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The 2016 New York Jets have been getting production from three rookie wide receivers, an unusual number of rookies to be contributing. Among all NFL teams only the Jets have three rookie wide receivers in the top 15 rookie wide receivers in receiving yards. Only the Jets, Saints and Browns have as many as two wide receivers among the top 15 rookies. As a group the Jets rookie wide receivers have put together 28 receptions for 283 yards over the first seven games of the 2016 season. Only the Saints (43), the Giants (33), and the Texans (29) have more rookie wide receiver receptions, and only the Saints (512), Texans (383), Giants (365) and Browns (357) have more yards.
Here are all rookie wide receivers with 30 or more receiving yards to date:
Player |
Team |
Draft Round |
Receptions |
Yards |
|
|
|
|
. |
Michael Thomas |
NO |
2 |
36 |
437 |
Will Fuller |
HOU |
1 |
24 |
349 |
Sterling Shepard |
NYG |
2 |
31 |
334 |
Tajae Sharpe |
TEN |
5 |
23 |
259 |
Tyler Boyd |
CIN |
2 |
20 |
245 |
Corey Coleman |
CLE |
1 |
7 |
173 |
Chester Rogers |
IND |
UDFA |
11 |
156 |
Ricardo Louis |
CLE |
4 |
14 |
151 |
Tyreek Hill |
KC |
5 |
14 |
125 |
Robby Anderson |
NYJ |
UDFA |
12 |
121 |
Charone Peake |
NYJ |
7 |
10 |
87 |
Malcom Mitchell |
NE |
4 |
6 |
82 |
Jalin Marshall |
NYJ |
UDFA |
6 |
75 |
Tommylee Lewis |
NO |
UDFA |
7 |
75 |
Tanner McEvoy |
SEA |
UDFA |
3 |
69 |
Josh Doctson |
WAS |
1 |
2 |
66 |
Chris Moore |
BAL |
4 |
6 |
41 |
Braxton Miller |
HOU |
3 |
5 |
34 |
Rashard Higgins |
CLE | 5 |
3 |
33 |
Roger Lewis |
NYG |
UDFA |
2 |
31 |
|
|
|
|
|
This Jets group of rookie wide receivers also ranks fairly high on the all time list of Jets rookie wide receivers. Pro-rating the Jets 2016 rookies for a full 16 games of production, the current group, if they continue at their current rates of production, will end up 13th (Robby Anderson), 17th (Charone Peake) and 19th (Jalin Marshall) on the all time list of Jets rookie wide receivers in the post-merger era in terms of receiving yards. It is worth noting that among all Jets wide receivers drafted or originally signed as UDFAs by the Jets who ever reached as much as 1000 career yards receiving, every one of them other than Santana Moss and Jerricho Cotchery show up on the top 20 of the list below of all Jets rookie wide receivers with 100 or more rookie receiving yards. Santana Moss was injured his entire rookie year, so only Cotchery failed to make 100 receiving yards with a healthy rookie year.
Player |
Year |
Draft Round |
Receptions |
Yards |
|
|
|
|
. |
Keyshawn Johnson |
1996 |
1 |
63 |
844 |
Wesley Walker |
1977 |
2 |
35 |
740 |
Wayne Chrebet |
1995 |
UDFA |
66 |
726 |
Rob Moore |
1990 |
1 |
44 |
692 |
Derrick Gaffney |
1978 |
8 |
38 |
691 |
Al Toon |
1985 |
1 |
46 |
662 |
Lam Jones |
1980 |
1 |
25 |
482 |
Richard Caster |
1970 |
2 |
19 |
393 |
Laveranues Coles |
2000 |
3 |
22 |
370 |
Chansi Stuckey |
2008 |
7 |
32 |
359 |
Jeremy Kerley |
2011 |
5 |
29 |
314 |
Jerome Barkum |
1972 |
1 |
16 |
304 |
Robby Anderson* |
2016 |
UDFA |
27 |
277 |
Stephen Hill |
2012 |
2 |
21 |
252 |
Terrance Mathis |
1990 |
6 |
19 |
245 |
Dedric Ward |
1997 |
3 |
18 |
212 |
Charone Peake* |
2016 |
7 |
23 |
199 |
Jo Jo Townsell |
1985 |
3 |
12 |
187 |
Jalin Marshall* |
2016 |
UDFA |
14 |
171 |
Windrell Hayes |
2000 |
5 |
6 |
126 |
Alex Van Dyke |
1996 |
2 |
17 |
118 |
Devin Smith |
2015 |
2 |
9 |
115 |
Howard Satterwhite |
1976 |
UDFA |
7 |
110 |
If we pro-rate their production over a full 16 game season, this group will end up seventh on the list of all Jets rookie wide receiver groups in the post-merger era in terms of receiving yards. It may be worth noting that of the top 10 groups, only the 1978, 1980 and 1995 groups failed to produce a Pro Bowl receiver, and the 1995 group produced Wayne Chrebet.
Year |
Players |
Receptions |
Yards |
|
|
|
. |
1996 |
Keyshawn Johnson Alex Van Dyke |
80 |
962 |
1990 |
Rob Moore Terrance Mathis |
63 |
937 |
1985 |
Al Toon Jo Jo Townsell |
58 |
849 |
1977 |
Wesley Walker |
35 |
740 |
1995 |
Wayne Chrebet |
66 |
726 |
1978 |
Derrick Gaffney Bobby Jones |
39 |
709 |
2016* |
Robby Anderson Charone Peake Jalin Marshall |
64 |
647 |
2000 |
Laveranues Coles Windrell Hayes |
38 |
496 |
1980 |
Lam Jones |
25 |
482 |
1970 |
Richard Caster |
19 |
393 |
Finally it may be worth noting that the 2016 team is the first ever post-merger Jets team with three rookie wide receivers with 75 or more yards receiving.
The 2016 Jets rookie receivers thus far have produced modest receiving totals to date, but even these modest totals rank fairly high in the NFL and in Jets history. A glance at past Jets history suggests the odds favor at least one of these three receivers going on to have a very nice career with the Jets.
The acid test for receivers usually comes in the second year. Most receivers take their biggest leap in production in year 2. If the current group develops accordingly, the Jets just might have one of the best and deepest receiving groups in the NFL as early as 2017, assuming Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker return in full health.