Los Angeles Chargers fans have been on the draft-a-wide-receiver train even before the team moved on from Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. But according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, drafting a wide receiver in the first round is far from a guaranteed offensive star.
Fitzgerald’s analysis looks at wide receivers drafted between 2011 and 2019 and compares their value and production after their first contract.
First Round Wide Receivers, 2011-2019:
The list runs the gamut of stars to flops and includes Jim Harbaugh’s only offensive player he selected with a first-round pick in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, AJ Jenkins. But the larger point, Fitzgerald makes with his analysis is, in the rare instances when wide receivers do pan out, their second contracts have outsized their production.
Fitzgerald also contrasted this to interior defensive linemen, calling them the safest first-round picks and lauding their positional value.
Interior D-line has provided incredible value, though that is more skewed to recent contracts. It is probably the safest of the 1st round picks.
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) April 23, 2024
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