By Yeshayah Allis
I want to present a question that I don’t have the answer to. Three years ago, the Bills were a wide receiver hungry team, so with their first pick of the draft, they selected Keon Coleman. He then proceeded to have back to back bad seasons with some discipline concerns off the field, and he was the main trade candidate on Buffalo’s roster. He’s now having his best season and looking every bit the wide receiver they drafted him to be. Keon Coleman is one of the latest draft picks to finally hit his stride, but there’s so many young players across the league that are already treated as busts, and my question is why don’t we let these prospects develop? More specifically, why do top prospects have such a short leash? It makes no sense.
Here’s a list of recent 1st round picks who’ve underperformed and are in this category of potential late bloomers:
- JJ McCarthy
- Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Brian Thomas Jr.
- Cam Ward
- Shemar Stewart
Had it not been for breakout years so far, this list would also include Keon Coleman, Dallas Turner, and Travis Hunter. If you’re a top pick in the draft, then you better be great from day 1, because apparently there’s no time to get better in this league.
What makes the least sense is that quitting on these players comes at an enormous expense, and teams will still move off them. Anthony Richardson was drafted 4th overall, and Trey Lance was drafted 3rd overall, and both weren’t given a real opportunity after their 2nd season to prove themselves. The opportunity cost for those draft picks is enormous, and additionally, players like them could’ve been really good, as resurrections in player’s careers have occurred lately with Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold.
It’s a mistake that I keep seeing NFL teams make, and I can’t think of an explanation that makes it make sense. Has anyone else noticed this? Am I alone here?
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