The Washington Redskins added ten total players to their roster during the 2015 NFL Draft. It was general manager Scot McCloughan’s first time selecting prospects in D.C., and, by the looks of it, he has done a fine job. His selections in rounds one, two, and three have looked great, as Brandon Scherff, Preston Smith, and Matt Jones have all assumed an ample amount of responsibility thus far in their young careers.
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And while the three players I named are proving to be well worth the investments that the Redskins put into them, it’s fourth round selection Jamison Crowder that is looking like the gem of the draft. Washington selected Crowder with the 105th overall pick; the former Duke Blue Devil is showing that he deserved to go much, much higher than that.
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The 5 foot 8, 185-pound wideout is currently second among all rookie players in receptions with 23. Crowder only trails Amari Cooper of the Oakland Raiders, who was selected 101 picks earlier in the draft process at number four overall. Cooper has a slight advantage, as he is the primary target for Derek Carr in Oakland.
Cooper was given the starting nod since week one, meaning he has been given a lot more opportunities to make an impact. The Oakland rookie has been targeted a total of 44 times this season, grabbing 28 of those targets. In comparison, Crowder has been targeted on 28 occasions, grabbing 23 of the targets.
Crowder has caught 82.1% of the balls thrown his way, while Oakland’s Cooper has only caught 63.6% of the balls thrown his way. The catch percentage that Crowder boasts is telling, as it shows that he’s a reliable target. That’s not to say that Cooper isn’t; I’m just saying that Crowder is more than outperforming his initial draft slot of 105.
What’s even more intriguing is the fact that Crowder has done a vast majority of his damage since week three, as he only managed to secure two total receptions in weeks one and two. Since assuming the role of slot receiver in week three, Crowder has caught a minimum of six catches a game.
He caught six passes in week three against the New York Giants, seven in week four against the Philadelphia Eagles, and eight in week five against the Atlanta Falcons. Although Crowder has yet to surpass 100 receiving yards, his reception totals are extremely promising. It’s evident that he is quickly becoming one of Kirk Cousins favorite targets, and his amount of targets and trust within the offense will only improve as time goes on.
Crowder is currently second among rookies in receptions and yards, and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to say that he has a solid chance of surpassing Cooper in one or both categories by the end of the season. It’ll be tough for him to overtake Cooper in receiving yardage, but not impossible.
I feel comfortable saying that he is capable of garnering more receptions than Cooper, though. It’s likely that his catch percentage will be higher, too. Regardless of where he finishes among rookies in receiving categories, it’s safe to say that Crowder has been an absolute steal for the Washington Redskins.
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