On Wednesday, the commentariat here at Field Gulls delved into a debate about Paul Richardson and his worth to the team in relation to the rest of the roster. Several commenters pointed to the speed he brings to the table and his ability to tilt the field. This got me wondering about whether or not Richardson’s speed actually does translate onto the field as him being a game-changing deep threat, because off the top of my head I could only think of a couple of long receptions during his career.
In looking at the career-long receptions for receivers who were on the roster last season, this is what they bring to the table as deep threats:
Career Long Reception
| Receiver | Career Long |
|---|---|
| Receiver | Career Long |
| Doug Baldwin | 80 |
| Tyler Lockett | 57 |
| Jermaine Kearse | 60 |
| Tanner McEvoy | 42 |
| Paul Richardson | 40 |
That alone did not answer my question, because that only looks at a single catch over the course of their careers, so what if Richardson routinely hauls in longer passes, but simply hasn’t had an opportunity to break a deep pass for an absolutely huge gain?