Sorry but Thomas had dropsy for half tof last season. Part of the reason the Broncos ranked 30th in dropped passes last year. It was the final few half of the season that he looked like an NFL receiver.
I love the Hill pick, but I think its a little unrealistic to think he's going to be a dominant WR especially in year 1. He's a prospect that is raw. I would be happy with 35 catches for 500 yards or so. Anything over that would be a bonus.
This is exactly what I was thinking - Sanchez took a lot of hits like a man last year rather than throw interceptions, he has to be ecstatic to have this guy as an option over an obviously slowed Plaxico that teams basically ignored unless we were in the red zone.
I think his impact will be more than just whatever stats he puts up. He should help "take the top off the defense" which will open things up for all the other receivers. He'll also be a solid blocker in the run game.
Last year Torrey Smith put up 50-841-7 in his rookie year on a running team. Ray Rice btw had his best season as a pro. That's the benefit of "taking the top off the D." I'm hoping Mr. Hill can put up 32-640-6 and open up the underneath for ground n pound, Tone, and Keller. Thats just 2 catches per game on average and given that his yd/rec is high (20yds/rec) he will probably need ~5 targets per game. I think that's very doable for someone running the fly, corner, and occasional dig route.
I'd love to see the Jets come out and just start taking deep shots down field with this guy. I'm talking 4-5 attempts per game. If you hit on one of those it can be game changing, and even if you miss the D at least has to be weary of you trying it.
