Getty Kenny Golladay attempts a circus catch against the Broncos.
Kenny Golladay is one of the most overlooked wideouts in the NFL because he plays on the Detroit Lions, but eventually, everyone will have to stand up and take note of his amazing talent.
Golladay has turned into one of the best deep ball pros in the entire league in short order. In fact, as Pro Football Focus explained, just last season, Golladay had the most catches on targets 20 yards downfield or more in the NFL. Golladay had 16, while his bigger name competition in Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs had 15.
Most catches on targets 20+ yards downfield in 2019
Kenny Golladay – 16
Stefon Diggs – 15
Amari Cooper – 15
Few would figure Golladay to be king of this list, but he sits atop it. It’s fair to remember the wideout did all of this with only a half season of his go-to quarterback Matthew Stafford. Golladay has burst on the scene in a big way after coming to the Lions in the 2017 NFL Draft and has quickly become one of the top wideouts in the game. For some reason, he’s still overlooked. Stats like this prove those days could be coming to an end soon.
With a healthy Stafford in 2020, there is no reason Golladay can’t continue to open eyes with what he is able to do on the field.
Kenny Golladay Pegged for Huge 2020 Season
After a few solid seasons since being drafted into the league, Golladay appeared to grow by leaps and bounds in 2019. All of that only sets the stage for what could be to come this year. According to Pro Football Focus, Golladay is going to be one of the most productive wideouts in the game this coming season, racking up 1,405 receiving yards. That would represent a top 3 total in the league.
Most projected receiving yards
1. Michael Thomas – 1,525
2. Julio Jones – 1,457
3. Kenny Golladay – 1,405
4. Chris Godwin – 1,331
Golladay is a player the Lions need to build around for the future, and his ability to make huge plays in the passing game is a major reason why. He’s developed well since the Lions drafted him and Golladay is a home grown talent in the truest sense.
A season like this might just propel the Lions forward in the biggest and best possible ways offensively.
Kenny Golladay’s 2019 Stats
From nearly the start of the season until the finish, Golladay had an excellent year catching the ball. So far, he’s put up 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s had some huge games last season, and four times Golladay has gone well over 100 yards in a game catching the ball for the Lions. His ball skills are a big reason why.
In total, Golladay has enjoyed arguably the best start to a career of any wideout in his 2017 draft class not named JuJu Smith-Schuster. With 2,730 yards and 19 touchdowns thus far in his career coming into the 2020 season on the field, Golladay looks like an obvious top dog in Detroit for the foreseeable future with Matthew Stafford tossing him the rock. That’s good news for the Lions, who have long pondered how to find production at the wideout position minus Calvin Johnson. Not an issue anymore with Golladay taking over.
Lions Wide Receiver Group Ranked High in NFL
Recently, Pro Football Focus put together a list of the top wideout groups in the NFL 1-32. Detroit’s group, which is led by Golladay and Marvin Jones, ended up placing No. 6 on the list, safely within the top 10 in the league.
Writer Ben Linsey likes what he sees from the group, as he wrote in the piece:
“The duo of Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. may be underrated around the league, but both guys can win in a number of ways, and they excel in contested-catch situations. Golladay ranks fifth in contested catches since 2017 (49) while Jones ranks eighth (42), and both have top-10 contested-catch rates among qualifiers. Danny Amendola remains a solid option in the slot at 34 years old after earning a 71.5 overall grade in 2019, and there’s reason to believe T.J. Hockenson will take a step forward as a receiver in his second season given how effective he was at Iowa. The addition of the best receiving running back in the class — D’Andre Swift — only bolsters the group.”
The Lions have players not only at wideout but other spots ready and willing to jump into the mix and help. That’s the mark of a solid team that has some excellent depth, and is a major reason the Lions might have one of the best groups in the entire league.
Golladay himself might help drive the bus toward the team’s ascension given what he’s able to do down the field with the big play deep ball.
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