Michael Crabtree has signed with the Oakland Raiders, so the former first-rounder is now with his second NFL team. It's a story that's been repeated over and over again with what was a sizable 2009 class of wide receivers selected in the first round.
Crabtree was one of six wide receivers drafted in the first round that season, and it has been a fairly impressive group. All but one of them has had at least one NFL season with 9-10 TDs, and all but two of them have had seasons with at least 1,100 combined receiving and rushing yards. Six years later, all six are still employed by NFL teams, or will be when Hakeem Nicks signs somewhere (maybe Tennessee?).
There have been other draft classes featuring six first-round wideouts, but none as successful as 2009's. None of them, however, has done well enough that they have remained the same team. All six have been with at least two teams, some as many as four.
The six wideouts and their laundry list of employers are presented below.
| 2009 FIRST-ROUND WIDE RECEIVERS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| Darrius Heyward-Bey | Oak. | Oak. | Oak. | Oak. | Ind. | Pitt. | Pitt. |
| Michael Crabtree | S.F. | S.F. | S.F. | S.F. | S.F. | S.F. | Oak. |
| Jeremy Maclin | Phil. | Phil. | Phil. | Phil. | Phil. | Phil. | K.C. |
| Percy Harvin | Minn. | Minn. | Minn. | Minn. | Sea. | NYJ | Buff. |
| Hakeem Nicks | NYG | NYG | NYG | NYG | NYG | Ind. | ? |
| Kenny Britt | Tenn. | Tenn. | Tenn. | Tenn. | Tenn. | St.L. | St.L. |
--Andy Richardson