Detroit Lions: More context to get excited about Kenny Golladay

There is plenty of reasons for Detroit Lions fans to be excited about Kenny Golladay. Here is another comparing him to some recent first round picks.

The Kenny Golladay hype train was running at full steam during the Detroit Lions’ 2017 preseason. Looking back, it was probably running out of control, but there was real reason to be excited about what Bob Quinn may have found in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

After initially receiving a lukewarm response from most fans and pundits at the time of the draft, Golladay burst onto the scene with a big preseason opener in which he caught three passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. The led to some lofty expectations – higher perhaps than the 28 catch, 477 yard, three touchdown rookie season he ended up with.

Not many wide receivers have had an easy transition to the NFL in recent years. As detailed this week on The MMQB, just four of the 13 wide receivers drafted in the first round since 2015 have put together a season of even 35 receptions.

It’s safe to say the nine players who were former first round picks to not hit that mark haven’t given their teams what was hoped for when the pick was made. Which brings us back to Golladay.

Though Golladay also fell short of the 35 catches, his per game pace put him above hit. Despite his sometimes limited role in the offense, it was really only injury that kept Golladay from reaching The MMQB’s benchmark. His 28 catches in 11 games played comes out to 40.

Now, it’s not quite fair to give credit to Golladay for 16-game considering some of the first rounders in the example fell short for the same reason. Take former Western Michigan Bronco Corey Davis for example. Injuries limited him to 11 games in his rookie season as well, causing him to fall one catch short of The MMQB’s arbitrary line.

Next: A RB for Lions to consider in every round

Regardless, it’s not the finer details that matter here anyway. A first round wide receiver is no guarantee for big impact (Laquon Treadwell, anyone?) and it looks like the Lions found something in the third round with Golladay. Excitement about his future is already high, and this is just another reason to support that.