Green Bay drafted three wide receivers from the fourth through the sixth round last April, and some (including me) thought one of them might emerge as a significant receiver in their rookie season. Maybe Randall Cobb would get hurt, or maybe one of them would beat out Geronimo Allison for No. 3 duties in the Aaron Rodgers-led offense. Well, nope.
Fourth-rounder J'Mon Moore, fifth-rounder Marquez Valdes-Scantling (pictured) and sixth-rounder Equanimeous St. Brown are battling for roster spots, not to mention battling for the title of which name I have to look up the most often when writing about them. Moore, drafted earliest, has been the most disappointing to this point, struggling with drops in practices and games. Valdes-Scantling had a big outing in the first exhibition game, including a couple of pretty impressive grabs. He's probably going to make the 53, while Moore is iffier, and St. Brown -- the favorite of draft analysts prior to falling all the way to the sixth -- is probably going to wind up on the practice squad.
All three have been pushed by Jake Kumerow, who has shone in practices (praised by Aaron Rodgers) and made a couple of big plays in the exhibitions, as well.
In retrospect, I should have known not to expect a rookie impact from any of these draft picks. Of all the fourth- through sixth-rounders drafted since 2000, only a small handful have done anything in their first seasons. Only a dozen have even gone over 500 receiving yards.
| 4TH-6TH ROUND WRS, 2000-PRESENT, ROOKIE NUMBERS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rd | Player | No | Yds | TD |
| 2010 | 4 | Mike Williams, T.B. | 65 | 964 | 11 |
| 2015 | 5 | Stefon Diggs, Minn. | 52 | 720 | 4 |
| 2012 | 4 | Chris Givens, St.L. | 42 | 698 | 3 |
| 2009 | 4 | Austin Collie, Ind. | 60 | 676 | 7 |
| 2013 | 5 | Kenny Stills, N.O. | 32 | 641 | 5 |
| 2011 | 5 | Denarius Moore, Oak. | 33 | 618 | 5 |
| 2015 | 4 | Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 59 | 604 | 2 |
| 2016 | 5 | Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 61 | 593 | 12 |
| 2014 | 4 | Martavis Bryant, Pitt. | 26 | 549 | 8 |
| 2009 | 5 | Johnny Knox, Chi. | 45 | 527 | 5 |
| 2016 | 5 | Tajae Sharpe, Tenn. | 41 | 522 | 2 |
| 2009 | 4 | Brian Hartline, Mia. | 31 | 506 | 3 |
| 2013 | 4 | Ace Sanders, Jac. | 51 | 484 | 1 |
| 2009 | 4 | Mike Thomas, Jac. | 48 | 453 | 1 |
| 2017 | 5 | Trent Taylor, S.F. | 43 | 430 | 2 |
| 2016 | 4 | Malcolm Mitchell, N.E. | 32 | 401 | 4 |
| 2009 | 6 | Brandon Gibson, Phil. | 34 | 348 | 1 |
| 2017 | 4 | Dede Westbrook, Jac. | 27 | 339 | 1 |
| 2003 | 5 | Justin Gage, Chi. | 17 | 338 | 2 |
| 2008 | 6 | Josh Morgan, S.F. | 20 | 319 | 3 |
| 2011 | 5 | Jeremy Kerley, NYJ | 29 | 314 | 1 |
| 2012 | 4 | Jarius Wright, Minn. | 22 | 310 | 2 |
| 2006 | 4 | Brandon Marshall, Den. | 20 | 309 | 2 |
| 2015 | 5 | J.J. Nelson, Ariz. | 11 | 299 | 2 |
| 2012 | 4 | Travis Benjamin, Clev. | 18 | 298 | 3 |
| 2017 | 4 | Mack Hollins, Phil. | 16 | 226 | 1 |
| 2003 | 4 | Brandon Lloyd, S.F. | 14 | 212 | 2 |
| 2016 | 4 | Ricardo Louis, Clev. | 18 | 205 | 0 |
| 2012 | 5 | Marvin Jones, Cin. | 18 | 201 | 1 |
| 2016 | 6 | Cody Core, Cin. | 17 | 200 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 | DaeSean Hamilton, Den. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 4 | Antonio Callaway, Clev. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 4 | J'Mon Moore, G.B. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 4 | Jaleel Scott, Balt. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 4 | Keke Coutee, Hou. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 5 | Justin Watson, T.B. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 5 | Daurice Fountain, Ind. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 5 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling, G.B. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 5 | Jordan Lasley, Balt. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 6 | Ray-Ray McCloud, Buff. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 6 | Damion Ratley, Clev. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 6 | Dylan Cantrell, LAC | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 6 | Deon Cain, Ind. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 6 | Cedrick Wilson, Dall. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 6 | Russell Gage, Atl. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 6 | Equanimeous St. Brown, G.B. | ? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | 6 | Braxton Berrios, N.E. | ? | ? | ? |
Table shows all wideouts selected in those rounds since 2000 who even went over 200 receiving yards in their rookie seasons. Wideouts drafted that late typically start out well down the depth chart, and tough (and rare) for them to carve out significant roles right away. That's what Moore, Valdes-Scantling and St. Brown are up against.
As far as developing eventually, chances are better in that regard. From the above list you can see a couple of guys who did little as rookies but emerged in their second or third seasons: Brandon Marshall and Marvin Jones. And the table doesn't even include players who were under 200 yards in their first seasons and then became stars, like the most famous sixth-round wideout in recent memory, Antonio Brown. Another was Pierre Garcon; he's had a pretty nice career.
I drafted Moore in dynasty. After Valdes-Scantling's big exhibition, I picked him up; last week I dropped Moore for Kumerow. You can't keep everyone, and I'm going to favor guys who have flashed over guys who haven't.
One upshoot of this is that Geronimo Allison looks very good as a full-time wideout in Green Bay's offense. The other guys, whoever makes it, will have to wait their turn.
--Andy Richardson