Quote:
Originally Posted by scott free
What you, and apparently others, seem to not be considering... is that rookie WR's almost NEVER produce a big impact their rookie year, there are just too many intricacies at the position for most rookies to pick up right away.
Those of us wanting an upgrade in free agency, within reason, are trying to skip that long process because we're in WIN NOW mode... we don't have time to groom the next big thing on the fly.
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The 5 that I can really see making an impact their rookie year would be:
1. Watkins- obvious reasons. He has great tools at his disposal.
2. Odell Beckham- stick him in the slot and let him work his way into a perimeter role from there. In the meantime, I would take him over every nickle corner in the league 9 times out of 10 as a rookie.
3. Brandin Cooks- same thing as Beckham, although I believe he will be his most effective if allowed to work from the slot for his entire career. He should be able to contribute immediately as a slot WR. As for whether or not he could succeed on the outside in the long run, that remains to be seen.
4. Mike Evans- Not a polished receiver by any means but he is a naturally dominant pass catcher, that's something you can't really teach. He'll be fine as a Red Zone target early on.
5. Jordan Matthews- it's his work ethic more than his physical tool set that convinces me of this. He will struggle the most out of these 5 as a rookie but he may also end up being the best when it is all said and done. He can produce from the slot as a rookie but will need a bit more time to come into his own as an outside guy.
Of course, this also depends on what kind of offense and QB they are going to be playing with.
If you take Watkins, Beckham, Cooks, or Matthews and stick them in the slot for us they will be getting a ton of targets, 2nd only to Bowe. It also really comes down to whether or not they can gain Smith's trust as well. We all saw Smith take more chances with Bowe as the year progressed. I think you can expect that to happen more often this season as he grows even more comfortable.
I would put Lee up here if he didn't have that Junior season that he did.