2010 Top Ten Breakout Wide Receivers

The 2010 NFL season is nearly upon us. Now only about a month away before the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings open up the new season (and potentially the last for a while).

Every year, there are always wide receivers that seem to come out of nowhere to surprise fans. Either through injuries to starters, or just excellent practice play, a few no-name guys always find ways to break into NFL stardom. 

Did anyone predict before the 2009 kickoff that we would be having conversations about Indianapolis's Austin Collie and/or Pierre Garcon in December? Before the 2007 season, Atlanta's Roddy White was a no-name receiver...until he caught 80+ passes and gained 1,200 yards. Now he's considered one of the best wideouts in the NFC. 

So who will it be this year?

They are nearly impossible to predict, but here are are 10 receivers who could make big headlines in 2010.

10) Brandon LaFell, Carolina Panthers

Brandon LaFell is a rookie out of LSU (Carolina drafted him in the third round). Heading into his 2009 college season, LaFell was one of the top wide receiver prospects. His 2009 season lacked slightly in production, and his value dropped, but Carolina got an absolute steal at wideout.

LaFell only has to beat out Dwayne Jarrett (the bust from USC) to grab the second receiver spot across from All-Pro Steve Smith. In other words, he will be the second receiver across from Steve Smith.

Although Matt Moore is not a big name, he is a more than capable QB. The real fun hopefully will come at the end of the season when Carolina gives rookie QB Jimmy Clauden a shot. With Smith taking up double-teams, LaFell will be able to get a ton of looks. He has the speed and the athleticism to put up nice rookie numbers in that offense. Think Jeremy Maclin in '09.

9) Steve Breaston, Arizona Cardinals

If you are reading about the NFL then hopefully you know already who Steve Breaston is. For his entire career he has been the odd man out in Arizona. With Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin getting most of the looks, Breaston was detained as the third receiver.

Even with Matt Leinart behind center, Breaston will be able to get good numbers. Arizona will be much more balanced this year on the offensive side of the ball. Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower are two good runners, and their offensive scheme will be to pound those guys as much as possible, and then to try to catch the defense sleeping through the air.

Breaston has been put into a great position. He has the most talented receiver in the league (Fitzgerald) on the other side of him. Fitzy will take up the double-teams. Breaston won't put up Anquan Boldin-type numbers, but he will be one of the better receivers in that division. He has a legitimate chance to top 75 catches. 

8) Chaz Schilens, Oakland Raiders

The bad thing about Chaz Schilens right now is that he has injury problems. He missed eight games last year, yet still managed 350+ yards receiving...and that was with JaMarcus Russell passing him the ball.

Going from Russell to Campbell is a huge jump. Oakland will have a decent offense this year. RB Michael Bush is a productive back, and TE Zach Miller and WR Louis Murphy provide underrated support. I have no confidence in Darrius Heyward-Bey, so the job is completely up to Schilens to hawk most of the balls.

Schilens is a talented player and he will be best receiver on that team. 50+ catches and 800 yards receiving is not a crazy prediction for this young player...especially if he plays 16 games. 

7) Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs

Just like Dexter Morgan on Showtime, Dexter McCluster is a proven killer. Youtube his playmaking while at Ole Miss (where he played running back) and you will be surprised at how this guy dropped so far in the draft.

McCluster will be the 2nd receiver in the Kansas City offense and he will be used in the way that Percy Harvin was used at Minnesota. KC now has the opportunity to have a well-balanced offense. Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles will be running the ball, and Dwayne Bowe will demand double-teams at wideout.

The one problem with McCluster is that he probably won't be able to touch the ball very much. Unfortunately, that just comes along with the pain of being a rookie in the NFL

However, when he does get the ball, he will show people what he is capable of. By the end of the season, McCluster will be considered KC's most valuable player. 

6) Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs

This Mike Williams isn't the joker washout from USC. This Mike Williams is the fantastic prospect out of Syracuse that dropped in value because of academic problems in college. Playing for an underachieving football team at Syracuse didn't help his draft stock.

The deal with Williams is that he is very skilled. He will team up beside Arrelious Benn (another good athletic rookie from Illinois) in a wide receiving corp that is a few years from making people's heads turn.

Part of Tampa Bay's development falls on QB Josh Freeman. As a rookie last year, he had his ups and downs, but he did impress teams as the season wore on. 

I'm not going to say that Tampa Bay will have an all-star offense this year or next, but that doesn't mean that Williams won't turn heads. He will be the best rookie wideout this season, guarantee. 

5) Devin Aromashodu, Chicago Bears

It seems like everybody is talking about this guy.

Aromashodu quickly made friends with Bears' QB Jay Cutler, but it didn't register until the last weeks of the season for the coaches to use the receiver in games. Nobody really knows why the coaches didn't throw him in earlier, but Aromashodu took the opportunity while he could.

The "Mike Martz system" is difficult to learn, but in it, wide receivers can have a ball. The Martz system works on timing between the QB and receivers. Cutler will be throwing to "a space" on the field where the receiver is supposed to be. Timing is everything.

Basing on Aromashodu's success with Cutler last season, he is the best bet out of all the receivers to have the best statistical season. I have little confidence in the ability of Johnny Knox or Devin Hester; Earl Bennett is a good, but not great talent.

The going might be rough at first, but even Mike Furrey found success in this offense when he was a wideout for Martz in Detroit. One of the Bears receivers this season will perform very well, and it will be Aromashodu. 

4) Mardy Gillyard, St. Louis Rams

There are two reasons why Gilyard has a shot to be special this season:

1) He was extremely talented and fun to watch while playing college at Cincinnati.

2) St. Louis has NOBODY else to come up big.

St. Louis is not a very talented football team and its QB will be suspect until Sam Bradford has a season or two under him. Its receiving corp is bare, and there is a perfect opportunity for Gilyard to jump in and take the reins.

His competition has been reduced to Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, and Keenan Burton. Do any of those guys get you (the reader) excited? Gilyard was a great player at Cincinnati. He was an exciting player that just so happened to play in a weak conference in which football was not a priority. He's tough as nails and will be a starter sometime this season.

The stats will be average, but his highlight reel will be flying. Who knows. Bradford and Gilyard could make a pretty good tandem in years to come. 

3) Golden Tate, Seattle Seahwaks

The funniest offseason story has got to be Golden Tate getting caught stealing cookies from a neighborhood bakery, but there is nothing about Tate's game that is anywhere near funny.

Of course, his production does rely on two things: QB Matt Hasselbeck's play and coach Pete Carroll's system. I have confidence that Carroll will be able to effectively use Tate. He's a smart coach who knows a good player when he sees one. However, I have no confidence that Hasselbeck will be able to last even half the games this season.

Hello, Charlie Whitehurst!

Nevertheless, Tate is a terrific receiver that will jump all over the ball in games. He was terrific at Notre Dame, and there is no reason why that success won't translate to the NFL. Seattle won't win many games this year, but Tate will be the bright spot in the offense.

2) Devin Thomas, Washington Redskins

Going from Jason Campbell to McNabb and Mike Shanahan is like going from a Volvo to a BMW. Shanahan is an offensive genius and he will be able to put his receivers in great positions to rack up stats. Not only will Devin Thomas be the No. 2 receiver in this offense, but he will also be their main kick-returner. 

Thomas will be the second guy behind the aging Santana Moss, but that really doesn't mean anything because Washington's offense will score points and move the ball down the field at remarkable rates.

With McNabb throwing him the ball, Thomas will have significantly better numbers then last year. He could definitely double his catches and yards from last season.

1) Malcolm Floyd, San Diego Chargers

If there is one "under the radar" player to keep an eye out for it's SD's wideout Malcolm Floyd.

It will be hard not to.

With Vincent Jackson's suspension (3 games) and holdout (indefinite), Floyd could be the No. 1 receiver for San Diego this entire year. He is definitely ready to make that step. Philip Rivers is one of the best current QBs and he will give Floyd a lot of opportunity for success. Jackson was terrific last season after being underwhelming for most of his career; he was given that chance that Floyd is being given now.

It might be difficult in the beginning because he will be facing doubles from Week One, but Antonio Gates will be able to take a lot of the pressure off of him. SD will have a good running game with Ryan Mathews and they have an easy schedule (Denver, KC, Oakland, Cleveland, Buffalo...).

I would be shocked if Floyd starts every game and doesn't top 1000 yards with at least seven touchdowns.

That's right: Shocked.