clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

What is the ceiling and the floor of Titans WR Kendall Wright?

An odd realization on Kendall Wright's first year.

US PRESSWIRE

After looking back at Kendall Wright's first year I had a strange realization on which two players he reminded me of. Let me know what you think of my ceiling and floor for Wright.

Wright's ceiling: Steve Smith

Wright is often recognized by his diminutive stature and most see that as a sign of a slot player, well look no further than Carolina's Steven Smith to disprove that theory.

In Steve Smith's first year as a serious starter in Carolina he caught 10 less passes and one less touchdown than Wright did in his rookie season.

We haven't seen it on game day, but Wright's tape suggests that he is a serious deep threat as a wide receiver whose ability to locate and get his hands on a ball made him RGIII's top target. If Wright progresses like he needs to, then he should take over for Washington next year and move to a role as an outside WR. If he can beat cornerbacks with his quickness and aggressiveness (like Steve Smith) then he could relegate Justin Hunter to the other WR spot, if the Titans don't re-sign Britt.

Wright's floor:.....Steve Smith

Not that Steve Smith, the other one...you remember the one that played for the Giants? There you go now you remember.

That Steve Smith was a first down machine, whether Eli needed a two yards or 12, Smith's reliable hands and ability to fearlessly go over the middle of a defense made him the ideal target for Manning.

While Smith did manage a better YPC than Wright, he still didn't manage to get as many first downs, touchdowns, catches, or first downs in his first year as a starting WR.

Where will he likely end up?

Despite not seeing much action deep down the field in his first year, I tend to think that Wright is eventually going to be a WR that can play all the positions. His tenacity and quickness have impressed me in his short time in the NFL, and if he can play with better balance in year two, his YPC should look much healthier.

If I had to choose between the two Smiths, I would have to say he reminds me more of Carolina's version more, and we may see quite a bit of him blocking and running deep routes this year thanks to the new play-action, bootleg offense that we are supposedly running.