Compare five WR's from the 1996 draft: Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Terrell Owens.
Harrison has the best QB willing him into a Hall of Famer. He can run and Manning will gun. How many TD passes has he caught from the 40 yard line? Hard to count, but only because Manning is willing to throw those passes and the coaches know Harrison can catch them. But does Harrison block? Can he go across the middle and take a hit? He doesn't have to. He can run a skinny post and his QB will hit him perfectly despite Harrison's average size. Harrison has one of the best running backs of the decade behind him too. He can block, but with Manning on the team Harrison is a better decoy, leading defenders away from James. I think it affects James' ability to break long runs which usually involves a great block from a WR. After 1999, when he had a 72 yard run, James' longest run in each season has been 30, 29, 20, 43, and 40 yards. I honestly believe Dallas Clark had more to do with his success the past two seasons, but of course it's speculation.
Moulds is a bigger version of Harrison who has made a living dominating smaller cornerbacks deep. Henry and McGahee aren't known for breaking long runs either. I think Moulds is more well-rounded, but he isn't called on to be a possession guy. He is going to languish this season with that OL and Losman starting. By the time Losman becomes a player, Moulds will be history.
Terry Glenn has always been a deep threat on every team he's been a part of. When Tuna has been his coach, TG's been inspired to do more, but it's clear that he becomes less competitive when he's away from BP. I remember his nickname in Fantasy circles in the late 1990's was "Terina" Glenn from always being hurt or in trouble (the infamous "she" reference didn't help). Even during his prime he battled with leg injuries, and now that he's over 30 I see them plaguing him throughout every year he remains in the league.
Which brings us to Key. He's never, ever been a breakaway or deep threat, but you couldn't have a better intermediate receiver. He's a bigger and more competitive version of Al Toon. But Keyshawn is so competitive and physical that it wears him down physically by the end of the season. I've never seen a WR take hits as squarely as Key and have referred to him as the Rodney Hampton of WR's. I believe Keyshawn will break down all at once, and we saw this begin by the end of last year. First the injured knee and then the broken foot. This is a man on the rapid decline, and this decline will be a free fall if he's called upon to do what he did last year.
Terrell Owens, ironically the last of this group to be drafted, is a freak of nature and the most complete of them all. He's the biggest WR I've ever seen for a man his height, he can block, he's fast, and he knows how to turn a small play into a big play. No one in the NFL can match his talent, and he's not known for being injured. But even he got hurt last year. Maybe this glimpse of his football mortality has been the biggest motivation behind his clamoring for more scratch, maybe he's still hurt.
The clock is ticking on this whole group, and wise teams are looking for exit strategies from depending on this class.
Reggie Wayne, Reggie Brown, Peerless Price, Josh Reed, and Lee Evans were attempts by some teams to stem the tide, but Dallas is among the teams that has done squat. The Cowboy GM'ing has simply been inexcusable in this regard. In a passing league, WR has become the second most important position behind QB.
