Tag: Laquon Treadwell

The 2016 1st-round WR class was really, really bad

There were four receivers taken in the first round. Two aren’t on a team, one has been a huge disappointment and one can’t stay healthy.

The Laquon Treadwell era in Minnesota is over.

The 2016 first-round pick signed with the Atlanta Falcons earlier last week.

Treadwell’s time in Minnesota was surely a disappointment, but it’s actually pretty on par from what we’ve seen from the four wide receivers taken in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Let’s roll through them.

15. Corey Coleman, Browns

Coleman was picked by the Browns after a solid career at Baylor. His career in the NFL, though? Not so much. Coleman’s rookie season was his best when he caught 33 passes for 413 yards and three touchdowns.

He spent two seasons with Cleveland before playing with the Giants in 2018. He was out of the league last season. If you Google Coleman’s name, you’ll find plenty of off-the-field problems associated with him.

21. Will Fuller, Texans

Fuller is easily the most-successful player on this list. He’s had 500 or more receiving yards in every season but one and is one of the best deep threats in all of football. The problem, however, is that Fuller has unable to stay healthy. In four seasons, Fuller has missed 22 games.

22. Josh Doctson, Redskins

Doctson was limited to just two games as a rookie, but looked competent in 2017 and 2018, combining for more than 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. The Redskins cut him prior to the 2019 season, though. He was signed by the Vikings, but appeared in just one game before being released. He’s currently a free agent.

23. Laquon Treadwell, Vikings

Treadwell’s career in Minnesota was brutal. He was able to stay healthy and even started 14 combined games in 2017 and 2018, but he just had so many mental lapses (and drops) that it was hard to trust him. In four seasons, he combined to have 65 catches for 701 yards and two touchdowns.

Four years after drafting Treadwell, the Vikings will likely look for another receiver in the mid-20s of the draft.

To make matters even worse for these teams, there were pretty good receivers taken later in this draft like Michael Thomas (taken 47th), Sterling Shepard (40th) and Tyler Boyd (55th).

What the Vikings can do about Laquon Treadwell

The MegaQuon era in Minnesota could very well come to an end this offseason.

Laquon Treadwell has yet to live up to the hype of his first-round draft selection.

The Vikings drafted him with the No. 23 pick in 2016. After disappointing seasons with the team, Treadwell was waived by the Vikings in 2019, only to be re-signed to a one-year deal shortly after.

So far, Treadwell has 701 receiving yards in his career. He will be a free agent this offseason.

He won’t be a priority for Minnesota to lock down in the offseason, and he didn’t exactly play a ton when he came back for 2019, so Vikings fans might have seen the last of the Treadwell era in Minnesota.

However, Treadwell will not command a large salary, so maybe he’s a guy the Vikings sign to a cheap contract.

Bisi Johnson has looked decent at times as the third best option at wide receiver, so the desire to keep Treadwell around probably isn’t too high.

I’d like for the team to go out and get a third-best wide receiver in the third round or later of the draft. It seems like it’s time to try something new, and if it doesn’t work out, the team could possibly bring Treadwell back. After he got waived by the team in 2019, Treadwell went unclaimed on the waiver wire.

I hope he turns a corner and is able to show the promise he once did in college out of Ole Miss, but that doesn’t seem too likely. At some point the Vikings have to say this is who Treadwell is and move on.

Vikings’ free-agent watch: WRs

This unit really needs a third wide receiver.

Under contract:

What a top-heavy group this is.

Stars Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are both under contract for next season (Thielen until 2024 and Diggs until 2023).

Chad Beebe is under contract for $660,000, which would be considered a bargain if only he could stay healthy.

Bisi Johnson will enter the second year of his rookie contract.

Alexander Hollins is under contract but can be cut with no penalty. Davion Davis and Dillon Mitchell were both signed to future contracts before the season.

Free agents:

The Vikings tried to get rid of former first-round bust Laquon Treadwell prior to the 2019 season, but injuries forced them to bring him back.

Maybe the third time’s the charm?

Doubt it. There’s a very low chance Treadwell returns to the Vikings.

In either free agency or the draft, though, this group has to find a third wide receiver.

Potential Cap Casualties:

None that are super significant or likely.

Something to watch next offseason, however, will be Thielen’s contract. Thielen, who will be 31 in 2021, is due $11.6 million in 2021 and the team faces a dead cap penalty of $5.4 million.

Where would the Vikings draft in 2020 if the season ended today?

The Vikings are 8-4 and would currently be the sixth seed in the NFC playoff hunt.

After their 37-30 loss to the Seahawks in Week 13, the Vikings now sit at 8-4 overall.

That’s good for the sixth-seed in the NFC playoff hunt.

And if we’re looking all the way ahead to the 2020 NFL Draft, which seems forever from now, the Vikings would draft 23rd overall, sandwiched between the Dolphins (via Pittsburgh) and the Chiefs.

If you want to look at how the complete first round would shake out, Luke Easterling put together the full draft order here.

The last time the Vikings had the 23rd pick, they took wide receiver Laquon Treadwell in 2016.

Good times, good times.

Vikings activate WR Josh Doctson to 53-man roster

The Vikings have finally activated wide receiver Josh Doctson (hamstring) from the injured reserve.

The Vikings have finally activated wide receiver Josh Doctson (hamstring) from the injured reserve.

He’s now eligible to play in Week 11 against the Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

This move isn’t a huge surprise with the Vikings releasing wide receiver Davion Davis (who later signed on the practice squad) to make room for Doctson.

The team signed Doctson prior to the season after he was released by the Redskins.

Doctson was the 22nd-overall pick by the Redskins in the 2016 NFL Draft, just a spot ahead of Laquon Treadwell, who is now his teammate.

In his three seasons with Washington, Doctson had 81 receptions for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. He played the 2016 and 2017 seasons with Kirk Cousins at the helm of Washington’s offense.

If active on Sunday, he’ll join Stefon Diggs, Bisi Johnson and Treadwell as healthy receivers on the roster. Adam Thielen (hamstring) has already been listed as out.