In terms of just the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mike Evans just completed arguably the best season ever by a rookie receiver, putting up 1,051 yards and a team-record 12 touchdowns. However, Evans debut campaign can also be considered in a larger context, as part of the best class of rookie wideouts the league has ever seen. Three rookies (including Evans) cracked 1,000 yards in 2014; in the previous 44 seasons, a total of 12 rookies did so. Evans and the New York Giants' Odell Beckham both scored 12 times, tying for the third-best mark ever by an NFL newcomer. Six rookies topped 50 catches, six topped 500 yards. All told, rookie wideouts (not including backs or tight ends) accounted for 943 receptions for 12,453 yards and 92 touchdowns in 2014.
In the final rookie charts, Evans ranked second in yards, fourth in receptions and tied for first in touchdowns. But how did we get to those final rankings? Here we present a graphical look at how the seasons unfolded for the six rookies who finished with at least 50 receptions in terms of a variety of statistical categories.
