After Carolina drafted Kelvin Benjamin at 28 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, they returned to the massive pass-catcher well in 2015, securing tweener Devin Funchess at 41 overall. By sifting the projection model for 225+ pound wide receivers in the late first round through second round NFL Draft range returns seven prospects including the now-Panther tandem.
Prior to 2014, the four receivers that fit the profile since 1999 include:
- Vincent Jackson
- Dez Bryant
- Greg Little
- Jonathan Baldwin
There is no middle ground from a fantasy football sense on this list with Bryant and Jackson consistently producing to the tune of 275+ career VBD each. Little and Baldwin did not produce a single season of 10+ PPG between them. Little and Baldwin had spotty production profiles entering the NFL, signaling they failed to harness those physical traits into meaningful on-field results even through 21 years old in college. Bryant and Jackson are two of the top producers in the projection model at the position prior to the NFL.
Fast forward to 2014 and the Panthers take Kelvin Benjamin, a woeful metric prospect, which I outlined as a good bet in 2014, but one to question long-term sustaining that initial opportunity and connected buzz. Here is how Benjamin and Devin Funchess stack up by the numbers:
