Is Devin Hester a #1 WR? (1 Viewer)

[cubd8]

2008 - Down the Stretch:

Week 12 vs St. Louis: 5 rec, 57 yards, 0 TD

Week 13 vs Minnesota: 3 rec, 67 yards, 1 TD

Week 14 vs Jacksonville: 5 rec, 80 yards, 0 TD

Week 15 vs New Orleans: 4 rec, 46 yards, 0 TD

Week 16 vs Green Bay: 2 rec, 12 yards, 0 TD

Week 17 vs Houston: 6 rec, 85 yards, 0 TD

This season:

Week 1 vs Green Bay: 4 rec, 90 yards, 1 TD

Week 2 vs Pittsburgh: 4 rec, 21 yards, 0 TD

Week 3 vs Seattle: 5 rec, 76 yards, 1 TD

Last year, there were a handful of deep Orton throws that didn't hit a wide open Hester who had beat coverage. In Chicago, we hear some of the pundits on talk radio say that he's not the best WR on the team, doesn't have any instincts, etc....Yet, he continues to put up good numbers, and seems to be improving.

This year, 1100 yards and 8 TD's are not out out of the question, but I'm guessing we'll continue to hear skeptics say he's not very good at WR, and that anyone can put numbers when you have a QB like Jay Cutler.

Is (or will) Devin Hester a #1 WR in the NFL?

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I think he is the #1 on his team for sure.

 

[basher]

he is a number 1 because they really dont have another choice. It is nice to see him actually be able to make the rare move from return man to relevant offensive player.

 

[cubd8]

I think he is the #1 on his team for sure.

Agreed - even though you can't even get some people to say that (Knox is, according to some).Every team has a #1 WR, though, we all know though that guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Reggie Wayne, Randy Moss and Andre Johnson are true #1 WR's. Devin Hester doesn't look like one of those guys, but can he become a top 10 WR in this league?

 

[cubd8]

he is a number 1 because they really dont have another choice. It is nice to see him actually be able to make the rare move from return man to relevant offensive player.

Is it possible that he's actually earned and playing like a team's #1 WR though?

 

[cubd8]

Jay Cutler's take after yesterday's game:

"Any time you can get Devin Hester one-on-one, it works."

"When I first got here, they said he didn't know the playbook, he couldn't get out of cuts, he had trouble catching the ball," Cutler said of Hester. "And all that's been false since Day One."

**

Also, according to Hester, interesting to note that Pittsburgh did double-team him, which may help explain Johnny Knox's great game.

**

Lovie Smith comments on Devin Hester:

“He’s a threat,” said coach Lovie Smith. “When he gets the football he can score at any time, and that’s what happened. He’s caught the ball well. He’s running great routes, and he should get better and better each week. Devin is a No. 1 receiver and hopefully we can put him in positions to make plays like that.”

 

[whitem0nkey]

Hester has really improved as a WR since they converted him.

 

[maxwjom0]

He might be the #1 on Chi. But he is no better than a #3 in terms of FFootball.

 

[cubd8]

He might be the #1 on Chi. But he is no better than a #3 in terms of FFootball.

A #3 ? Are you playing in a 6 man league?He's probably going to surpass 1,000 yards, and have about 8 TD's. That's pretty good numbers.

 

[-jb-]

he is a number 1 because they really dont have another choice. It is nice to see him actually be able to make the rare move from return man to relevant offensive player.

Poor man's Steve Smith in this regard. Both were very effective as return men before transitioning. Hester just got screwed by The Neck Beard Experiment .Height/Weight:

Smith: 5'9"/185lbs.

Hester: 5'10"/185lbs.

Steve Smith, first 3 years as a WR:

2001: 154/0

2002: 872/3

2003: 1110/7

Return yards over first 3 years playing: 1273/4

Devin Hester, first 3 years as a WR:

2007: 299/2

2008: 665/3

2009: on pace for 1003/10*

*Sample size is obviously too small to be tremendously accurate.

Return yards over first 3 years playing: 1449/7

Smith gets the nod for being stronger (and meaner), but both are big play threats. If Hester can improve his strength and route running, he can be as good as Smith.

 

[sinatravolta]

he is a number 1 because they really dont have another choice. It is nice to see him actually be able to make the rare move from return man to relevant offensive player.

Poor man's Steve Smith in this regard. Both were very effective as return men before transitioning. Hester just got screwed by The Neck Beard Experiment .Height/Weight:

Smith: 5'9"/185lbs.

Hester: 5'10"/185lbs.

Steve Smith, first 3 years as a WR:

2001: 154/0

2002: 872/3

2003: 1110/7

Return yards over first 3 years playing: 1273/4

Devin Hester, first 3 years as a WR:

2007: 299/2

2008: 665/3

2009: on pace for 1003/10*

*Sample size is obviously too small to be tremendously accurate.

Return yards over first 3 years playing: 1449/7

Smith gets the nod for being stronger (and meaner), but both are big play threats. If Hester can improve his strength and route running, he can be as good as Smith.

Interesting - thanks for posting those stats and you make good points. Even if he can't be as good as Smith - just getting close would be great and this makes me think it's more possible than I expected.

 

[Tau837]

he is a number 1 because they really dont have another choice. It is nice to see him actually be able to make the rare move from return man to relevant offensive player.

Poor man's Steve Smith in this regard. Both were very effective as return men before transitioning. Hester just got screwed by The Neck Beard Experiment .Height/Weight:

Smith: 5'9"/185lbs.

Hester: 5'10"/185lbs.

Steve Smith, first 3 years as a WR:

2001: 154/0

2002: 872/3

2003: 1110/7

Return yards over first 3 years playing: 1273/4

Devin Hester, first 3 years as a WR:

2007: 299/2

2008: 665/3

2009: on pace for 1003/10*

*Sample size is obviously too small to be tremendously accurate.

Return yards over first 3 years playing: 1449/7

Smith gets the nod for being stronger (and meaner), but both are big play threats. If Hester can improve his strength and route running, he can be as good as Smith.

IMO this is not a good comparison.1. Hester was a jack of all trades in college. He played WR only part-time, and had only 10 receptions in his college career. Meanwhile, Smith was a standout at Utah, earning all conference honors in both of his years there (he first went to junior college).

2. You ignored Hester's rookie year, presumably because the Bears didn't use him as a WR. But that ignores the question of why they didn't use him as a WR... because he wasn't good enough to earn playing time. He has been learning to play WR while in the NFL. Smith didn't have to do that.

3. Smith's third year was better than it appears from your post. He had 88/1110/7 while starting only 11 games and followed that with 18/404/3 in the Panthers' 4 postseason games. While Hester is playing well, IMO he is very unlikely to put up that kind of performance this season.

 

[benbadman]

Hester is intriguing. The Bears do still play the Lions twice.

On a team where I am hurting at WR3, i was offered Hester for either Ray Rice or Kevin Smith.... and I am considering pulling the trigger to upgrade the starting lineup...

Yeah yeah i know, assistant coach, let us know how that works out for you etc etc.

 

[-jb-]

he is a number 1 because they really dont have another choice. It is nice to see him actually be able to make the rare move from return man to relevant offensive player.

Poor man's Steve Smith in this regard. Both were very effective as return men before transitioning. Hester just got screwed by The Neck Beard Experiment .Height/Weight:

Smith: 5'9"/185lbs.

Hester: 5'10"/185lbs.

Steve Smith, first 3 years as a WR:

2001: 154/0

2002: 872/3

2003: 1110/7

Return yards over first 3 years playing: 1273/4

Devin Hester, first 3 years as a WR:

2007: 299/2

2008: 665/3

2009: on pace for 1003/10*

*Sample size is obviously too small to be tremendously accurate.

Return yards over first 3 years playing: 1449/7

Smith gets the nod for being stronger (and meaner), but both are big play threats. If Hester can improve his strength and route running, he can be as good as Smith.

IMO this is not a good comparison.1. Hester was a jack of all trades in college. He played WR only part-time, and had only 10 receptions in his college career. Meanwhile, Smith was a standout at Utah, earning all conference honors in both of his years there (he first went to junior college).

2. You ignored Hester's rookie year, presumably because the Bears didn't use him as a WR. But that ignores the question of why they didn't use him as a WR... because he wasn't good enough to earn playing time. He has been learning to play WR while in the NFL. Smith didn't have to do that.

3. Smith's third year was better than it appears from your post. He had 88/1110/7 while starting only 11 games and followed that with 18/404/3 in the Panthers' 4 postseason games. While Hester is playing well, IMO he is very unlikely to put up that kind of performance this season.

All valid points, which is why I said he was a "poor man's" version, as well as why I said "if" he becomes a better route runner. But to counter your points (which again, are valid ones):1-2. There are two different ways of looking at this. Yes, Hester had to learn the position first, but once he did, their comparitive stats are similar. Smith's production in college hasn't seemed to give him a leg up on Hester, with the exception of playing WR in his first year. Here's some hyperbole for flavor: If Hester was able to learn the position in only one year's time, and still matched Smith's production, what does that say about each guy? /hyperbole

3. Regarding his regular season stats, that's fair...but to your own point, Hester is still learning, right? Good on Smith for having a great postseason that year, but it doesn't do much in terms of comparison unless the Bears go to the playoffs this year. Either way, it will be interesting to see what Hester does in 2009-2010. We can't really debate the future.

Counterpoints for the sake of conversation. I agree that Hester is not on Smith's level at the moment, but I do believe that with the right opportunity he can step things up this year.

 

[Lobary]

Well, he's currently the 12th-ranked receiver in total points in my league. Hester is a the #1 WR for the Bears and a definite #2 FF WR, especially in leagues that count return yardage. He is always a threat to score whenever he touches the football.

 

[The Jerk]

I think Hester has great potential this season, but I think he will be inconsistent due to a variety of factors: his inexperience, the Bears youth as a group on offense, and possible weather issues later in the year.

However, I think for where he most likely was drafted, he may one of the five best value picks at WR when the season is over.

For comparison purposes, Cutler has more talent than Delhomme and may play better this season than Delhomme did in Smith's best years. In addition, the Bears look more content to win through the air than the Panthers ever have.

I'm not sure Hester ever gets near Smith's status as a true NFL WR, but as a FF WR I think he could approach Smith's TD numbers and also get 60-70 ypg.

He's not quite a prototypical WR#1 but he's a threat every time he catches the ball in stride. He's not a FF#1 but he's a player who might win a few close games for your team as a FF#2 or FF#3 with long TDs and maybe a return TD or two.

 

[-jb-]

I think Hester has great potential this season, but I think he will be inconsistent due to a variety of factors: his inexperience, the Bears youth as a group on offense, and possible weather issues later in the year.

this is a good point. another item to keep an eye on as the season progresses.