NFL Rookie Wide Receiver Class, Best Ever?

Last Sunday I was on the couch watching the controversial Dallas vs. Green Bay Divisional Playoff Game.  While the Dez Bryant catch was the hot topic after the game, I did notice something during the game.  Green Bay rookie wide receiver Davante Adams was having an impressive game.  He finished with seven catch for 117 yards and a touchdown.  This made me realize that this 2014 class of rookie wide receiver's are hands down the best rookie class we have ever seen.

I am going to discuss when they were drafted, grade them on their season, and give a prediction of the future seasons to come.  Do I dare predict Hall of Fame for any of these rookies?

Sammy Watkins- 1stRd- 4th Overall                    B-

I'm being tough on Watkins simply because he was the first WR off the board, taken fourth overall.  He didn't produce like a top WR.  He finished just short of 1,000 yards and finished 6th among rookies with 65 catches despite starting all 16 games.  We know he didn't have a quarterback who can throw deep but they were a competitive team hoping for a playoff spot.  His 15 yards per catch were second for all rookies behind Mike Evans.

Mike Evans- 1stRd- 7th Overall                            A-

Mike Evans was one of the only bright spots for the Bucs this year.  Among rookies, Evans was tied for first in touchdowns with 12, first in yards per catch, and second in yards with 1,051.  This guy does it all, including block (if you haven't seen his vine famous block on Terence Newman you should check it out ). Evans has huge upside even more so if he can relocate.

Odell Beckham Jr.- 1stRd- 12th Overall               A
(Rookie of the Year)
Bursting onto the National spotlight with his three finger catch vs. Dallas, OBJ was the most dominant WR in the NFL the last nine weeks of the season. He's first among rookie in yards with 1,305, 91 catches, and 12 touchdowns.  He led all three categories while only starting in 11 games due to an injury in camp.  Shattering records already, this kid can end up in Canton.

Brandon Cooks- 1stRd- 20th Overall                    C-

Cooks has the most to prove still in my opinion.  He only started in seven games due to injury and lacked consistency, as much as the entire Saints offense did.  His rookie season ended with 550 yards, 53 catches and three touchdowns.  Poised for more of a breakout sophomore season, once he and Drew Brees are on the same page watch out.  This kid can be a huge weapon.

Kelvin Benjamin- 1stRd- 28th Overall                   B+

Benjamin finished with over 1,000 yards and third among rookies with 73 catches.  He also led the NFL in drops with ten.  He needs to improve his hands and route running as only 50% of his targets were completions.  Compare that to OBJ who had a 70% rate.  He's a huge redzone target and that was on display with his two touchdowns in the playoffs.  He was a steal at 28 for the Panthers.

Marqise Lee- 2ndRd- 39th Overall                          C-

I didn't give him a very poor grade simply because of the situation he was in.  The Jags took a risk drafting him at 39 and the fact that I struggled to find a picture on google of him in a Jags uniform says something.  37 grabs, 422 yards and a touchdown, this collegiate stud has some work to do, and needs to stay healthy.

Notable Others

1. Jarvis Landry    B+ ..Had an insane 84 catches, and also helped in the return game.
2. Jordan Matthews    B .. Showed great potential in Chip Kelly's offense with 872 yards.
3. Davante Adams    B- .. Considering he was the fourth option, Adams still had a nice season.

The Number 13- I believe the top three receivers in this class all wear the number 13 (OBJ, Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans). 

This rookie class had five players finish with over 800 yards.  To put that into perspective in 2009 zero rookies finished with over 800 yards and that was a class that included Percy Harvin, Jeremy Maclin, Michael Crabtree, Hakeem Nicks, Kenny Britt, Mike Wallace, and Julian Edelman.  I'm excited to see these guys develop into All-Pro players and possibly even Hall of Famers.
                   

Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Calvin Johnson (Pro Bowl)

     This past Sunday I was a little disappointed when realizing I wouldn't be able to watch OBJ play football for another eight months.  But the part that disappointed me the most was that I should be watching him in the meaningless yet entertaining Pro Bowl. 
 
     Odell Beckham JR. burst onto the scene with the Giants on his way to arguably the best rookie season for a wide receiver ever.  All of that while only starting in 11 games due to a hamstring injury.  Had he played in every game this year he could have easily lead the league in every single category that meant something.  To put into perspective how dominant he was to finish the season, his worst performance in the last four weeks was against the Titans when he caught 11 balls for 130 yards and a touchdown.  Yes I said worst.

      Todays compare topic will be OBJ vs. Calvin Johnson.  Before anyone gets confused I am not saying the rookie phenom is better than Megatron.  The argument I will make today is that he simply had a better season.  After looking at the stats its very obvious.

Odell finished the season with 91 catches for 1,305 yards, and 12 TD's in 11 starts.

Calvin Johnson finished the season with 71 catches for 1,077 yards, and 8 TD's in 13 starts.

The stats aren't even comparable considering the time OBJ missed to start the season.  And to make a comparison that all Giants fans will understand, Calvin Johnson and Rueben Randle both had 71 catches this season.

       OBJ was named the first alternate for the Pro Bowl so there is still a good chance that we will be able to watch him go to work one more time.  In my opinion he was by far the most exciting player to watch in the second half of the NFL season.  Those are the kind of players the Pro Bowl needs to have. 

Harper vs Trout

Bryce Harper and Mike Trout both have burst onto the MLB scene with great success.  Even though they are both too young to legally drink a beer one thing is for sure, they can play with the big boys.  Such similar stories, being a top prospect, first round pick, play the outfield position, and both all stars in their rookie season.  Most people who follow baseball know about Bryce Harper.  This guy was on peoples radars when he was in high school, and his few minor league games were even must watch games.  He was the number one pick in the 2010 draft, taken by the Washington Nationals.  Mike Trout wasn't picked first, instead he was the 25th pick to the Anaheim Angels in 2009.  The expecations weren't as high, but both players were considered great prospects coming out of high school.

Bryce Harper is a big reason for one the biggest surprises in the MLB.  That is the Washington Nationals being in first place in he NL East.  Half way through Bryce Harper's first full season, his stats are .273AVG/ 8 HR's/ 25 RBI's/ 11 SB's. While hitting second in the lineup for the most part, Harper has been a little up and down but solid overall.  Considering these are stats at only the half way point of his first season, it's impressive.  If he keeps the pace up he can put up stats looking something like .280/ 20 HR's/ 55 RBI's/ 25 SB's.

Mike Trout on the other hand has not been up and down.  Just up. The Angels looked dead, and found themselves underachieving to say the least.  Trout was called up and now they are back in the playoff hunt.  Trout's stats thus far are, .349 AVG/ 12 HR/ 41 RBI/ 30 SB.  Those numbers are simply amazing.  You also have to think about two things when looking at Trout's numbers so far.  One, he hasn't even played the whole season because he was waiting to get called up from the minors.  Two, Trout is a leadoff hitter. Having 41 RBI's is insane for a leadoff hitter in less than a half of a season.  To put it in perspective Derek Jeter has twenty more hits than Trout because he has played the entire season, yet has  15 less RBI.  If Trout keeps a similar pace he will end up with stats around .350 AVG/ 30 HR/ 90 RBI/ 60 SB. Trout is already one of the most fun players to watch in the game.

Me personally I would take Trout over Harper now and also in the future.  Some reasons are outside of the actual game.  People who know Trout say this guy has an even better head on his shoulders than he has talent on the field.  He is a great kid who doesn't seem to do much wrong.  His idol growing up in New Jersey was Derek Jeter, coincidence? I think not. The guy is humble and just wants to win.

Harper surprisingly has not made sports news for the right reasons since entering the league.  His first mistake was in the minors.  After hitting a home run in a minor league baseball game last year, he starred it down and styled like it was a game winning home run in the world series.  That rubbed people the wrong way.  Then early this year he was asked by a reporter if he was going to have a drink in Canada since he was old enough.  He rudely replied, "That's a clown question, bro."  Later in this season he split his face open after breaking his bat because he recorded an out.  He was bleeding and had to be cleaned up.  He has a reputation for snapping his bat, as he has done this more than a couple times.  The last reason Harper made the news was just yesterday.  Him and always controversial coach Ozzie Guillen got into a little argument over how high his pine tar was on his bat.  The next time he was up he pointed the bat at Guillen as to say, "Is this alright with you?".  Guillen then blew a fuse after that cocky gesture.

Harper just doesn't rub me the right way, and it's tough comparing him to Trout because it seems impossible to not love the way Trout goes about his business.  At the end of the day however, both of these guys are great for baseball.  Long successful careers look to be in both of these kids futures.  But they might not be as similar as you think.

Something Needs to Change

Too many times recently sporting events have been decided by people other than the athletes participating.  I'm talking about the refs, officials, judges, and umpires that are in control of these games.  This has given me an idea that I believe every sport should look into.  Make post game press conferences mandatory for all refs, officials, judges, and umpires.  Every game that is played for a professional athlete whether they play great, or really poor they have to talk to the media and explain themselves.  Why don't theses guys have to do that? Why should they get a free pass?

Not too long ago there was one of the most controversial judging decisions in the sport of boxing.  Manny Pacquiao fought Timothy Bradley and everyone who knows anything about boxing had Pacquiao winning somewhere around 10 of the 12 rounds fought.  The decision came in at the end of the fight and two judges had Bradley winning the fight.  Pacquiao was robbed to put it simply.




Another case I have for my proposed idea happened in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  In a game where the Devils had all the momentum, and also needed a win the game was decided early in the first period by bad officiating.  In that period, the refs missed a boarding penalty that the NHL has been very strict about seen on the right. Gionta was without the puck which makes it an obvious penalty.  Instead the penalty was not called and literally 10 seconds later the Devils got called for a five minute major for boarding.  Both were penalties and only one was called.  On that five minute penalty the Kings scored three goals and the game was over thanks to the official that missed the call.

These poor decisions can't go without explanation.  I understand that these guys are humans and nobody is going to make the right call all the time, but there have been many times in sports where you need answers.  Something wasn't right in that Stanley Cup game, something wasn't right when Timothy Bradley was quoted before the decision saying, "I tried hard, but I couldn't beat the guy"; only to find out that the judges had him somehow winning the fight.  The suspicious calls especially when they are constantly against one team can't go without media getting to the bottom of things.  Sometimes it will be as easy as someone saying I made an honest mistake, and other times there might be a little bit more to the story.

I think that this will fix a lot of complaints that people have about officials in sports.  And the complaints are growing.  If an official knows in the back of his mind, man I gotta do my best or I have to explain to everyone on national T.V why I made this decision.  There will be much less suspicion about games being fixed and I don't think that these guys will have the guts to be ruining games, seasons, and championships.  Let's make it happen.

Western Conference Final Preview

The Spurs and the Thunder are polar opposites in many ways.  One team lead by old veterans, the other lead by the young and athletic Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.  One team has a head coach in Greg Popovich with tons of experiance and respect, the other team has Scott Brooks a coach trying to prove himself.  One team thrives on ball  movement, while the other gets energy from highlight plays.

In my opinion this NBA Playoffs has not been that exciting.  I can honestly say this is the first series that I am very excited for.  Before the Playoffs started I picked them to win the title.  This Spurs team has it all. So my pick for this series is obviously the Spurs, in 6.

  What to Watch - Kawhi Leonard - If you don't know who Kawhi Leonard is, you will at the end of the series.  This rookie has been impressive in his first year, specifically on the defensive end.  He will have the unlucky assignment of trying to stop Kevin Durant.  Now nobody stops Kevin Durant, but I think the six foot seven forward can slow him down.  The 20 year old is very long, and he is not afraid of the challenge.  

Key Matchup - Point Guard - This is a huge part of this series, Tony Parker vs Russell Westbrook.  Whoever outplays the other will give their team a great chance to win.  It will be very important to keep Tony Parker out of the paint. Parker is so good at finishing at the rim and his mid range jump shot has become deadly.  On the other end Russell Westbrook needs to keep his turnovers down.  If he turns the ball over often they will have no shot against the Spurs in this series.

That being said, I just trust the veterans on this Spurs team.  I trust Tony Parker to play better than Russell Westbrook.  That's why I got the Spurs in 6.

Mike "Doc" Emrick

 Now that the battle of the Hudson river has come to a close, I wanted to talk about something other than the athletes that determined the outcome of the series.  Mike "Doc" Emrick was the play by play announcer for the entire Eastern Conference Finals.  This is nothing new for Doc as he has done many big games before.  Watch the video I have posted above first with your volume off.  Then with it on.  Take a listen to the Hall of Famer describe the frantic action.  Yes, I said Hall of Famer. Doc is in the the hockey Hall of Fame having played zero games in the NHL, that's how special he is.  The first hockey play by play announcer to do so.  I find it to be amazing what a difference it makes with the sound off and then on.  All of that is because of Emrick.

As the goal is scored Doc says "They score! Henrique! It's over!".  Something so simple yet if you gave me 100 attempts to say something different, or make it more exciting I would fail.  I think anyone would.  Mike Emrick is my favorite play by play guy in any sport, I am looking forward to his calls in this years Stanley Cup Finals as well, go Devils!

Flopping

Mention the word "flopping" to the tough 90's NBA players and guys like Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Shaquille O'Neal might not know what you're talking about.  In today's NBA, you can't go a game without a ton of "flops".  To quickly explain, a flop is an over reaction to minor contact to fool a referee and draw a foul.  This is becoming a huge issue in today's game.  The biggest problem is that it is led by today's best players.

        LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Paul Pierce, Manu Ginobli, Carmelo Anthony, I could go on and on. These are the guys who are playing the game the wrong way.  They take advantage of their status in the NBA knowing they will get a foul call if they go crashing to the floor.  There is no longer a good pace to the game.  You can no longer go two possessions in a row without a whistle being blown.

        Comissioner David Stern finally said in an interview during the Heat Pacers game yesterday that they might have to look into not only fining but also suspending for flops next season.  This is a suggestion that I have talked about all season long.  I for one can't stand the way some of the NBA's best players play the game. They need to watch some film on the NBA in the 1990's.  Learn what the word toughness means, learn about manning up, and playing the right way.

It is truly embarrassing to the game of basketball when guys like the three time MVP LeBron James quickly grabs at his neck acting like he got a hard elbow from Pacer forward David West, and then you watch the replay and he wasn't even touched.  This happened in yesterdays game, and it happens all the time.  Not only that but the complaining and whining of players has to stop as well.  Players will commit an obvious foul and then go crazy as if he did nothing wrong.  Knock it off we have cameras guys! I for one am almost at the point where I can't watch it anymore.  I really hope David Stern takes a long look at the way the game is being officiated.