this group after just four years in the NFL he has collected 5,899 yards in 30 touchdowns winning the NFL offensive player of the year award for his League leading 1,89 yards in 2022 taken 10 picks before him was Henry rugs who pled guilty to driving Under the Influence resulting in a death and vehicle you know halfway through his freshman season so he's currently in prison and will never see the field again so moving on to 2021 in 2021 another LSU Superstar transitioned into the pro game with Jamar Chase being selected with the fifth overall pick by Cincinnati just like his former teammate Justin Jefferson Chase has taken the league by storm his 1,455 yards as a rookie earned him the offensive Rookie of the Year Award with two more 1,000 yard Pro Bowl seasons following that I mean again the 2021 class was full of great picks with Jaylen waddle Devonte Smith and Nico Collins all being selected but Dwayne Eskridge is the second round that stands out as the onebag pick by the Seahawks the 2022 wide receiver class was headlined by Garrett Wilson who became a New York Jet with the 10th overall pick in the first round Drake London and Chris alve went either side of him but Wilson's success as the offensive Rookie of the Year makes him the number one in the class there were four receivers taken in the top top 12 picks and it was Jameson Williams at 12 who was the bust I mean in all honesty he's really not even that big of a bust and can completely turn his career around as long as he stays healthy in Detroit now which brings us to our most recent wide receiver draft class the 2023 class in which it featured puka akua Jordan Addison Jackson Smith and jiga Jaden Reed rard LED all rookies and earned him a Pro Bowl in second Team all pro honors as a rookie like I mean hell had it not been for CJ strad this dude would have won the offensive Rookie of the Year award but you see his rookie story is the complete polar opposite of that of Quint Quinton Johnson who just cannot catch a football when it matters the most when your team needs you in the dying minutes of the game but good thing I have him on my Dynasty team because that's that's just fantastic For Me Right the dude that's not going to even play and is now in a JY Harbaugh scheme because now they're just going to turn around and hand the ball off 30 times a game okay moving on to this year's class the excitement surrounding the 2024 draft is completely through the roof Marvin Harrison Jr has for a long time been the consensus number one option but Malik neighbors is just as exciting offering an explosive package that will be very enticing to NFL teams there is a very valid argument to even take him before Harrison but I mean no matter your preference both would stand out as a clear-cut number one Prospect in the majority of wide receiver classes witnessed over the past decade after them you have Romo dun Who falls into a tier of his own in third place but would still stake a a strong claim as the number one option in most other drafts add in 20 other prospects that project to go in the first few days of the draft and this might be the greatest class of wide receivers the NFL has ever seen

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Id: 9dVJ7kbMUfg

Length: 22min 42sec (1362 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 19 2024