Sterling Shepard - what we expected?

He still could be. He's just a rookie and can continue developing.

I think most expected more from the offense as a whole than we got this season.

Treadwell was a huge disappointment.

In comment 13317818 Carl in CT said:

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Doctson or Treadwell? Busts.

In hindsight, Michael Thomas would have been a better fit for the Giants' needs - at least in the near term. But you can almost always find a better hypothetical pick after the fact.

Keep in mind that Shepard, whom the Giants picked at #40, was generally ranked a bit lower in the pre-draft analyses because his upside was viewed as more Welker-ish than Beckham-like.

but I can't kill the pick. He showed more than Steve Smith did his rookie season IMO.

He was no Odell, but we saw flashes from him that showed he had ability....now the rest is up to him.....

He knows the speed of the NFL vs college ball, now....he knows what his weaknesses are, and it's up to him to work on them.....he has to learn one simple truth, catch first, then run.....as a rookie, he had rookie inconsistencies....and he was forced to be the second option, because Cruz was a shell of what he once was, and the TE's were a poor option....

There were some great flashes....hopefully he builds on it next season.....

happy with him as a 2nd round pick, but I am disappointed in 2 areas of his play: YAC and blocking.

He was billed as a special blocker - I haven't seen that.

He was also billed as an elite YAC guy who would break a lot of tackles. His field vision with the ball is limited and he goes down easily. if anything, I'd say he has below average YAC ability for a slot WR. I was surprised how easily he went down in the open field.

just my observations. I do like him as a role player and expect him to improve.

as a 2nd round rookie. I just question how high the ceiling is.

And having passed on Michael Thomas, and seeing what he did (albeit in a more explosive offense), I've got to admit there is a bit of buyer's remorse there. He'd be a perfect compliment to ODB.

In comment 13316887 est1986 said:

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Not bad but... Could be, should be better.

He's a rookie. Your expectations were too high. He had a solid first year. I don't think he's a special amazing player but he's already a winning player and worthy starter. He seems like a very grounded and hard working kid. Hopefully he gets even better.

I think he can be better, but I also think he was not used enough on the outside this year. I suspect that will change. I expect him to move between inside and out more next year. He certainly gave us a lot to look forward to and was certainly ready to play in the NFL as advertised. If he follows a natural progression, we have a very good WR on our hands.

By leaps and bounds, he's polished for the most part so his ceiling isn't very high but his floor is so he'll at least be a dependable option for us. Getting a bigger WR at the X and allowing him to play in the slot more often would make him a bigger threat from play to play.

.

I think he'll excel.

As for this season, good rookie campaign.

In comment 13320576 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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. I think he'll excel. As for this season, good rookie campaign.

He was in the slot for much of this season.

for the ability to get open down the field when we rarely took shots down the field all year, probably because of the offensive line

Don't see any great explosiveness or speed in his game. I expected more YAC and he didn't create great separation on most catches. He's an NFL player,no doubt,but he will have to improve greatly to be looked upon as a top slot receiver. You can make an argument that AT THIS TIME he is the worst slot receiver in our division. Looking at his physique in that Miami boat photo I wonder if he should lose some weight and firm up his body. IMO,our Steve Smith was better.

I honestly expected more, maybe i shouldn't have. The offense was much better last year so i expected him to produce more as an upgrade over RR and harris. I could also just be a moron and forget he's a rookie.


Like everyone else said we get an NFL TE an actual number 2 WR and better OL yea he will do much better.

Man we were robbed of a OBJ Nicks Cruz lineup

SAD!!!!!

In comment 13320670 Marty866b said:

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Don't see any great explosiveness or speed in his game. I expected more YAC and he didn't create great separation on most catches. He's an NFL player,no doubt,but he will have to improve greatly to be looked upon as a top slot receiver. You can make an argument that AT THIS TIME he is the worst slot receiver in our division. Looking at his physique in that Miami boat photo I wonder if he should lose some weight and firm up his body. IMO,our Steve Smith was better.

Which Eagles slot receiver could you argue is better than Shepard?

sees a dependable catch-and-fall down guy with a limited ceiling.

A useful chess piece but not a game-changer.

Later in the season showed great ability to defeat press coverage (vs. 26-McKelvin @Phi, vs 33-Hyde @GB), but his failure to separate vertically and make contested catches downfield is consistent with the prevailing thought that he is best suited to be a predominant inside receiver.

Only 6.5 yards per target, which was among the lowest qualifying numbers across the league and seemingly confirms the inability to create explosive plays.

Entered the league as an old prospect (turns 24 in Feb), which for WRs is generally pretty meaningful. He's older than Jamison Crowder, who was 8.8 yards per target this season and showed the game-breaking explosiveness that Sterling almost assuredly lacks.

Right now, the premier "slot-plus" player in the league is Doug Baldwin and he's somebody Sterling could potentially imitate if we find the right surrounding pieces. The big difference is that Baldwin runs such a wonderfully complex collection of routes and route variations, many of which lack definition by your traditional 0-9 standards. Sterling really only showed proficiency with slants and corners.

If there's something Thrill Ride laments, and lamented at the time, it was passing on a more prototypical Michael Thomas from The Ohio State. As much The Org likes Sterling and believes he is a winning player, dependable slot guys are so readily available -- many of the noteworthy guys were mid or late round picks, undrafted or low cost FAs. Not the 40th pick in the draft.

Jordan Matthews plays in the slot in a lot of formations.

of strength and agility training, mini-camp practices and a few months to really study the playbook, he'll be ready to make a big leap in year 2

Fantastic season for any rookie, let alone one who had to perform in an offense that never clicked at any point during the season. Actually, I can't remember the last time we've had that kind've production out of a rookie WR (save for the one obvious exception).