By all accounts Josh Gordon was a very talented, but raw prospect coming out of the 2012 supplemental draft. He posted a modest 7 receptions for 93 yards & 0 TD's in his first 4 NFL Games. Gordon just completed his 20th game in the NFL & numbers in his last 16 games are impressive:

Year Targets Rec Yards Avg TD 20+ 40+ 2012 81 43 712 16.5 5 11 3 2013 43 25 429 17.2 2 6 1 Total 124 68 1141 16.8 7 17 4

(20+ & 40+ is for 20 & 40 plus yard receptions)

This obviously isn't an apples to apples comparison, but I decided to take Julio Jones & Dez Bryant's numbers from their 2nd years in the league & see how Gordon stacks up to guys who are considered the premier young talent in the league at the WR position:

Julio Jones













Year Targets Rec Yards Avg TD 20+ 40+ 2012 128 79 1198 15.2 10 17 5















Dez Bryant













Year Targets Rec Yards Avg TD 20+ 40+ 2011 103 63 928 14.7 9 17 2

It's scary how close Gordon's numbers are to Julio's 2nd year, which earned him "elite" status in the league. Julio's numbers may have been better if he didn't have to share targets with Roddy White. However, you could also argue that Julio & Dez have a big advantage because they have superior QB play to the Browns & play in quality offenses.

I'm not exactly sure what these numbers mean, but I am very encouraged that Gordon's career arc is comparable to other elite talents in the league. The guy does not turn 23 until April & I'm not sure he completely knows how to play the position yet. If he can stay out of trouble Gordon will only be 25 when his first contract is up. My real question is how good can Gordon be?