Ian Allan

Andy Richardson raised an interesting topic, I thought, when he posted the blurb about Eric Decker of the Broncos possibly outperforming the receiver they selected in the first round, Demaryius Thomas. I can definitely see that happening, and I think the same thing might happen in Tampa Bay, where the Bucs selected Mike Williams after Arrelious Benn.

It got me thinking about the phenomena in general – about the chances of a wide receiver outperforming a player who was selected earlier by the same team. It happens more than you might think.

Look at the league today. Johnny Knox, Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Hartline, Louis Murphy, Legedu Naanee, Devin Aromashodu. They were all selected only after their teams chose other wide receivers.

The Steelers pulled off the most remarkable double receiver draft in league history. They chose John Stallworth in the fourth round in 1974 – after using their first pick on Lynn Swann. Both went on to Hall of Fame careers, catching multiple touchdowns in four Super Bowl wins.

Below is the list of my top 10 second-choice wide receivers of the last 25 years.

1. Anquan Boldin, Cardinals (2003)
Arizona used its first-round pick on Bryant Johnson, but Boldin passed him immediately, catching a rookie-record 102 passes in his first year.

2. Dwight Clark, 49ers (1979)
Clark, out of Clemson, was an after-thought pick in the 10th round. The 49ers used the first pick of the second round on James Owens of UCLA (they only player they selected before Joe Montana).

3. Fred Barnett & Calvin Williams, Eagles (1990)
Philadelphia was looking for help at wide receiver and landed it in the third and fifth rounds with these guys. They had plenty of good years with Randall Cunningham in the early ‘90s. But the Eagles’ first round choice that year was Mike Bellamy of Illinois, who never did anything for them.

4. Troy Brown, Patriots (1993)
An eighth-round pick, Brown was a steady, reliable producer for New England for years – Mr. Patriot. He was picked long after second-rounder Vincent Brisby.

5. Cris Collinsworth, Bengals (1981)
Collinsworth was the 37th pick overall, so no surprise that he went on to have a solid career. But Cincinnati used its first-round pick that year on David Verser of Kansas, who never amounted to much.

6. Andre Reed, Bills (1985)
The pride of Kutztown University (Pa.) proved to be a stellar fourth-round pick. He may wind up in the Hall of Fame someday. The Bills used their second-round pick the same year on Chris Burkett, who had a couple of good seasons before fizzling.

7. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Bengals (2001)
No knock against the guy they took in the second round – Chad Ochocinco – but Houshmandzadeh also has had a great career (and somehow lasted until the 7th round). Both receivers, remarkably, went to the same school – Oregon State.

8. Flipper Anderson, Rams (1988)
A second-round pick, Anderson was a great deep threat who had some big catches. He still holds the record for receiving yards in a game, and he had a game-winning catch in overtime in a playoff win against the Giants. The same year, Los Angeles used its first-round choice on Aaron Cox of Arizona State, who never had a 600-yard season.

9. Drew Hill, Rams (1979)
Just a 12th-round pick, Hill had some memorable seasons, particularly with the Oilers in the late ‘80s. Originally, he was picked nine rounds after Jeff Moore of Tennessee.

10. Derrick Mason, Oilers (1997)
Mason has cranked out a lot of 1,000-yard seasons. He was selected in the fourth round originally. The Oilers selected Joey Kent of Tennessee in the second round of the same draft.

Honorable Mention: The following late-round receivers also paid off, but the receivers chosen before them weren’t as coveted entering the league: Kevin Walter, Donald Driver, Michael Haynes, Mervyn Fernandez, Curtis Duncan.

If I missed anybody, let me know.

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