San Jose Bills Fan Posted April 19, 2009 Posted April 19, 2009 The top drafted wideouts from the 2008 draft. Avery, Royal, and Jackson had good seasons. Nelson was decent. Hardy and the other "big" receivers that the Bills were looking at (Hardy, Thomas, Kelly, and Sweed) all did virtually nothing. In fact Hardy had more yards than Sweed and Kelly combined. None of them are busts yet. A player can't be considered a bust after one season. Donnie Avery, Rams: 2nd round/33rd overall Avery started 12 games but had a very inconsistent rookie year. He hauled in 54 balls and totaled 684 yards with 3 receiving TDs (and one rushing TD). Not great, but not bad either. Showed flashes of someone who can have a bigger impact in year two. Grade: B Devin Thomas, Redskins: 2/34 A non-factor all season with just 15 receptions for 120 yards and no receiving TDs (1 rushing TD). He cracked the starting lineup just once, but is a prospect that could develop with more opportunities. Grade: D Jordy Nelson, Packers: 2/36 It’s tough to make an impact with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver entrenched as starters, but Nelson consistently caught 2-3 balls per week and finished with 366 yards on 33 catches and 2 TDs. Will continue to be featured in the three and four receiver sets, which Green Bay frequently uses. Grade: B- James Hardy, Bills: 2/41 Was highly touted because of his size, but he didn’t get involved in the offense very much (87 receiving yards all season), posting stats in just four of the 15 games he was active in. He tore his ACL in week 15 and will be questionable to start next season on time. His two receiving TDs were the only thing that kept his season from being a complete waste. Grade: D+ Eddie Royal, Broncos: 2/42 An impressive training camp thrust Royal into a starting role from the first week. He played in 15 games and quickly showed that he is the real deal (how about a Royal Flush?) catching 91 balls for 980 yards and five TDs. He was a great late round value or an even better early season free agent pick-up. Grade: A DeSean Jackson, Eagles: 2/49 Jackson caught the attention of the national audience in an early season game when he threw away the ball before entering the end zone in one of the stupidest acts of 2008 However, his talent as a game-breaker with his blazing speed is undeniable. Due to injuries to the Eagles front line receivers, Jackson ended up starting all but one game. He produced with 946 receiving yards on 63 receptions. Solid numbers, but he only reached the end zone four times (two receiving, one rushing, one return) Grade: B+ Malcolm Kelly, Redskins: 2/51 Right now, this pick looks like a bust for the Skins, as Kelly got into only five games and caught just three balls for 18 yards on the season. Grade: D- Limas Sweed, Steelers: 2/53 Sweed was fourth on the Steelers' receiver depth chart most of the season and got into 11 games, recording just 64 receiving yards on six receptions. Unless Hines Ward or Santonio Holmes get hurt, Sweed will have to wait a long time before he’ll be able to make an impact. Grade: D-
Steely Dan Posted April 19, 2009 Posted April 19, 2009 Let me start off by saying that I'm a Hardy supporter. But with how little he showed (although I loved the Jags game-winning TD!) and the ACL, Hardy's "bust" factor at the present seems greater than his "boom" factor. It will be up to him to show us what he's got. I feel the same way about Ellis, who could be a player, but hasn't shown anything yet (and anything they get out of him will be gravy IMHO). Waaay to early to tell. Wait til his third year. JMO Ellis is a guy I never wanted to see drafted due to his injury history. He finished the Bills season on IR. He's got huge bust potential IMO.
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