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

Let’s Take a peek:

• Andrew Luck, QB – After three games, Peyton Manning’s replacement has gone 40/64 for 514 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.  He has looked strong in the pocket, has a look of determination and great focus on almost every play, and he is winning over his teammates with the control he has of the offense.  On the whole, Luck is looking like everything he was promised to be: a franchise quarterback.
• Justin Blackmon, WR - Blackmon has only played in two of the first three preseason games but has already established himself as the best receiver on the roster.  He has eight catches for 120 yards (15 yards per reception), and one touchdown.  He has outplayed defenders, catches the ball well out in front of him, and is easily the most aggressive and physical receiver the Jags have on their roster at this point.
• 

  Could Kendall Wright Outplay Justin Blackmon through the season? Source: Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE

  Kendall Wright, WR – Wright it quickly making himself a strong receiver for the Titans. He has eight catches for 100 yards (12.5 yards per reception), and one touchdown.  He has looked the like the threat they need with Kenny Britt facing off-field struggles yet again.  Some, like myself, worried about his transition to the big leagues but he has shown that he can be an NFL caliber receiver.  With Jake Locker taking over at quarterback he may get even more targets.

• Whitney Mercilus, OLB – Mercilus has to transition from defensive end to outside linebacker in Wade Phillips’ Houston defense.  Fortunately for the Texans, he appears to be doing just fine.  He has been in on six tackles and 2.5 sacks.  Reports are that he is making strides and earning more reps with the first-team offense.  He should be a solid addition to an already stout defense.

On the whole it looks like the AFC South is going to have a strong group of first-rounders that could transition into franchise keys for years to come.  So far, Luck will undoubtedly have the most effect on his team but it may be Wright that could have the most immediate effect and get the Titans over the hump and back into the playoffs – assuming Locker can hit him consistently.

- Luke N. Sims

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You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

Jags First Round Pick Justin Blackmon was arrested for an aggravated DUI in Oklahoma. Source: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

A lot of the aspects about Blackmon’s DUI have been covered both here and at Big Cat Country - two sources that tend to be pretty good at reflecting the opinions of the fans and the public on the Jacksonville Jaguars seeing as how they are both written by fans.  PFW, however, decided that their incompetent take was considerably better than actually reading whole quotes from press conferences and the Jaguars official website.

As PFW says,

When asked if he had a drinking problem, Blackmon quickly denied the possibility, instead saying he had a lapse in judgment and was done drinking “for now.” Although he appeared contrite, Blackmon would have been better served by saying he expects to get counseling and letting professionals weigh in, we hear.

Believe it or not, but this is the face of a man who is happy about his selection of the most productive wide receiver available in the 2012 draft. Source: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

While Blackmon was quick to deny that he has a drinking problem, I doubt that it showed a lack of knowledge of his own situation.  Blackmon is a smart kid.  He’s a competitor.  He knows when he does right, and he knows when he does wrong.  The DUI situation with Jacksonville is certain to give him some guidance on where that right and wrong line is because the team does not allow bad behavior.  Head coach Mike Mularkey and general manager Gene Smith made sure to place emphasis on the goals of the organization and to openly criticize Blackmon for his poor behavior during the June 6th press conference.  Who cares if he expects to get counseling, it will probably be handled personally or by the organization – let them deal with it.

Rather than look at the emphasis and hard line approach of the organization, PFW decided that it should instead criticize the Jaguars for the Blackmon selection.  (Before I go into my vent on PFW here, let me say that the jury will be out on all rookie wide receivers until the season comes and we actually see them perform) Blackmon was the highest regarded receiving prospect in the draft.  Every other college receiver was playing for second place to be selected.  Yet, if you are PFW you think that other clubs thought Blackmon was a worse prospect.  Here I defend the general national media in saying that Blackmon was the best prospect available, truly, but of you’re PFW you found the few clubs who ranked other players higher than Blackmon:

PFW talked to some NFL teams leading up to the draft that had at least four receivers ranked higher than Blackmon…

While I find it possible some clubs did have Blackmon ranked lower than other players, I’m willing to bet that it was because they weren’t looking for a #1 receiver, knew they had no shot at trading up for him, had higher needs, knew they shouldn’t waste their money and time on a receiver they shouldn’t trade up for due to cost, etc…  Of the other receivers available in the draft only Michael Floyd really has the physical tools to compete with Blackmon and had about the same concerns.  Four other receivers would include Kendall Wright, Alshon Jeffery, and Stephen Hill along with Floyd.  You could maybe make a case for one or two of those receivers being higher than Blackmon.  But all four? Really?  There had to have been other factors like draft position and need taken into consideration there.

PFW ultimately showed their lack of knowledge with a statement on how the team views Blackmon out of the gate.  They say,

Blackmon’s NFL career wasn’t off to the most promising start before last weekend’s events. He has received mixed reviews throughout offseason team activities, even being called out publicly by head coach Mike Mularkey for being lost at times.

Those microphones are devices used to broadcast what was actually said by someone. Next time use a whole quote. Source: US-Presswire

So far, the reviews out of the Jaguars have all been positive.  The actual quote from Mularkey goes likes like, “When he (Justin Blackmon) knows what he’s doing, he’s very good.  When he doesn’t, he’s lost.”  Who isn’t lost when they don’t know what they’re doing?  How many times have you had no idea what your supervisor has been saying and kind of float through things because you don’t know what’s going on?  That doesn’t mean you’re a bad performer, it means you don’t know what’s going on.

Fortunately, by all accounts Blackmon has been asking questions and learning the offense.  The coaches have praised him for speaking up when he doesn’t understand.  When you’re a 20 something rookie just learning an offense, that’s perfectly acceptable.  It’s about time that media outlets stop proclaiming doom and gloom every time something bad happens to a player.  Did Blackmon get a DUI?  Yes.  Is he suddenly an incompetent wide receiver because of it?  Only if you’re picking your quotes and slicing and dicing them as you see fit.

Get it right Pro Football Weekly, do some research before you make yourself look foolish.

- Luke N. Sims

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