1998 NFL Draft: Wide Receivers

[boilermaker]

I was perusing pre-draft essays regarding the 1998 NFL Draft when I ran into Paul Zimmerman's rating of each position here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/events/1998/nfldraft/news/1998/04/14/z_picks/

For a few laughs...here are his top 5 WR picks of the 1998 draft, along with their career numbers:

1. Kevin Dyson (178 career catches, 2325 yards, 18 TDs, 58 games played, retired)
2. Jacquez Green (162 catches, 2311 yards, 7 TDs, 67gp, retired)
3. Germane Crowell (184 catches, 2722 yards, 16 TDs, 54gp, retired)
4. Marcus Nash (4 catches, 76 yards, 7gp, retired)
5. Joe Jurevicius (184 catches, 2402 yards, 15 TDs, 90gp)

He then goes on to explain why Randy Moss (589 catches, 9485 yards, 92 TDs, 112gp) doesn't make his top 5:

Note: If you're looking for Marshall's all-world Randy Moss, you won't find him in this list, even if it went 20 deep. Will get downfield in a hurry if they give him room, but he'll get buried by NFL-style bump and run.

:D

[cthomer5000]

My guess is that you can pretty much make a fool out of anyone if you pull up their predictions from any given draft. If you look at DL, LB, and DB he seems to have a much higher perecentage of hits there.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Personally, I'm more amused by the list of running backs in that article (Curtis Enis!). Anyway, about the "top five" wide receivers, I never would've guessed that Jacquez Green played in more games than Kevin Dyson, and I certainly never would've guessed that Germane Crowell has the best overall stats out of all of those top five. Amazing stuff.

As an aside, Marcus Nash is an absolute stud in the Arena Football League, playing for a merely average Las Vegas team. In fact, he holds the league record for most receptions in a season. Also, QB John Dutton was mentioned in that linked article, and he just led the Colorado Crush to the AFL championship.

I know that the AFL isn't the NFL by any stretch of the imagination, but it's good to see that a couple of the guys mentioned in that article have found a place to shine. Now, as for that Andre Wadsworth fellow... :)

[ThunderingHERD]

My guess is that you can pretty much make a fool out of anyone if you pull up their predictions from any given draft.

That's true, but to step outside the format of the column you're writing just to dis a guy that quickly turns into one of the best players in football gets you bonus fool points.

[JeffNights]

Ya know, Germane Crowell was actually a pretty decent WR, injuries really fucked him.

[QuikSand]

So, what happened to Germane Crowell, anyway? Injuries? I seem to recall his fade being really quick (obviously) - but don't remember any specifics.

[Pumpy Tudors]

That's true, but to step outside the format of the column you're writing just to dis a guy that quickly turns into one of the best players in football gets you bonus fool points.
This is the correct answer.

[miami_fan]

I enjoy going back and taking a look at the past drafts analysis and the reasoning behind each pick/non picks. Especially when you see the effects in later draft strategy e.g don't take the Texas RB with the dredlocks. :D

[JeffNights]

So, what happened to Germane Crowell, anyway? Injuries? I seem to recall his fade being really quick (obviously) - but don't remember any specifics.


He had a left knee ligament tear, that healed, then his right one fucking blew up too. Then his ankles,and blah blah

The guy was a speedster who could get open, I enjoyed watching him on my Lions on Sundays.

RECEIVING

Year Team G GS No Yards Avg Lg TD 20+ 40+ FD
1998 Detroit Lions 14 2 25 464 18.6 68 3 7 3 15
1999 Detroit Lions 16 15 81 1338 16.5 77 7 23 7 54
2000 Detroit Lions 9 7 34 430 12.6 50 3 6 1 16
2001 Detroit Lions 5 4 22 289 13.1 46 2 5 1 14
2002 Detroit Lions 10 5 22 201 9.1 22 1 1 0 11
2003 Detroit Lions 0 0 0 0 --- 0 0 0 0 0
2004 New Orleans Saints 0 0 0 0 --- 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 54 33 184 2722 14.8 77 16 42 12 110

he got hurt early in the 00' season if memory serves...

[Blade6119]

To be fair, he says this under moss' actual profile scouting report:

If he passes all the physical and mental testing with flying colors, he could be a top five pick. However, if the character and off the field questions continue to persist, he could be another great player that starts to drop on draft day. But, if this guy keeps his head on straight, he is headed for greatness.

Thats an excerpt from a larger scouting report which all glows about him except for his off field troubles...so to be fair, he says he could be great too

[Dutch]

I never would've guessed that Jacquez Green played in more games than Kevin Dyson

You can thank Tony "Loyal to a fault" Dungy for that.

Green was exposed for his lack of being able to catch a ball other than on the fly and even then had a terrible problem with adjusting to the ball.

"Jacquez Green down the sidelines...he's all alone! Dilfer see's Green and fires a bomb....ohhhhh....it drops harmless a foot to Jacquez Green's left."

Aargh! Move to your left! Move to your left! Just turn your body. Your feet. Anything, Jacquez! Your wide open!

Oh yeah, I remember that guy. 4.1 speed and probably less talent than found in Renaldo Nehemiah's pinky finger.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1998/weekly/catchingup/0928/images/cover.jpg

[yabanci]

This is the reason I like to buy and keep the football preview magazines. They make for great reading down the line.

This is also why I like the x-factor in FOF. You never really know how things are going to play out.

[Darkiller]

my favourite draft / WR thing is 1996 when Keyshawn Johson goes #1 overall while Terrell Owens (a Hall of Fame caliber player and arguably one of the 3 best Wide Receivers of the decade) goes in the 3rd round...

[bhlloy]

my favourite draft / WR thing is 1996 when Keyshawn Johson goes #1 overall while Terrell Owens (a Hall of Fame caliber player and arguably one of the 3 best Wide Receivers of the decade) goes in the 3rd round...

Meh... TO is clearly twice the player Keyshawn is now but still only has about 800 extra yards for his career. Keyshawn was more productive his first 4 years until TO had close to 1500 yards and 15 TD's in 2000. Different kind of players really, TO always had a higher YPC but Keyshawn more catches and total yards.

Given that TO came out of a small school and Keyshawn came out of Southern California I don't find it that surprising. If you remember those Jets teams they had a huge WR need and nobody was talking about TO that high. There is always a couple of players who nobody talks about who break out. I don't think in 1996 there was any way anyone could have seen TO being better than KJ.

Keyshawn had 4 pretty decent years with the Jets and then turned into a mid first round pick. Not too bad I think when you consider some of the high first round busts from the same era.

EDIT - just adding I never knew TO's middle name was Eldorado. That's pretty funny.

[Raiders Army]

TO also had Jerry Rice as a mentor. Who did Keyshawn have?

[stevew]

TO also had Jerry Rice as a mentor. Who did Keyshawn have?Neil O'Donnell.

[nfg22]

Moss owns all...just wanted to make sure you all know that...mentor or not, which he had Chris Carter, but still his rookie year 17 TD's...beat that...

[Coffee Warlord]

5. Jonathan Quinn, Middle Tennessee State. Bet you don't know MTSU's nickname. Me, neither, but I know they have one. Quinn ran a 4.57 at the combine workouts. He has a gun. Intriguing prospect.

Heh!

1. Curtis Enis, Penn State. A gathering force at 242 pounds, and they'll all be knocking themselves out to trade up for him. But I'm not in love with the idea that he missed the biggest game of the year, the Citrus Bowl, because he'd signed with an agent.

Double Heh!

And to amuse me even more about the Bears ridiculousness over the last zillion years...the mock draft on that site had them taking Moss. Their top 8 team needs didn't even INCLUDE a running back, yet what did they take. (sound familiar?)

[Raiders Army]

Neil O'Donnell.
Doesn't count. The mentors have to be the same position (albeit a mentor who's a SE can mentor flankers, and a mentor for Linebackers can mentor OLB and ILBs). Don't you know the bars go up faster that way?

[Chubby]

Doesn't count. The mentors have to be the same position (albeit a mentor who's a SE can mentor flankers, and a mentor for Linebackers can mentor OLB and ILBs). Don't you know the bars go up faster that way?
Sorry, LB mentors are specific in regards to OLB and ILB :P

[Raiders Army]

Sorry, LB mentors are specific in regards to OLB and ILB :P
whoaaaaa. been a long time since I played FOF. my bad.

[jeff061]

Wayne Chrebet :D