NFL Sophomore Slumps, Jumps, and Chumps: Wide Receiver

Let’s face it: For better or worse, much of an NFL player’s career is colored by his rookie season. In this age of instant gratification, we want results and we want them now.

But not everyone can come straight out of college and be a Matt Ryan or Mark Sanchez. Sometimes it takes time to learn the pro system and to adjust to the higher level of competition. The opposition is, after all, suddenly bigger, faster, and smarter than anything they’ve ever encountered on a football field.

These may be valid considerations, but we don’t want excuses. If you don’t impress as a rookie, then we’ll give our attention to the first-year players that do. Then next year, regardless of whether you’ve progressed or not, you may be lost in the shuffle as the hype cycle begins anew with the next incoming draft class.

This study is dedicated to those forgotten players, the guys who just needed a little more time to make their presence felt on the pro field.

Now, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the sophomore slumps and jumps from the 2008 NFL draft class.

Today’s position: Wide receiver.

Sophomore Rank No. 20 Dexter Jackson (CAR)

Drafted Rank: No. 10

Rookie Rank: No. 19

Rookie Stat Line: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: In just two short years, the former Appalachian State star went from a second-round pick to just another guy on the Carolina practice squad. Suffice it to say, he has yet to record a catch at the pro level. It’s enough to make you wonder whether or not he would have been drafted at all if were not for his school’s legendary upset of Michigan his senior year.

Sophomore Status: Chump

Sophomore Rank No. 19 Jerome Simpson (CIN)

Drafted Rank: No. 6

Rookie Rank: No. 17

Rookie Stat Line: 1 catch, 2 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: With the possible exception of the Bengals coaching staff, nobody knows anything about this kid. Fortunately for Cincinnati fans, the team doesn’t appear to be lacking in the wide receiver department with Chad Ochocinco returning to form, Chris Henry’s maturation, Andre Caldwell’s emergence, and the acquisition of Laveranues Coles.

Sophomore Status: Chump

Sophomore Rank No. 18 Early Doucet (ARZ)

Drafted Rank: No. 12

Rookie Rank: No. 12

Rookie Stat Line: 14 catches, 90 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: Doucet, like Simpson, is still a bit of a mystery. It’s possible that he could be a starter on another team that didn’t have such great depth at his position, or he might still be a regular healthy scratch on game day. When Arizona drafted Doucet, they probably didn’t expect Steve Breaston to become such a reliable weapon, but Doucet isn’t even ahead of Jeremy Urban on the depth chart!

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 17 James Hardy (BUF)

Drafted Rank: No. 4

Rookie Rank: No. 11

Rookie Stat Line: 9 catches, 87 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: When Buffalo selected the former Indiana standout in the second round, they thought they were getting a big possession receiver who would complement the speedy Lee Evans by going across the middle of the field and picking up first downs. Well, as rookie pro receivers tend to do, he underwhelmed a bit.

Then the team went out and signed Terrell Owens. Now, Hardy doesn’t even factor into the game plan. His career isn’t over, but he might be better suited elsewhere.

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 16 Harry Douglas (ATL)

Drafted Rank: No. 13

Rookie Rank: No. 7

Rookie Stat Line: 23 catches, 320 yards, 1 touchdown.

Sophomore Projection: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: There is no question that Douglas would be higher on this list if he wasn’t spending the season on injured reserve. The former Louisville standout showed flashes of playmaking ability as a rookie and would’ve held down the slot position this year if healthy.

Sophomore Status: Injured

Sophomore Rank No. 15 Chaz Schilens (OAK)

Drafted Rank: No. 19

Rookie Rank: No. 8

Rookie Stat Line: 15 catches, 226 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: Schilens lit up the preseason this year before an injury sidelined him for the first five weeks of the season. Now that he’s nearly recovered, he has the best chance of anyone on this list to raise his current ranking this coming Sunday. The only downside is that JaMarcus Russell is still his quarterback.

Sophomore Status: Injured

Sophomore Rank No. 14 Limas Sweed (PIT)

Drafted Rank: No. 9

Rookie Rank: No. 14

Rookie Stat Line: 6 catches, 64 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 3 catches, 16 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: The former Longhorn could easily be passed on this list by Schilens in one Sunday. Since arriving in Pittsburgh, it seems like all Sweed has done is drop passes. He was supposed to man the slot this year, but he’s been completely beaten out for that spot by rookie Mike Wallace.

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 13 Devin Thomas (WAS)

Drafted Rank: No. 2

Rookie Rank: No. 10

Rookie Stat Line: 15 catches, 120 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 13 catches, 81 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: When Thomas entered the 2008 draft, he was widely believed to be the number one prospect at his position. Perhaps he paid too much attention to the headlines, because he has done absolutely nothing at the pro level to merit that ranking. This past offseason, the Redskins practically begged him to take over the number two spot from Antwan Randle-El, but he lost out to fellow second-year project Malcolm Kelly.

Needless to say, Randle-El still leads both of them in catches and receiving yards this season.

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 12 Malcolm Kelly (WAS)

Drafted Rank: No. 8

Rookie Rank: No. 18

Rookie Stat Line: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 22 catches, 228 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: The former Sooner lost his rookie year to injuries but hoped to bounce back as a sophomore. While he has yet to make much of an impact for the struggling Redskins, he did at least beat out the favored Devin Thomas for playing time. At this point, he’s still trying to build a rapport with quarterback Jason Campbell, but will Campbell even be back as the starter in Washington next year?

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 11 Keenan Burton (STL)

Drafted Rank: No. 16

Rookie Rank: No. 9

Rookie Stat Line: 13 catches, 172 yards, 1 touchdown.

Sophomore Projection: 38 catches, 419 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: The fourth-rounder out of Kentucky couldn’t ask for a much better opportunity than the one he currently finds himself in this year. With Laurent Robinson out for the season with a fractured fibula, there’s a huge vacancy in St. Louis opposite starter Donnie Avery. If Burton isn’t able to outperform the former practice squad players the Rams have desperately upgraded to the game roster, then he may not have much of a future in this league.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 10 Jordy Nelson (GB)

Drafted Rank: No. 3

Rookie Rank: No. 5

Rookie Stat Line: 33 catches, 366 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 28 catches, 416 yards, 4 touchdowns.

Commentary: You get the feeling with Nelson that the more playing time he receives, the more big plays he will produce. That’s exactly what you hope for when you draft a young receiver. With a roster that boasts one of the best groups of wideouts in the league, the Pack knew they could take their time in grooming Nelson.

Look for the former Kansas State standout to make an impact on the return game this year as well, as he fills in for the injured Will Blackmon.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 9 Eddie Royal (DEN)

Drafted Rank: No. 5

Rookie Rank: No. 1

Rookie Stat Line: 91 catches, 980 yards, 5 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 56 catches, 463 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: More so than any other player on the Denver roster, Eddie Royal misses Jay Cutler. With Kyle Orton under center, Royal is on pace to cut his rookie production in half. That’s got to be the biggest single-receiver regression that wasn’t injury-related from a rookie to a sophomore year since Michael Clayton’s in Tampa.

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 8 Davone Bess (MIA)

Drafted Rank: No. 20

Rookie Rank: No. 4

Rookie Stat Line: 54 catches, 554 yards, 1 touchdown.

Sophomore Projection: 72 catches, 547 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: The former undrafted free agent out of Hawaii just won’t go away. A year after his come-from-nowhere rookie season, Bess is once again on pace to record over 500 receiving yards. His numbers could even increase this season once the strong-armed Chad Henne gets a few games under his belt, and the Miami offense realizes it can finally take shots down the field.

Sophomore Status: Even

Sophomore Rank No. 7 Andre Caldwell (CIN)

Drafted Rank: No. 15

Rookie Rank: No. 13

Rookie Stat Line: 11 catches, 78 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 56 catches, 566 yards, 6 touchdowns.

Commentary: For all the criticism the Bengals should receive for evidently misfiring on their Jerome Simpson pick, they should receive just as much praise for their selection of Andre Caldwell in the later rounds. The former Gator has clearly developed a strong connection with Carson Palmer and should be starting opposite Ochocinco on Sundays. It seems like all of Cincinnati’s games are being decided in the last minute this season, and more times than not it has been Caldwell who has been making the clutch catches in crunch time.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 6 Donnie Avery (STL)

Drafted Rank: No. 1

Rookie Rank: No. 3

Rookie Stat Line: 53 catches, 674 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 56 catches, 613 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Commentary: A lot of “experts” were left scratching their heads when the Rams made the former Cougar the first wideout selected in the 2008 draft. Then Avery went and dropped 163 receiving yards on the Patriots in week eight. Now opposing teams know that they might have one other player on the Rams' lousy offense to prepare for other than stud running back Steven Jackson.

Sophomore Status: Even

Sophomore Rank No. 5 Josh Morgan (SF)

Drafted Rank: No. 17

Rookie Rank: No. 6

Rookie Stat Line: 20 catches, 319 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 41 catches, 631 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Commentary: Unlike his old Hokie teammate Royal, Morgan looks to be progressing in his sophomore season and could even double his rookie production. While San Francisco remains very run-oriented, Morgan gives the team a deep threat down the field who could, in theory, keep defenses honest. Now Shaun Hill just needs to get the ball to him.

As a side note, it’s possible that the acclimation of Michael Crabtree into the offensive scheme could force Coach Singletary to open things up a bit more in the passing game. Thus, signing this year’s first-rounder out of Texas Tech should actually be a boon to Morgan’s production.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 4 Pierre Garcon (IND)

Drafted Rank: No. 18

Rookie Rank: No. 16

Rookie Stat Line: 4 catches, 23 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 34 catches, 675 yards, 6 touchdowns.

Commentary: The speedster out of Mount Union College has really benefited from the injury to starter Anthony Gonzalez. A year after being buried on the depth chart, Garcon has emerged as a solid deep threat and is one of the reasons Peyton Manning is having his best season in years. His game-changing speed and bone-crunching blocks should be enough to keep him in the rotation even after Gonzalez returns.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 3 Earl Bennett (CHI)

Drafted Rank: No. 11

Rookie Rank: No. 20

Rookie Stat Line: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 60 catches, 800 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: If the absence of Jay Cutler in Denver is killing Eddie Royal’s production, then you could say that the presence of Jay Cutler in Chicago is resuscitating Bennett’s career. Despite being healthy for most of his rookie season, the former Vanderbilt wideout failed to record a single catch. However, the acquisition of his former college quarterback has put Bennett on a pace to record 800 more receiving yards as a sophomore—which is the second largest increase on this list.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 2 DeSean Jackson (PHI)

Drafted Rank: No. 7

Rookie Rank: No. 2

Rookie Stat Line: 62 catches, 912 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 52 catches, 1,040 yards, 8 touchdowns.

Commentary: Currently the 2008 draft’s most productive receiver overall, Jackson is projected to finish second on this list for the second straight year. While it remains to be seen how the sudden emergence of rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin will impact Jackson’s targets, he should still be a safe bet to reach a thousand receiving yards this season. The best news for the former Golden Bear is that it doesn’t appear to matter who is under center for him to be productive, as he’s put up solid numbers with both Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb this season.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 1 Mario Manningham (NYG)

Drafted Rank: No. 14

Rookie Rank: No. 15

Rookie Stat Line: 4 catches, 26 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 63 catches, 1,068 yards, 9 touchdowns.

Commentary: This year’s greatest gainer is also on pace to put up the best numbers of anyone on this list. After barely registering a heartbeat in his rookie season, the former Wolverine has come on strong as a sophomore with a deadly combination of speed and strength. In large part owing to his tackle-breaking prowess, Manningham currently leads the nation in receptions over 20 yards, with eight of his 20 catches going for that total or more.

Sophomore Status: Jump