1. Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville Jaguars - Being considered the consensus top receiver in the draft can add some unneeded pressure to a young player.  After being picked, Blackmon became the longest rookie holdout.  He didn’t even participate in team play until the third preseason game.  This hurt him early as he has been shut out in two games.  His hands have been less impressive during he regular season but he has still managed to catch 13 balls for 119 yards.  The Jags would like to get him more involved but he often looks like he is overmatched and can’t seem to beat man coverage consistently.
2. Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals - Through five games Floyd has yet to start, but who can blame him behind some very talented receivers in Arizona.  Getting help from the legendary Larry Fitzgerald will undoubtedly help Floyd’s development.  Right now he is sitting in the middle of the depth chart and has appeared in every game.  He has six catches for 60 yards and no touchdowns.  For being a first round selection the Cardinals probably want to get him more involved.  It’s difficult to do with shaky quarterback play though.
3. 

   Wright could very easily be the top target in Tennessee for some time.  The team desperately needs offensive help to go with their young receiver.  Source: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

   Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans - One of the more prolific receivers from the 2012 class thus far, Wright is geting his share of action.  He has started four of the five first games for Tennessee.  He has 27 catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns.  He has shown an ability to be explosive and has been forced to fill in for Kenny Britt on occasion.  While the offense as a whole sputters, Wright will continue to get more looks with Tennessee unable to move the ball on the ground.

4. Brian Quick, St. Louis Rams - Quick has only made an appearance in three games this season.  A popular selection in the draft, Quick has struggled to get things going in St. Louis.  He has one reception for 19 yards.  With Danny Amendola injured the Rams could try to get Quick more involved moving forward.  You’ve got to wonder if they’re happy with their third round selection though.
5. Stephen Hill, New York Jets - Hill showed early that he can be an effective wide receiver.  Then he disappeared, was limited due to injury, and now he’s back.  The speedy receiver could be a popular target in any scheme, but the Jets simply don’t have a quarterback good enough to get him the ball.  Hill has started all three games he has been in  and has five receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a threat whenever he gets the ball in his hands.
6. Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears - Jeffery has started to games for the Bears and has looked better each game.  He has been active in all five games and has 14 receptions for 184 yards and two scores.  Jeffery presents a big red zone threat and draws attention from Brandon Marshall.  The impact for Jeffery goes well beyond his reception numbers as he is a big-bodied receiver that must be respected by the defense.
7. Rueben Randle, New York Giants - Having appeared in every game but not started due to the depth at the position, Randle is in a prime position to learn from some very good receivers and to be an effective piece of the New York Giants puzzle when called upon.  Randle currently has seven receptions for 86 yards.  He is filling the role that Tom Coughlin wants: more depth that can be relied upon.
8. Mohamed Sanu, Cincinnati Bengals - A curious note on Sanu is his lack of use with the Bengals.  Sanu has only been active for three games with the Bengals, starting one…to throw the ball.  Sanu has no catches to his name thus far but does have a perfect passer rating with one pass for 73 yards and a touchdown.  At this point I wonder if the Bengals are keeping his receiving skills quiet simply because they want to use his pure athleticism at a later point in the season.  It’ll work, especially if the other team is worried that he can continue to pass or be effective in other ways whenever he is on the field.

As it all starts to shape up you’ve got to wonder about who really is the best receiver to come out of the draft.  With the Jake Locker injury in Tennessee you can expect some drop-off for Wright’s numbers, but he’s looking like a very good receiver at this point. A lot of these players are buried on teams that need help right now, but it appears the rookie receivers aren’t bailing out their struggling quarterbacks as much as the team would like.  We’ll continue to observe the progress here at B&T as the season progresses.

- Luke N. Sims

You initially had me worried with all the Tim Tebow talk Mr. Khan! Source: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

Back when Tim Tebow was being shopped by the Denver Broncos earlier in the offseason, the Jags’ new owner, Shahid Khan, thought that acquiring the young Florida star would be good for the Jaguars.  This move was appealing to some, devastating to others, and downright fanatical to the national media.

As we all know, ultimately Khan failed and Rex Ryan and the Jets took on the debacle that is Tim Tebow.

I don’t bring up Tebow because I want to begin the Jacksonville-Tebow Time saga that gripped the team and fans for a month and a half.  Instead, I want to focus on how smart our front office was to not make a very strong bid for Tebow.  And how happy I am that he ultimately chose the Jets.

In March our very own Daniel Lago outlined a few pros and cons about not acquiring Tebow:

Pros

• This shows that ultimately the man in charge of football operations is Gene Smith. If Khan really wanted Tebow, regardless of the price, he could have forced his hand. In the end, Khan let the football front office make the final decision.
• The Jaguars can develop Gabbert without the circus of Tim Tebow supporters clamoring to bench Gabbert after every incompletion. This situation has already been brought up multiple times in regards to Mark Sanchez in New York, and it would be significantly magnified in Jacksonville with Gabbert.
• Because Tebow chose the Jets, the Jaguar brass can now say, “hey, we tried but Tebow didn’t want to come here.”
• The price for Tim Tebow illustrated that no team in the league thinks he is a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL. A starting quarterback is worth more than a 4^th and 6^th round pick.

Cons

• Even though Khan ultimately let Gene Smith control the situation, he still felt the need to impose his will in the front office. It’s clear he saw a business opportunity and a way to spark interest in the team, and he let that get in the way of what should be a pure football decision. Fair or not, he’s now opened himself up to criticism as an owner who interferes with personnel decisions, i.e. Jerry Jones and Bud Adams.
• Not really a con, but this is annoying: Jaguar fans now have to continue to listen to the complete garbage being spewed by most of the national media about the Jaguars. Not acquiring Tebow will now be spun as “the Jaguars failing to save the franchise” and “the Jaguars are so bad, Tebow isn’t even willing to go home and play for them.” I don’t need to name any names (I do that on twitter instead), but some members of the media have already left the Jaguars for dead for the 2012 season. These people are idiots. Period. We’ve already talked about how we feel about the national media on B&T but you can never bash them enough.

It was a beautiful listing of the Jaguars pros from not acquiring the error-prone quarterback.  We can only imagine how much worse Gabbert’s development would be if Tebow had been there to take snaps away from him with the first team to run ridiculous wildcat packages. Proof of the step backward can be found in Mark Sanchez’s play.  Poor Sanchez was expected to rebound after a big step backward in 2011.  Instead it looks like Tebow and the attempt to implement the wildcat has caused an even further step backward at worst and staying the same at best.

It is nice to see this reality occurring, especially since 48% of those who responded to the B&T poll “How do you feel about the Jaguars not being able to acquire Tim Tebow” chose the option “The Jaguars are a joke.  They ruined their only chance to be relevant again. This was a huge blunder.”  Based on what I’m seeing out of New York, I think it was a miracle he chose the Jets.

On Wednesday Tim said that he was more focused on scoring touchdowns than posting impressive QB stats.  You’d have to be if your stat line ran like this: 13/36 (36%), 151 yards, two picks, and no touchdowns.  Where are those touchdowns Tim?  It’s tough to have 4th quarter comebacks and rally the team when you aren’t in the end zone.  But maybe it isn’t all his fault, the Jets have yet to find the endzone at all through three preseason games.

Tony, the wildcat didn't work in Miami and it won't work in New York. Run while you still can Tim! Source: Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

I can’t imagine that bringing in Tony Sparano to run the offense is helping.  Especially since he is focusing so much on using Tebow in the wildcat.  But even then Tebow doesn’t have a single touchdown running despite racking up 84 yards on 11 rushes.  Yet despite the lack of yardage and points coming from Tebow, Sparano predicts 100+ attempts from the wildcat in 2012…

I don’t know if it is just because hindsight is 20/20 or that Gabbert is actually having a good preseason, but I’m thrilled to see Tebow in a different uniform.  I’m thrilled he’s in a different part of the country, far removed from Jacksonville.  The best part is that Tebow knows that the team needs to get better,  “Honestly, it’s not about the percentages,” said Tebow of his quarterback numbers. “It’s about just trying to get your team in the end zone and obviously that’s something we have to do a better job (of).”

Obviously, Tim.  Good luck in New York, you’re going to need it.

- Luke N. Sims

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He is specifically featured in the following episodes:

In Act III, Episode 2, Justin impresses NFL scouts and coaches during Oklahoma State’s pro day. Later in the episode, Justin sits down with a nutritionist from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute who explains what foods he needs to focus on consuming in order to properly fuel his body.

In Act IV, Episode 1, Justin is shown receiving a call from the Jaguars the night of the draft before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces that the team has selected him with the fifth overall pick.

In Act IV, Episode 2, Justin arrives at the Jaguars’ team facility to meet with his new team.

In Act V, Episode 2, Justin participates in drills at Jaguars camp, working with the team’s wide receivers coach.

The series can be watched by fans at NFL.com/ETP.  Finally some good publicity for the Jags!  Hard Knocks may have passed Jacksonville up, but with the rising star that is Justin Blackmon the rest of the league (and its fans) will begin to take notice again.

- Luke N. Sims