
The media, bloggers, fans, and people that just hate
Matt Millen have spent a lot of time lambasting the Lions general manager because not only does he love drafting wide receivers in the first round, he's got an amazing knack for unearthing sure-to-be busts.
(To be fair,
Roy Williams is legit, and there's no reason to think
Calvin Johnson won't be even better. But
Charles Rogers and
Mike Williams were so embarrassingly bad, they more than canceled out anything Williams accomplished.)
But enough about the Lions. The Falcons love drafting wideouts in the first round, and amazingly manage to find guys who are less effective than their Detroit counterparts. In 2004, the team took Ohio State's
Michael Jenkins with the 29th pick, and in 2005, they grabbed Alabama-Birmingham's
Roddy White with the 27th pick.
Jenkins has never caught more than 39 balls in his three-year career; White has yet to top 30 receptions in two seasons. Not exactly the output you're looking for in your first-round picks. Which explains why the Falcons signed 35-year-old
Joe Horn this off-season.
And guess what? Horn will be in the starting lineup tomorrow when the Falcons take on the Vikings.
And he'll be joined by White ... meaning that Jenkins will be the third receiver. Being the slot guy isn't as bad as getting released, but it's not exactly what most teams envision when they use a first-round pick on a wideout (Anthony Gonzalez and the Colts are the obvious exception).
A lot can happen over the regular season, but Jenkins enters his fourth year in the league. If he doesn't get by now, there's a good chance he never will. The good news, though, is that the Raiders are always looking for former first-round busts. So there's that, I guess.