The 2017 NFL Draft was littered with talented wide receivers, with guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Cooper Kupp, and Chris Godwin going outside of the first round. However, arguably the best wide receiver from the 2017 draft class is Kenny Golladay of the Detroit Lions.
Of the guys listed above, Golladay is the only wide receiver from that group to record two 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL. After a shaky rookie season, Golladay would log 70 receptions for 1,063 yards and five touchdowns in 2018.
Then, the Northern Illinois product would improve in year three, contributing 65 receptions, 1,190 yards, and 11 touchdowns in 2019. Regardless of who was under center for the Lions, Golladay continued to produce impressive numbers a season ago.
Fortunately for Golladay, Matthew Stafford is set to return from injury in 2020. Despite his past two seasons in the NFL, Golladay continues to be an underrated wide receiver in the league. Men lie, women lie, but numbers don't lie.
Golladay is one of the best big-play wide receivers in the NFL and there's no reason to believe he won't prove it again next season. In light of that, let's take a further look as to why Golladay is poised to have another productive season for the Lions in 2020.
What should we expect from Kenny Golladay during the 2020 season?
Once again, Golladay was able to notch 65 receptions for a career-high 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019. Altogether, in his first three seasons with the Lions, Golladay has averaged an impressive 16.7 yards per reception.
Seeing that Stafford is a quarterback who isn't afraid to push the ball down the field, Golladay is a perfect wide receiver for the veteran quarterback. While Stafford and Golladay were on the field together in 2019, Detroit's offense was running on all cylinders. Sadly, the gunslinging signal-caller would sustain a season-ending back injury.
Nevertheless, when Stafford was under center, Golladay averaged an aDOT (average depth of target) of 16 yards. With that in mind, that was first among wide receivers from Weeks 1-9 that had 50+ targets. Furthermore, the 26-year-old wide receiver accumulated 35 receptions for 640 yards and seven touchdowns when Stafford was tossing him the ball in 2019.
Even without Stafford, Golladay finished the season with the ninth-best aDOT in 2019 (15.1 yards). Though, just as expected, Golladay's numbers sans Stafford were a bit lower in the final eight games of the season. Still, Golladay managed to amass 30 receptions, 550 yards, and four touchdowns from Weeks 10-17.
On the other hand, Stafford managed to have an aDOT of 10.5 yards in the eight games he started in. Surprisingly enough, the fearless quarterback set his career-high in aDOT last season.
So what does all of this mean for Golladay heading into the 2020 season? First and foremost, Golladay figures to be a reliable deep threat for Stafford again in the upcoming season. Also, even if Stafford isn't throwing him the ball, Golladay proved he can still be a lethal option through the air. All things considered, it's safe to assume that Golladay will have another fantastic campaign for the Lions in 2020.
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