Expectations for Maclin in 2010
Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin had 56 catches for 773 yards as a rookie. How do those numbers compare to other receivers during the last five seasons? And what's in store for Maclin in 2010?
Expectations for Maclin in 2010
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Jeremy Maclin had a standout rookie season, catching 56 balls for 773 yards.
But what's in store for him in 2010?
In order to better form an educated guess at how Maclin might perform next season, I took a look at how his rookie numbers compared to other first-year receivers since 2004.
I focused on receiving yards as the criteria for selecting this group, but also included their other stats. The following chart shows the 10 receivers whose yardage totals during their rookie seasons most resembled Maclin's total of 773:
| Player | Catches | Yds. | TDs | YPC | Rookie Year |
| Jeremy Maclin | 56 | 773 | 4 | 13.8 | 2009 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 58 | 780 | 8 | 13.4 | 2004 |
| Calvin Johnson | 48 | 756 | 4 | 15.8 | 2007 |
| Keary Colbert | 47 | 754 | 5 | 16.0 | 2004 |
| Roy Williams | 54 | 817 | 8 | 15.1 | 2004 |
| Santonio Holmes | 49 | 824 | 2 | 16.8 | 2006 |
| Lee Evans | 48 | 843 | 9 | 17.6 | 2004 |
| Donnie Avery | 53 | 674 | 3 | 12.7 | 2008 |
| DeSean Jackson | 62 | 912 | 2 | 14.7 | 2008 |
| Greg Jennings | 45 | 632 | 3 | 14.0 | 2006 |
| Anthony Gonzalez | 37 | 576 | 3 | 15.6 | 2007 |
Not bad company, huh?
And here's how those 10 players performed in Year 2:
| Player | Catches | Yds. | TDs | YPC |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 103 | 1,409 | 10 | 13.7 |
| Calvin Johnson | 78 | 1,331 | 12 | 17.1 |
| Keary Colbert | 25 | 282 | 2 | 11.3 |
| Roy Williams | 45 | 687 | 8 | 15.3 |
| Santonio Holmes | 52 | 942 | 8 | 18.1 |
| Lee Evans | 48 | 743 | 7 | 15.5 |
| Donnie Avery | 47 | 589 | 5 | 12.5 |
| DeSean Jackson | 63 | 1,167 | 9 | 18.5 |
| Greg Jennings | 53 | 920 | 12 | 17.4 |
| Anthony Gonzalez | 57 | 664 | 4 | 11.6 |
And finally, differential from Year 1 to Year 2:
| Player | Catches | Yds. | TDs | YPC |
| Larry Fitzgerald | +45 | +629 | +2 | -0.3 |
| Calvin Johnson | +30 | +575 | +8 | +1.3 |
| Keary Colbert | -22 | -472 | -3 | -4.7 |
| Roy Williams | -9 | -130 | 0 | +0.2 |
| Santonio Holmes | +3 | +118 | +3 | +1.3 |
| Lee Evans | 0 | -100 | -2 | -2.1 |
| Donnie Avery | -6 | -85 | +2 | -0.2 |
| DeSean Jackson | +1 | +255 | +7 | +3.8 |
| Greg Jennings | +8 | +288 | +9 | +3.4 |
| Anthony Gonzalez | +20 | +88 | +1 | -4.0 |
| Totals: | +70 | +1,166 | +30 | -1.3 |
| Averages: | +7.0 | +116.6 | +3 | -0.13 |
So what can we conclude from the numbers? Here are some notes and observations:
* Six of the 10 receivers had more catches in their second years; one had the same; and three had fewer. Six of the 10 were within 10 catches (plus or minus) of their totals as rookies.
* Six of the 10 receivers had more receiving yards in their second years; four had fewer. Seven of the 10 had more touchdowns as sophomores; one had the same; and two had fewer.
* The most dramatic improvements were Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson. The most dramatic dropoff was Keary Colbert.
* Every one of the 10 guys on the list were taken in the first or second round of the draft. The highest picks were Johnson (second overall) and Fitzgerald (third overall). The lowest pick was Colbert (62nd overall).
* If Maclin falls in line with the averages, he'll project to 63 catches for 890 yards and seven touchdowns. But obviously there are several variables. It'll be Kevin Kolb, not Donovan McNabb throwing Maclin the football. Also, remember that Maclin missed a portion of training camp last year as a rookie.
* Last year at Lehigh, DeSean Jackson was the Eagles' most impressive player. When Maclin got on the practice field, his talent was evident, but I was skeptical of him having an immediate impact and picking up the offense right away. I was wrong. He came in and played very well. It'll be interesting to see how different Maclin looks this year at Lehigh.
* So, based on what you see above, what are your projections for Maclin in his second season?
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70 + catches and over a 1,000 receiving with 7 TDs. Now pass me some more green kool aid!!!
Maclin will have a much better year than Jackson will this year...Jackson won't catch half as many balls.— EaglesBleedMoney- Agreed. maclin will have a better year than DJax primarily because DJax is the deep threat and Maclin can roam the middle a bit more.— palmyra21
- Let me guess. DooDoo Fresh will say that the team needs an air guitarist. Lonewolf will say that Maclin will catch a hundred balls because Kolb is the greatest QB ever. Kolbinterceptionmachine will say the Eagles will be 2-14 and Philly is a bunch of losers. And then about 75% will say Maclin will be great because he will not have balls thrown at his feet and then 25% will say he will have an enormous dropoff because McNabb is no longer here. Did I miss anything?— oharabri
- 85 balls, 1200 yds, 7 tds. he gets a sophomore bump and a Kolb bump.— thefadd
- Wio cares. If the O-Line plays well, this offense is going to be great. Kolb will put up McNabb numbers with a few more picks. But his drives will be more sustained, hopefully keeping the defense off the field as much as possible. But it comes down to the O-Line. Second/First concern is the defense. They MUST show improvement on defense. This season will not be about quarterbacks and wide receivers, those positions are solid. O-Line and defense is where the work lies.— craig123
- Wio cares. If the O-Line plays well, this offense is going to be great. Kolb will put up McNabb numbers with a few more picks. But his drives will be more sustained, hopefully keeping the defense off the field as much as possible. But it comes down to the O-Line. Second/First concern is the defense. They MUST show improvement on defense. This season will not be about quarterbacks and wide receivers, those positions are solid. O-Line and defense is where the work lies.— craig123
- Just one oharabri - imagine how good the receivers would have been if they kept Cliff Lee. Maclin & Jackson = Perriman & Moore, Holt & Bruce, pass the kool aid Spider!!!!— dragoon6
In now way shape or form will Maclin have a better season than D-Jax. Maclin doesn't have D-Jax 5'8 175lb body that is extremely shifty and built like a Mack Truck. With the accuracy of Kolb D-Jax will see more jump balls and fade routes which he excels at within the redzone. McNabb held D-Jax back by not throwing him the ball in tight situations. Now with Kolb he will fling that ball even if it's into triple coverage leading into the middle of the field. Kolb has the trust in his WR's that McNabb lacked and his WR's will lay it on the line even if they have to extend into a linebacker. Why? Because Kevin "Mr. Clutch" Kolb is a natural born leader who has the "it" factor. With McNabb, Mornhinweg spoke of his strength and ability to extend plays with Kolb he doesn't need to emphasize those traits as Kolb has the "it" factor which can not be measured. Kolb will pass for over 20 TD's and int's matter little because Kolb doesn't let it affect him like they do with McNabb.- oharabri, you didn't miss a thing brotha (Lost reference for all those who cried themselves to sleep last night after their beloved series finally came to an end, and for the record, I'm a lostie too....but my tv broke 8 minutes into the finale last night and I don't know what happened yet, the timing)— Bleue
- oharabri: You are spot on. lol. I want to see how many of the receivers listed above had a QB change the second year. That would be some good info.— Bigbadrookie
- Nicely done, oharabri.
- This team is loaded on both sides of the ball. McNabb held this team back for far too long. Now Bradley will play like Urlacher, Demps will play like Ed Reed, Trapp will play like Strahan, Sims will play like Lawrence Taylor, Macho will play like Rod Woodson and Marlin Jackson will create havoc for opposing offensives with his 2 bionic knees. This team is set on offense and also on defense. It's time to bring up the 85 Bears and 2000 Ravens. All this was made possible by delivering the greatest Easter Sunday EVER with trading McNabb and placing Kevin "Mr. Clutch" Kolb as the savior and All-American face of this franchise with his natural born leadership skills.
- With 1 year in the system under his belt, and with a full training camp, Maclin will see increased production. His attributes fit the WC offense perfectly. He just gets open. And I predict fewer deep balls thrown, and more double teams on Jackson, leaving more opportunities for Maclin. As he develops, he will become the #1 option at WR. Workhorse, very high football IQ, great attitude. Very humble guy. His #s last season also need to be viewed in light of games he missed due to a minor injury. He put up those #s while only active for 12-13 games.— montgomeryhopkins
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