A quick data dump today following up on yesterday’s post. The table below shows the percentage of receiving yards gained by 1st-year, 2nd-year, 3rd-year…. and 11th-year and more senior NFL players, in each year since 1950 (excluding 1987).
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 24.8% | 15.1% | 14.3% | 20.2% | 18.3% | 1% | 2.3% | 3.7% | 0.2% | 0% | 0% |
| 1951 | 23.4% | 22.5% | 10.6% | 12.7% | 11.3% | 17.2% | 0% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0.9% | 0% |
| 1952 | 16.5% | 27.1% | 17% | 4.7% | 10.5% | 11.3% | 12.4% | 0% | 0% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 1953 | 12.7% | 19.4% | 20.7% | 14.1% | 7.7% | 5.4% | 11.1% | 8.9% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 1954 | 18.8% | 10.4% | 18.9% | 17.5% | 8.2% | 5.3% | 5.7% | 8.5% | 6.7% | 0% | 0% |
| 1955 | 15.8% | 16.4% | 8.5% | 18.3% | 16.8% | 8% | 0.9% | 3.7% | 7.1% | 4.4% | 0% |
| 1956 | 16.6% | 13.8% | 17.6% | 5% | 17.6% | 18.4% | 2.7% | 1.5% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 4.1% |
| 1957 | 14.4% | 16.5% | 15.3% | 11.9% | 7.7% | 14.7% | 12% | 2.7% | 0.2% | 2.2% | 2.4% |
| 1958 | 14.9% | 20% | 20.4% | 11.7% | 7.2% | 4.6% | 9.3% | 7.6% | 2.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| 1959 | 9.7% | 15.1% | 17.7% | 16.6% | 9.7% | 9.9% | 3.5% | 9.8% | 5.8% | 2% | 0.2% |
| 1960 | 9.8% | 16% | 18.4% | 12.2% | 17.6% | 6.7% | 5.8% | 2.6% | 4.2% | 6.6% | 0.1% |
| 1961 | 10.5% | 11.1% | 10.4% | 16.2% | 21.6% | 10.7% | 5.6% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 4.9% | 4.7% |
| 1962 | 6.1% | 18.4% | 8.7% | 12.5% | 18.6% | 16.6% | 8.4% | 3.5% | 0.8% | 2% | 4.3% |
| 1963 | 10.9% | 8.8% | 14.7% | 7.2% | 11.6% | 16.5% | 15.5% | 8.2% | 2.3% | 0.9% | 3.4% |
| 1964 | 14.1% | 9.4% | 9.1% | 15.3% | 7.1% | 6.5% | 16.3% | 10.8% | 6.9% | 2.5% | 1.9% |
| 1965 | 11.3% | 13.6% | 11.9% | 9.3% | 12.2% | 4.4% | 8.2% | 14.4% | 7.5% | 5.2% | 1.9% |
| 1966 | 4.7% | 19.9% | 15% | 10.2% | 11.5% | 9.5% | 6.1% | 6.4% | 9.5% | 2.7% | 4.4% |
| 1967 | 10% | 11.5% | 19.4% | 14.9% | 11.1% | 6.9% | 8.5% | 3.8% | 4.9% | 6.7% | 2.4% |
| 1968 | 8.3% | 15.9% | 11.1% | 16.7% | 16.3% | 10.6% | 4.3% | 6.2% | 3% | 2.9% | 4.8% |
| 1969 | 10.4% | 12.5% | 17.4% | 9.4% | 17.1% | 11.2% | 7.2% | 4.2% | 3.9% | 2.8% | 3.8% |
| 1970 | 11.1% | 17.4% | 14.4% | 12.4% | 10.3% | 15.5% | 7.8% | 3.4% | 4% | 0.8% | 2.9% |
| 1971 | 13% | 13.3% | 19% | 11.9% | 10.5% | 8.5% | 11.5% | 4.5% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 4.2% |
| 1972 | 8.8% | 15.1% | 14.7% | 17.2% | 10.1% | 9.5% | 6.9% | 8.6% | 4.3% | 1.1% | 3.7% |
| 1973 | 12.3% | 12.6% | 16.1% | 14% | 14.8% | 8.6% | 6.7% | 4.5% | 5.6% | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| 1974 | 15.8% | 18% | 9.8% | 13.9% | 11.6% | 8.6% | 6.6% | 4.3% | 4% | 4.7% | 2.8% |
| 1975 | 12.7% | 16.7% | 15.5% | 10.8% | 12% | 10.2% | 7.8% | 5.1% | 4.1% | 1.4% | 3.7% |
| 1976 | 14.3% | 13% | 20.2% | 13.7% | 6.7% | 8.6% | 7.7% | 5.7% | 5.1% | 2.1% | 2.9% |
| 1977 | 10.6% | 17.8% | 12.9% | 18.3% | 12% | 6.5% | 7.2% | 5% | 4.3% | 2.6% | 2.8% |
| 1978 | 11.3% | 16.2% | 18.4% | 11% | 15% | 7.1% | 4.8% | 6% | 4.7% | 2.2% | 3.4% |
| 1979 | 9.8% | 15.3% | 14.3% | 16.1% | 9.4% | 12% | 6.8% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 4.5% |
| 1980 | 11% | 14.9% | 13% | 14.4% | 14.4% | 7.3% | 8.4% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 5.4% |
| 1981 | 9.2% | 11.4% | 15.2% | 12.6% | 12.9% | 12.8% | 5.6% | 6.8% | 4.2% | 2.1% | 7.3% |
| 1982 | 10.2% | 12.2% | 10.3% | 18.1% | 11.9% | 11.4% | 10.7% | 3.9% | 4.3% | 2.1% | 4.9% |
| 1983 | 12.5% | 16.1% | 10.2% | 12.3% | 15.1% | 8.6% | 6.7% | 7.6% | 4.3% | 1.2% | 5.4% |
| 1984 | 10.4% | 15.4% | 14.8% | 11.1% | 11.7% | 11.2% | 8.6% | 5.1% | 5.6% | 2.3% | 3.8% |
| 1985 | 13.7% | 12.2% | 15.2% | 11.7% | 8.2% | 9.3% | 7.8% | 7.4% | 5.2% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
| 1986 | 14.6% | 19.9% | 8.5% | 12.5% | 11.4% | 6.9% | 6.5% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 4.9% |
| 1988 | 11.6% | 18.5% | 15.4% | 17.1% | 9.1% | 8.1% | 6% | 3.8% | 3.6% | 1.6% | 5.1% |
| 1989 | 11.5% | 15.2% | 17.4% | 14.6% | 14.2% | 6.4% | 6.8% | 4.4% | 3.3% | 2.2% | 4% |
| 1990 | 10.2% | 11.1% | 14.2% | 15.7% | 14.3% | 13.1% | 4.7% | 6.4% | 3.5% | 1.8% | 4.9% |
| 1991 | 7.4% | 14% | 9.9% | 15.7% | 14.6% | 11.1% | 11.3% | 3.8% | 4.4% | 2.8% | 5% |
| 1992 | 5.2% | 16.6% | 14% | 8.7% | 15.5% | 9.5% | 11.4% | 8.8% | 1.9% | 3.1% | 5.3% |
| 1993 | 10.6% | 8.3% | 13.6% | 13.6% | 8.4% | 12.4% | 9.3% | 9.6% | 8.3% | 1.5% | 4.5% |
| 1994 | 7.8% | 12.3% | 10.1% | 15.1% | 15.4% | 6.4% | 12.2% | 5.5% | 6% | 4.4% | 4.6% |
| 1995 | 11.2% | 11.2% | 14.3% | 10.2% | 14.2% | 11.4% | 4.7% | 8.8% | 4.6% | 3.2% | 6.1% |
| 1996 | 10.8% | 14.8% | 14.3% | 10.1% | 7.6% | 10.9% | 9.4% | 4.7% | 7.6% | 3.1% | 6.6% |
| 1997 | 6.2% | 12.9% | 14.1% | 14.9% | 10.7% | 7.1% | 11% | 9.8% | 3.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| 1998 | 9.6% | 10.4% | 14.2% | 12.8% | 11.2% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 8.3% | 8.6% | 1.4% | 6.7% |
| 1999 | 9.1% | 14.5% | 11.3% | 15.1% | 11.2% | 9.9% | 10.3% | 3.5% | 5.1% | 5.5% | 4.4% |
| 2000 | 8.1% | 13% | 12.3% | 12.2% | 12.1% | 11.7% | 9.1% | 6.4% | 3.2% | 4% | 7.9% |
| 2001 | 10.2% | 11.1% | 12.2% | 10.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% | 12.4% | 6.6% | 5.9% | 1.7% | 8.3% |
| 2002 | 10.8% | 14.2% | 12.6% | 12.4% | 9.2% | 8.2% | 11.4% | 7.8% | 4.3% | 3.2% | 6% |
| 2003 | 9.6% | 12.8% | 16.1% | 11.6% | 11% | 7.7% | 7.4% | 9.8% | 4.7% | 3.4% | 6.1% |
| 2004 | 9.2% | 13.8% | 14.9% | 13.9% | 9.9% | 8% | 5.7% | 6.2% | 9.5% | 3.4% | 5.5% |
| 2005 | 8.3% | 12.5% | 13.4% | 13.2% | 14% | 8% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 4% | 8.3% | 7.4% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | 12.2% | 14.6% | 12.1% | 11.5% | 11.1% | 5.9% | 5.4% | 4% | 2.8% | 11.2% |
| 2007 | 9.2% | 13.1% | 12% | 13.2% | 13.1% | 9% | 9% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 2.9% | 9.9% |
| 2008 | 11.1% | 11.6% | 13.9% | 10.6% | 11% | 12% | 6.2% | 8.1% | 3.1% | 3.6% | 8.9% |
| 2009 | 11% | 16.6% | 12.1% | 14.4% | 7.7% | 8.9% | 10.4% | 4.3% | 5.8% | 1.2% | 7.8% |
| 2010 | 12.3% | 16.6% | 15.7% | 10.4% | 11.7% | 6.9% | 7.2% | 7.3% | 2.6% | 5% | 4.2% |
| 2011 | 9.9% | 17.9% | 13.9% | 14.7% | 9.8% | 10.2% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 4.6% | 2.8% | 4.9% |
| 2012 | 10.1% | 13.7% | 16.7% | 13.7% | 10.7% | 7.3% | 9.6% | 4.8% | 3.7% | 5.1% | 4.4% |
| 2013 | 11.5% | 15.2% | 14.1% | 14.7% | 10.2% | 9.4% | 6.2% | 7% | 3.4% | 2.2% | 6.1% |
| 2014 | 13.1% | 13.8% | 12.5% | 12.7% | 13.3% | 8.1% | 6.7% | 5% | 5.3% | 3.4% | 6.2% |
| 2015 | 9.9% | 18.9% | 13.4% | 10.6% | 10.7% | 9.7% | 7.1% | 4.4% | 3.9% | 4.5% | 6.9% |
| Avg | 11.4% | 14.7% | 14.2% | 13.1% | 12% | 9.6% | 7.7% | 5.8% | 4.2% | 2.9% | 4.4% |
So why am I presenting this data? Well, it’s fun, but also because maybe you can use this data to think of more fun ways to use this data. Here’s one thing you could do: track any particular class of players over an X-year period. Let’s use the first 6 years of a class as an example. By that measure, 1951 rates very highly: Bobby Watson, Kyle Rote, Ray Mathews, Jim Doran, Don Stonesifer, and Dorne Dibble, all were drafted that year, while Billy Wilson was drafted in ’50 but did not play until ’51. That class was dominant as sixth-year players, making that class a true outlier.
In more recent times, the ’74, ’76, ’85, and ’86 classes stand out as particularly good, as does the 2010 class. The ’85 class had not just Jerry Rice but Andre Reed, Eric Martin, Al Toon, Eddie Brown, Jessie Hester, Vance Johnson, and Reggie Langhorne, while ’86 had Ernest Givins, Webster Slaughter, Bill Brooks, Ronnie Harmon, Keith Byars, John Taylor, Mark Jackson, and Tim McGee.