Kenny Golladay

Golladay quietly had a huge year in 2019, despite losing his starting quarterback Matthew Stafford for half the season. Four of Golladay's five 100-yard games came with Stafford, as did seven of his league-leading 11 receiving touchdowns. Paired with Jeff Driskel and David Blough for eight games, Golladay still managed 10.3 YPT (2nd), 18.3 YPC (1st), 22 catches of 20-plus yards (2nd) and six catches of 40-plus (T-6th) for the season. He also led the league in touchdowns despite being only 25th in targets (115). While Golladay was tied for just 13th in red-zone targets, he led the league in inside-the-10 targets with 13, i.e., he was the Lions' clear go-to guy in the end zone. At 6-4, 213, Golladay is big, long and agile. He ran a 4.5 40 at the 2017 combine, which is only average for a wide receiver, but for his height and weight it's fast. Golladay turns 27 in November, so he's old for a player heading into his fourth season, but he seems to be improving through his prime. Moreover, Stafford will be back for the start of the year, and Golladay's role as the team's top target, downfield option and red-zone threat is secure. Marvin Jones will be 30, while Danny Amendola (a small slot guy) and second-year tight end T.J. Hockenson (returning from a major ankle injury) are set to fill complementary roles.

Year 2 is when top receivers traditionally break out, and Golladay was no exception. He emerged as the Lions' best pass catcher, averaging 8.9 YPT (12th) and 15.2 YPC (4th) en route to cracking the 1,000-yard mark in 15 games. At 6-4, 213, with 4.5 40 speed, Golladay is the prototypical No. 1 NFL receiver, able to make the big play (eight catches of 40-plus yards over his first 167 targets in the league) and operate in red-zone traffic. For some reason, the Lions didn't use Golladay much from in close (only 14 of his 119 targets came from inside the 20 and five from inside the 10). That could change in 2019 as Golladay is more established as the team's top dog. Matthew Stafford's approach last year wasn't especially successful, and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter was replaced by the more conservative Darrell Bevell. If history is any indication, Bevell will probably want to run more, but it could also result in a less diverse passing offense that benefits Golladay. Marvin Jones is also in the mix, while Detroit signed 33-year old Danny Amendola this offseason to man the slot and drafted tight end T.J. Hockenson with the eighth overall pick. Golladay himself suffered a chest injury that cost him a game in Week 17, but he's expected to be ready for training camp.

Golladay missed five games with a hamstring injury during his rookie season, but when he was on the field he made an impact, starting with his first career game when he caught two touchdowns. Overall, he averaged a robust 17.0 YPC and 9.9 YPT on 48 targets and scored three times. At 6-4, 213 and with 4.5 40 speed, he profiles as a prototype No. 1 receiver, capable of the big catch downfield - in fact, Golladay had a whopping five catches of 40-plus (T-8th) despite having so few targets - and in the red zone. Put different, Golladay had one more 40-plus catch than each of A.J. Green, Julio Jones and Keenan Allen while seeing roughly one-third of their targets. Often, Year 2 is when receivers break out, and Golladay would be an ideal candidate but for the presence of his two heavily targeted teammates Marvin Jones and Golden Tate, both of whom are coming off strong seasons. At minimum, Golladay will be a deep threat and probably see an uptick in red-zone work with TE Eric Ebron gone. But his ceiling is probably limited unless Jones or Tate gets hurt.

Golladay, a third-round pick this year, topped 1,000 receiving yards in both of his final two seasons at Northern Illinois and hauled in 18 touchdowns across the same span. At 6-4, 218 pounds, Golladay's size sets him apart from Lions' other receivers, as the second tallest in the group is Marvin Jones, who checks in at 6-2 but weighs just 198 pounds, and after that is 6-1 reserve wideout Ryan Spadola. Without last year's team leader in touchdown receptions, Anquan Boldin, the Lions need to find help in the red zone, opening a potential path for Golladay to contribute right away. The rookie is competing with TJ Jones to replace Boldin as the No. 3 receiver.