Comparing the 2007 NFL Wide Receiver Draft Class

The 2007 NFL Draft was the year of the wide receiver.  Six wide receivers were taken in the 1st round and 16 were taken in the first three rounds.  With the wide receiver (WR) position, a lot of players turn out to be busts, and at other times, teams can discover gold in the later rounds (e.g.: Marques Colston in the 7th round).  Here is a comparison of the wide receivers taken in the first 3 rounds of the 2007 draft and the impact they made on their teams their rookie season.

1.) Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – Round 1 No. 2
48 receptions, 756 yards, 4 TDs

2.) Ted Ginn, Jr. – Miami Dolphins – Round 1 No. 9
34 receptions, 420 yards, 2 TDs
Notes: Ted Ginn made a bigger impact returning kicks where he had 1,322 kick returning yards with 37 returns of 20+ yards and 2 returns of 40+ yards.  Ginn also had 23 punt returns for 224 yards with 1 return for a TD.

3.) Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – Round 1 No. 23
70 receptions, 995 yards, 5 TDs
Notes: Bowe was the most outstanding wide receiver out of the 2007 draft class and was almost the only rookie WR to record 1,000 yards.

4.) Robert Meachem – New Orleans Saints – Round 1 No. 27
Notes: No stats recorded.

5.) Craig Davis – San Diego Chargers – Round 1 No. 30
19 receptions, 173 yards, 1 TD

6.) Anthony Gonzalez – Indianapolis Colts – Round 1 No. 32
37 receptions, 576 yards, 3 TDs

7.) Sidney Rice – Minnesota Vikings – Round 2 No. 44
31 receptions, 396 yards, 4 TDs
Notes: I think Sidney Rice is going to turn out to be a player.  He has 4 receptions of 50+ yards.  His stats would be much better with a more accurate QB.

8.) Dwayne Jarrett – Carolina Panthers – Round 2 No. 45
6 receptions, 73 yards, 0 TDs
Notes: Perhaps the biggest bust amongst the WRs this year.  There was speculation before the draft that Jarrett would go in the first round, but he slipped before the Panthers picked him up in a move that contributed to parting ways with Keyshawn Johnson.  Based on his career at USC, I thought Jarrett would have an outstanding career, but Jarrett struggled with the Panthers’ playbook, so his playing time was limited this year.

9.) Steve Smith – New York Giants – Round 2 No. 51
8 receptions, 63 yards, 0 TDs

10.) Jacoby Jones – Houston Texans – Round 3 No. 73
14 receptions, 135 yards, 0 TDs

11.) Yamon Figurs – Baltimore Ravens – Round 3 No. 74
1 reception, 36 yards, 0 TDs

12.) Laurent Robinson – Atlanta Falcons – Round 3 No. 75
36 receptions, 426 yards, 1 TD

13.) Jason Hill – San Fransisco 49ers – Round 3 No. 76
1 reception, 6 yards

14.) James Jones – Green Bay Packers – Round 3 No. 78
45 receptions, 662 yards, 2 TDs

15.) Mike Walker – Jacksonville Jaguars – Round 3 No. 79
Notes: Placed on the Injured Reserve.

16.) Johnnie Lee Higgins – Oakland Raiders – Round 3 No. 99
5 receptions, 40 yards, 0 TDs