10 WORST NFL WIDE RECEIVERS DRAFTED IN THE LAST DECADE

BY ADAM GREENE

Few things rile up a fanbase like a team whiffing on a first round pick. Draft busts are part of the process and, if you do the math on the actual real world consistent value of a first round pick, it’s probably always smarter to trade them away for future talent.

Wasting a first round pick on a worthless player is a franchise killing move. But, here’s the thing. You can’t blame the player that busted out.

No, it’s the general managers and talking heads that overestimated his ability and drafted him based on what they’d manufactured in their own imaginations over what he’d actually shown on film. You might hear this referred to as a player’s “ceiling.” Make no mistake. That word is a meaningless fantasy term. They might as well talk about his ability to conjure a unicorn.

So, yeah, it’s the team that blew the draft. Some player shows up at the combine, buff and trained to run a fast 40 and exercises well in front of everybody. Now he’s on everyone’s draft radar when he has pedestrian tape against subpar opponents. This is how a guy like Zach Wilson gets taken No. 2 overall at QB.

But we’re not talking about bad quarterback selections here. We’re talking about the worst first round busts out of the last decade’s wide receiver class.

10. COREY DAVIS, WR, TENNESSEE TITANS

Selected: No. 5 overall, 2017 NFL Draft

Best Season: 2020: 65 receptions, 984 yards, five touchdowns

Career: 241 receptions, 3,343 yards, 15 touchdowns

Of all the guys on the list, Coleman has had the best career. Considering he was taken in the first round and never once put up a 1,000 yard season should show you how bad it’s going to get as we go down the list. Davis’ numbers in his best seasons are OK for WR2. After his 2020 season, when everyone thought he might have put it together, he chased a check to New York and promptly faceplanted again.

What makes it worse is the quality at WR taken later in the draft, especially from rounds three on. One of those guys, Cooper Kupp, just won the NFL’s Triple Crown and was named Super Bowl MVP.

The Titans could have taken: Mike Williams (No. 7, LAC), JuJu Smith-Schuster (No. 62, PIT), Cooper Kup (No. 69, LAR), Kenny Golladay (No. 96, DET), Dede Westbrook (No. 110, JAX), Josh Reynolds (No. 117, LAR)

9. JALEN REAGOR, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Selected: No. 21 overall, 2020

Best Season: 2021: 33 catches, 299 yards, two touchdowns

Career: 64 receptions, 695 yards, three touchdowns

Reagor still has time to turn it around, but the Eagles don’t seem especially eager to give him the chance on their roster. Like Coleman, Reagor’s early career stumbles are compounded by the success of the guys taken after him.

This was a deep draft full of talent that the Eagles missed on way early, with receivers taken as late as the seventh round blowing by Reagor.

The Eagles could have taken: Justin Jefferson (No. 22, MIN), Brandon Aiyuk (No. 25, SF), Tee Higgins (No. 33, CIN), Michael Pittman Jr. (No. 43, IND), Laviska Shenault, Jr. (No. 42, JAX), Chase Claypool (No. 49, PIT), Van Jefferson (No. 57, LAR), Gabriel Davis (No. 128, BUF), Donovan Peoples-Jones (No. 187, CLE), Juan Jennings (No. 217, SF)

8. LAQUON TREADWELL, MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Selected: No. 23 overall, 2016

Best Season: 2021: 33 catches, 434 yards, one touchdown

Career: 104 catches, 1,184 yards, five touchdowns

You can forgive the Vikings for turning in Treadwell’s card in 2016. The guy looked like a sure thing in the NFL, which is why he’s managed to hang around the league in the six years since in spite of his low production.

While this draft wasn’t especially deep, the talent taken later is some of the best in the league. Michael Thomas was the 2019 offensive player of the year and Tyreek Hill has been a consistent Top Five receiver and a Super Bowl champion.

The Vikings could have taken: Sterling Shepard (No. 40, NYG), Michael Thomas (No. 47, NO), Tyler Boyd (No. 55, CIN), Tyreek Hill (No. 165, KAN)

7. TAVON AUSTIN, ST, LOUIS RAMS

Selected: No. 8 overall, 2013

Best Season: 2016: 58 catches, 509 yards, three touchdowns

Career: 244 catches, 2,239 yards, 16 touchdowns

Of all the things Jeff Fisher is terrible at, and there are plenty, it’s judging first round offensive talent outside of the running back position that might be the Achilles heel to his already Achilles heel of a career. Not only did Fisher trade up to get Austin over every other wide receiver taken after him, he gave him a second contract even though he never came close to even a 600 yard season.

Like Treadwell, Austin’s athleticism has kept him a job in the NFL since busting out, but he’s more of a gadget guy and special teams player.

The Rams could have taken: DeAndre Hopkins (No. 27, HOU), Cordarerelle Patterson (No. 29, MIN), Robert Woods (No. 41, BUF), Terrance Williams (No. 74, DAL), Keenan Allen (No. 76, LAC), Kenny Stills (No. 144, NO)

6. N’KEAL HARRY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Selected: No. 32 overall, 2019

Best Season: 2020: 33 catches, 309 yards, two touchdowns

Career: 57 catches, 598 yards, four touchdowns

Yes, the Super Genius Bill Belichick outsmarted himself on this one as Harry was the second wide receiver taken in the draft behind Marquise Brown with the rest of the guys below still on the table.

Harry is so far into the dog house the Pats might end up cutting him before the season if they can’t find a trade partner for a low round pick. On the bright side for Harry, he does have a Super Bowl ring.

The Patriots could have taken: Deebo Samuel (No. 36, SF), A.J. Brown (No. 51, TEN), Mecole Hardman (No. 56, KAN), DK Metcalf (No. 64, SEA), Diontae Johnson (No. 66, PIT), Terry McLaurin (No. 76, WAS), Hunter Renfrow (No. 149, LV)

5. JOHN ROSS, CINCINNATI BENGALS

Selected: No. 9 overall, 2017

Best Season: 2019: 28 catches, 506 yards, three touchdowns

Career: 62 catches, 957 yards, 11 touchdowns

There should have been a solid restructuring of the NFL’s scouting system after that 2017 draft considering how badly the “experts” had flubbed for three consecutive seasons. Two of the top three wide receivers taken in 2017 ended up on this list, with only Mike Williams selected at No. 7 living up to his draft potential.

Ross’ straight line speed will likely keep him a job in the league. He caught just 11 passes last season, but averaged 20.4 yards per catch.

The Bengals could have taken: JuJu Smith-Schuster (No. 62, PIT), Cooper Kup (No. 69, LAR), Kenny Golladay (No. 96, DET), Dede Westbrook (No. 110, JAX), Josh Reynolds (No. 117, LAR)

4. JOSH DOCTSON, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Selected: No. 22 overall, 2016

Best Season: 2017: 35 catches, 502 yards, six touchdowns

Career: 81 catches, 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns

Doctson flamed out in spite of playing with stat monster Kirk Cousins for two seasons and under then offensive coordinator Sean McVay for one. McVay, as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, never so much as picked up the phone on Doctson as a free agent in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Doctson was snatched up by the New York Jets in 2020, but opted out due to COVID-19. He spent a little over a month on Arizona’s practice squad last season and is currently out of the NFL.

The Commanders could have taken: Sterling Shepard (No. 40, NYG), Michael Thomas (No. 47, NO), Tyler Boyd (No. 55, CIN), Tyreek Hill (No. 165, KAN)

3. COREY COLEMAN, CLEVELAND BROWNS

Selected: No. 15 overall, 2016

Best Season: 2016: 33 catches, 413 yards, three touchdowns

Career: 61 catches, 789 yards, five touchdowns

Of all the Sashi Brown picks for the Cleveland Browns, Corey Coleman was the Sashi Brown-iest. Again, consecutive multiple first round wide receiver busts in 2015, 2016 and 2017 should have served as a real wake up call for the industry. Frankly, that entire 2016 first round was pretty rough.

Coleman hasn’t caught a pass in the NFL since 2018, though he’s still floating around on practice squads and the far end of rosters. After getting suspended for PEDs for six games in 2021 and sitting out the entire year, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason.

The Commanders could have taken: Sterling Shepard (No. 40, NYG), Michael Thomas (No. 47, NO), Tyler Boyd (No. 55, CIN), Tyreek Hill (No. 165, KAN)

2. KEVIN WHITE, CHICAGO BEARS, 2015

Selected: No. 7 overall, 2015

Best Season: 19 catches, 187 yards, no touchdowns

Career: 26 catches, 323 yards, no touchdowns

The 2015 first round wide receiver class was so bad it probably deserves its own article. It was terrible after the first WR taken, Amari Cooper. Perennial roster hanger-ons like DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman and Phillip Dorsett all went in the first and, to be fair, are still productive players in the league. They just didn’t come close to living up to their first round pedigree.

White is in a class all by himself. His career numbers are a shock to see put together. Brandon Marshall once caught 21 passes in a game. Flipper Anderson had 336 receiving yards in a single game. That’s White’s entire SEVEN year NFL career.

He’s still in the NFL, which is maybe the most startling fact about his completely forgettable career. He spent last season with the Saints and was re-signed to a futures contract this offseason in spite of catching all of one pass in 2021.

The irony of this overrated to downright disastrous first round is the quality that landed down the line the draft. Tyler Lockett, Jamison Crowder and especially Stefon Diggs are some of the best wideouts in the NFL. Darren Waller, after dealing with his off the field issues, is one of the best tight ends in the NFL.

The Commanders could have taken: DeVante Parker (No. 14, MIA), Nelson Agholor (No. 20, PHI), Breshad Perriman (No. 26, BAL), Phillip Dorsett (No. 29, IND), Tyler Lockett (No. 69, SEA), Chris Conley (No. 76, KAN), Jamison Crowder (No. 105, WAS), Stefon Diggs (No. 146, MIN), Darren Waller (No. 204, BAL)

1. HENRY RUGGS III, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS, 2020

Selected: No. 12 overall, 2020

Best Season: 2021: 24 receptions, 469 yards, two touchdowns

Career: 50 catches, 921 yards, four touchdowns

After a disastrous rookie season, Ruggs was looking in every way like the first round talent he was projected as coming out of Alabama last season. We all know what happened after that. It was a senseless and horrible tragedy that will probably just be made worse when some NFL team offers Ruggs a contract after he gets out of the slammer.

While there are less talented players who fooled the scouts, Ruggs was proving them right until he made a fateful off the field decision that got a woman killed and will probably land him in prison for one to six years.

The Raiders had two first round picks in 2020 and used them both on guys they’ve now cut from the team not even two full seasons later. Cornerback Damon Arnette, who was already tracking to be a bust on the field, was cut after the public release of a video of him waving around guns and making death threats. He got another shot with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseaosn, but didn’t make it a month before getting arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a controlled substance.

Jon Gruden obviously ran a tight ship in Vegas and how any scout in their front office remains employed in the NFL should be a mystery to everyone.

The Raiders could have taken: Jerry Jeudy (No. 15, DEN), Justin Jefferson (No. 22, MIN), Brandon Aiyuk (No. 25, SF), Tee Higgins (No. 33, CIN), Michael Pittman Jr. (No. 43, IND), Laviska Shenault, Jr. (No. 42, JAX), Chase Claypool (No. 49, PIT), Van Jefferson (No. 57, LAR), Gabriel Davis (No. 128, BUF), Donovan Peoples-Jones (No. 187, CLE), Juan Jennings (No. 217, SF)

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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