[CBFF] ESPN: Teams need to let first-round WRs develop (Clayton)

[Victor Waldron]

(I'm not posting this just because I think the Bears should take a
flyer on Lelie........ok, yes I am.)

Teams need to let first-round WRs develop
By John Clayton
ESPN.com

Jimmy Smith's sudden retirement should prove simple solutions aren't
easy in the NFL.

Smith was the Jaguars No. 1 receiver for a decade. When he clicked
with Keenan McCardell, Jacksonville was a perennial playoff contender.
But age eventually catches up to every athlete, and teams must plan
accordingly. It would appear the simple solution to replacing a No. 1
receiver is to use a No. 1 draft pick on a receiver.

Not so fast. It's not that easy. The Jaguars have used three
first-round picks in the past seven drafts on receivers -- R. Jay
Soward (2000), Reggie Williams (2004) and Matt Jones (2005) -- and
none has produced a season with more than 36 catches.

Finding a No. 1 receiver has been a No. 1 headache for many teams.

Since Mike Shanahan took over the Broncos in 1995, he has invested 16
draft choices in receivers and hasn't found one yet. Included in those
choices are two first-round picks (Marcus Nash and Ashley Lelie), one
second-round pick (Darius Watts) and two third-rounders (Travis
McGriff and Chris Cole). The most catches a receiver drafted by
Shanahan has had in a season is 54, by Lelie in 2004.

The list of first-round failures is endless. Sylvester Morris (Kansas
City, 2000 draft), Freddie Mitchell (Philadelphia, 2001), David
Terrell (Chicago, 2001), Soward (Jacksonville, 2000) and Rod Gardner
(Washington, 2001) headline the list of recent failures. Eleven of the
16 first-round receivers taken between 2000 and 2003 haven't or won't
get second contracts from the teams that drafted them. Of the other
five, Reggie Wayne is the only one to have actually secured a new
deal. The Lions have used three top-10 picks on wide receivers in the
past four drafts and are still buried in the bottom of the passing
stats.

In a passing league, why do teams drop the ball on receivers in the
draft more than any other position?

The answer is simple: expectations.

If a first-round pick isn't putting up No. 1 receiving numbers three
or four years into his contract, he's considered a disappointment and
he won't be re-signed. Just because the first-round pick is included
in his bio, does he have to put up No. 1 receiver numbers to be a good
player?

One of the problems in the NFL is the turnover of coaches and how
dramatically systems can change when new hires come in. Big receivers
fit best in West Coast offenses. Smaller, quicker receivers who are
better running after the catch fit better in the Mike Martz-Al
Saunders-Norv Turner-Don Coryell system. But converting one receiver
to fit into the other type of offense doesn't always work, so teams
tend to move on and find alternatives.

Look at what's going on in Detroit. Roy Williams, Charles Rogers and
Mike Williams have the ideal size for a West Coast offense that needs
bigger bodies to go across the middle for catches. But they don't fit
new coordinator Mike Martz's offense. Only Roy Williams has the skills
to fit the Martz system. Expect Rogers to be gone before the start of
the regular season, and Mike Williams might be on the way out next
offseason.

High expectations drove Santana Moss and Plaxico Burress from the
teams that drafted them. Despite being injury prone and inconsistent
in the West Coast offense, Moss, who was the Jets' first-round pick in
2001, had a 1,105-yard season with the team in 2003. But that wasn't
good enough so they shipped him to the Washington Redskins where he
re-emerged as a Pro Bowl receiver and one of the most exciting players
in the NFC. Indeed, Moss became the No. 1 receiver in a scheme for
which his skills are a better fit.

The same can be said for Burress in Pittsburgh. He had a 1,008-yard
season in 2001 and a 1,325-yard season in 2002. Good numbers. Still,
the Steelers' No. 1 receiver was Hines Ward, a tough, physical leader
who has carried the Steelers to the Super Bowl. Unless you're the St.
Louis Rams, it's hard to have two No. 1 receivers, so someone has to
be No. 2, and that was Burress.

Because of that, Burress wasn't offered a contract following the 2004
season and he left for New York where he helped the Giants and Eli
Manning make the playoffs.

Unless teams want to waste time and money developing No. 1 receivers,
they should change the standards on what they are looking for from
first-round wide receivers. Steve Smith (Carolina), Chad Johnson
(Cincinnati), Derrick Mason (Baltimore), Chris Chambers (Miami), Ward
(Pittsburgh) and Deion Branch (New England) are among the many
receivers who have developed into No. 1s even though they weren't
taken in the first round.

It's possible to become a star in the NFL through hard-work, training
and execution. Look at Smith, whose 5-foot-9, 185-pound body didn't
fit the first-round prototype. The Panthers invested a third-round
choice on him in 2001 thinking he might be a good third receiver who
also could return kicks.

Smith came to the Panthers with an attitude. He believed he was a No.
1 receiver and played with a chip on his shoulder. His overconfidence
often collided with management. But as Smith played and developed, he
became the No. 1 receiver. Last year, he was the league's best
receiver. He was right, he was a No. 1. But because expectations
weren't unrealistic, Smith had time to develop into a Pro Bowl
receiver.

It was interesting to hear Ward's offseason complaints about the
Steelers using first-round picks to try to replace him. He fought and
scrapped and battled to be the Steelers' go-to receiver. No No. 1 pick
can take that reality away from him. The more Ben Roethlisberger goes
to Ward, the more success the Steelers have.

What has to be remembered is that first-round picks go in the
first-round for a reason. They have the height, speed and athletic
skills that spew out numbers that place them among the top 32 athletes
in the draft.

Say what you want about Lelie in Denver, but the guy is a talent. Even
though he hasn't developed into the long-term replacement for Rod
Smith and probably will be traded before too long, he has skills. He
has averaged 17.9 yards per catch during his Broncos career. But the
Broncos always wanted more out of him and found his replacement when
they traded for Javon Walker. Lelie wants out and Mike Shanahan wants
him out.

But the expectations for Lelie were too high because he was a No. 1
pick. If Darius Watts, a second-round disappointment, averaged 17.9
yards a catch and 42 catches a year as the team's No. 2, he'd be
deemed a success and probably would get a second contract from the
Broncos and more time to develop. Because Lelie didn't put up No. 1
numbers, he's being treated with disdain.

The No. 1 problem with drafting a receiver No. 1 is that he's not
allowed to be a No. 2, unless he's Wayne with the Colts. It's no
surprise that Wayne is the only first-round receiver drafted since
2000 who has secured a second contract from the team that drafted him.

NFL teams had better learn that first-round receivers don't always
have to turn into No. 1 receivers.