Getty Kenny Golladay before a Lions game in 2019.
Kenny Golladay has been a revelation since he joined the Detroit Lions out of Northern Illinois back in 2017, and that has made him one of the best small-school players in the entire NFL according to a new list.
In a piece by ESPN’s Mike Triplett, the best players from every college football conference are presented. When it came to the Lions, one of their key pieces cracked the list in Golladay.
Golladay made the team not as a wide receiver but as a flex player, but it’s obvious that he deserved a spot on the team after a bright first few seasons in the league and a look ad his overall talent.
Here’s what was written:
“Adams and Hill were easy selections. But Golladay was one of six receivers who earned votes for that flex spot, beating out Julian Edelman, T.Y. Hilton, Cooper Kupp, Courtland Sutton and Adam Thielen.
“There is only one reason why I can rest easy with my decision to leave the guys off that I did: These players have been overlooked before and will use it as fuel to be even greater going forward!” Yates said. “Ultimately, the toughest call is whether to include a player like Edelman or Thielen to dominate the slot (which would have been the direction I personally went). But adding Golladay with Hill will make for a perpetual presence to stretch defenses down the field.”
Golladay cracking this team is a feather in his cap as he will try to become one of the players who was overlooked coming out of college to become a star in the pros. One could argue Golladay is already there, but placing on a list like this gets him in the mind of everyone nationally.
Major Kenny Golladay Season Predicted For 2020
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.
Golladay continues to make Northern Illinois proud, and his stature might only grow in 2020.
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