10 Notable Rookie Wide Receivers by WRT: Thomas Only Star by WRT
As I showed in the last article, I have developed a metric by which to rate wide receiver value and performance over the course of a season or career (WRT). So now, I've taken 10 notable rookie wide receivers from the 2016 NFL Draft, being Michael Thomas, Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Tyreek Hill, Malcolm Mitchell, Sterling Shepard, Laquon Treadwell, Pharoh Cooper, Tajae Sharpe, and Tyler Boyde. With the exception of Michael Thomas, none had a great season, most ending up average or, in some cases, pretty disappointing. Again, a 90+ is a very good score in WRT and 50-60 is about average. By this, I mean that an average-to-good second receiver or a below-average first receiver should expect to score between 45-60. So, here's those ten rookies ranked by WRT. *Notice: WRT is a purely statistical metric. It does not account for any opinions or given factors such as "explosiveness." It is based on statistical performance and therefore may not reflect your ideals in a wide receiver, but it reflects what I think each stat is worth. This does not include punt returns, kick returns, or runs such as end-around plays. Each WRT is rounded up to the hundredths place except for Pharoh Cooper (for reasons you should be able to see).
10. Pharoh Cooper, Los Angeles Rams - 26.658 WRT
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9. Laquon Treadwell, Minnesota Vikings - 33.42 WRT - He's not here because his season was much better than Cooper's, he's just here because when he did something, it was more noticeable (though it was 1 catch).
Though disappointing in 2016, Treadwell still outdid one of the other "notable" receivers.
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8. Corey Coleman, Cleveland Browns - 55.70 WRT - I guess the quarterbacking situation doesn't really help much, but Coleman was an okay guy in terms of being the no. 2 receiver when he wasn't out with an injury.
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7. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals - 56.35 WRT - Boyd was an average no. 2 receiver in the absence of A.J. Green, but nothing special. This is about an average score.
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6. Malcolm Mitchell, New England Patriots - 56.37 WRT - Mitchell is shaping up to be maybe the no. 2 or even no. 1 receiver in this class, but you're not going to see the bulk of the targets at any level in the New England system, so that's not helping your cause. Mitchell was a good player this year for a loaded team.
Patriots rookie Malcolm MItchell has a bright future in the NFL, and could become one of the league's top receivers. For now, he has to settle for 6th.
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5. Tajae Sharpe, Tennessee Titans - 57.68 WRT - Sharpe had a good season for the Titans, but didn't have the true no. 1 receiver stats required to boost a player's rating much higher than this.
UMass product Tajae Sharpe had a great season, but it wasn't good enough to get any farther in the top half of the list.
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
4. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs - 63.26 WRT - A lot of people probably expected to see Hill closer to the top, but looking through his numbers, he didn't do his real damage in the receiving game and as a result, he falls to no. 4.
2016's most explosive rookie, Tyreek Hill, didn't do his damage receiving, but rather running, returning kicks, and returning punts in accumulation with receiving, so his score was only good enough for 4th.
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3. Will Fuller, Houston Texans - 65.78 WRT - Like most of these receivers, Fuller didn't play the entire season, but when he did play, he was a solid receiver that put up above-average numbers, and those numbers factored out to 3rd place.
Texans receiver Will Fuller exploded onto the scene in 2016, and though he slowed down slightly late in the year, he still earned the no. 3 spot on the list of rookies.
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2. Sterling Shepard, New York Giants - 72.72 WRT - Nobody really paid attention to this small slot receiver for the Giants throughout the year. From the perspective of a non-Giants fan, everything you hear about the Giants, like it or not, it Odell, Odell, Odell. Shepard might have gone under the radar, but the numbers tell a different story. Shepard had a good season, and that's what this measures.
Giants slot receiver Sterling Shepard went through the season flying, but didn't catch the attention of many. He lands the no. 2 spot on this list.
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1. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints - 96.04 WRT - Yes, working in the Saints heavily pass-based system helps any receiver, but Thomas really stepped into the role of the number 1 receiver for the Saints this season, and his numbers reflect the great job he really did.
Michael Thomas (right) earned his spot as the best rookie receiver this year by WRT (and 9th overall).
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
