I've noticed a lot of comments lately about how either A.J. Jenkins is wasting away on the bench or he was a wasted pick. First round WRs are meant to come in and contribute right away ... never mind he was 2 spots away from the second round and the 4th WR taken in the draft.
So I decided to put together a chart of all the WRs taken in the last five years, including 2012, between the 15th and 40th draft position. My thinking was a top 15 pick holds a lot more expectations and should bring much more value than 15-40. So here's the chart:
Player | Year Drafted | Drafted By | Draft Place | Games Played | Games Started | Recs | Yards | Yards Per Rec | TDs |
Donnie Avery | 2008 | Rams | 33 | 15 | 12 | 53 | 674 | 12.7 | 3 |
Devin Thomas | 2008 | Redskins | 34 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 120 | 8.5 | 0 |
Jordy Nelson | 2008 | Green Bay | 36 | 16 | 2 | 33 | 366 | 11.1 | 2 |
Jeremy Maclin | 2009 | Eagles | 19 | 15 | 13 | 56 | 773 | 13.8 | 4 |
Percy Harvin | 2009 | Vikings | 22 | 15 | 8 | 60 | 790 | 13.2 | 6 |
Hakeem Nicks | 2009 | Giants | 29 | 14 | 6 | 47 | 790 | 16.8 | 6 |
Kenny Britt | 2009 | Titans | 30 | 16 | 6 | 42 | 701 | 16.7 | 3 |
Brian Robiskie | 2009 | Browns | 36 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 106 | 15.1 | 0 |
Demaryius Thomas | 2010 | Broncos | 22 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 283 | 12.9 | 2 |
Dez Bryant | 2010 | Cowboys | 24 | 12 | 2 | 45 | 561 | 12.5 | 6 |
Arrelious Benn | 2010 | Bucaneers | 39 | 15 | 9 | 25 | 395 | 15.8 | 2 |
Jonathan Baldwin | 2011 | Chiefs | 26 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 261 | 14.5 | 1 |
Kendall Wright | 2012 | Titans | 20 | 13 | 5 | 59 | 555 | 9.4 | 4 |
Brian Quick | 2012 | Rams | 33 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 156 | 14.2 | 2 |
As you can see, not a single WR started all 16 games. Donnie Avery got the closest to starting all 16 games, but then he was on a Rams team that went 2-14 that year.
Some of the rookies were decent contributors right away, but none of them had knock out stats. All of them got the chance to start at least one game. Did the 49ers totally whiff on their first round pick, or are they simply not giving him the opportunities to accumulate mediocre stats and make rookie mistakes like the rest of the guys on this chart? Will holding him back help Jenkins develop, or is it just delaying the inevitable?
After looking over the "expectations" of a WR drafted in Jenkins spot, what do you guys think?