Going into his second season as a pro, Kenny Golladay has everything it takes to become the Detroit Lions’ number one receiver.
With the 96th pick in the 2017 NFL draft the Detroit Lions selected wide receiver Kenny Golladay out of Northern Illinois. The Chicago native averaged nearly 100 yards per game during his 2016 sophomore season with the Huskies, totaling out at 2,285 yards throughout his two-year college career.
Measuring in at a towering 6’4″ the 24 year-old has all the physical attributes to be a superstar at the next level, but does he have what it takes to be the number 1 receiver in Detroit? Yes, this ones a no-brainer.
The Golladay hype train began during Lions camp last summer, even gaining the attention of former Cincinnati Bengals superstar wide-out Chad “Ocho-Cinco” Johnson. Johnson took to his twitter after watching Golladay practice.
That young boul Golloday has that "IT" factor ®
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) August 4, 2017
Johnson was on to something, during the Lions home opener against the Arizona Cardinals Golladay showed the world what he was capable of. Golladay hauled in two touchdown passes from Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to help the Motor City defeat the Cardinals by a final score of 35-23. One of those touchdowns came in the fourth quarter when Golladay laid out for a diving touchdown to help seal the deal for a Lions victory.
Although injury plagued much of his rookie season, Golladay averaged 17 yards per catch with 477 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Former Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson had high remarks about the young receiver, “He’s a number one wide receiver, Kenny Golladay is a monster.”
Detroit has one of the most talented receiving cores in the NFL with Golden Tate and Marvin Jones being the current top two guys, but Golladay definitely has what it takes to become the Lions next big thing. It certainly helps when you have arguably one of the top five quarterbacks in the league in Matthew Stafford throwing you touchdown passes.
Within the next three years Kenny Golladay is going to emerge as one of the NFL’s best at his position. He has the size, speed, and strength to be elite. General manager Bob Quinn knew he found a diamond in the rough out of the MAC conference when he drafted Golladay.
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Look for young Kenny to continue to develop next year as young Lions fans pack Ford Field with number 19 jerseys every home game. We have something special here Detroit, let’s enjoy the ride.