Fair or not, no player selected in the 2009 NFL Draft may face more scrutiny than Oakland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Darrius Heyward-Bey bust update
Heyward-Bey was a good but not dominant wide receiver in college for Maryland. He was considered by most, myself included, as at best the third-best wide receiver in this year’s draft.
However, in the mind of Raiders owner Al Davis, the NFL Scouting Combine changed all that. Heyward-Bey ran his 40-yard dash of 4.3 seconds and a 38 1/2-inch vertical leap. Davis is known for taking players like JaMarcus Russell, Michael Huff, Thomas Howard, Fabian Washington and, uh, Sebastian Janikowski. They are players who are largely style over substance.
Heyward-Bey, who was taken seventh overall, clearly fits the mold. And because of that he'll frequently be looked at under a microscope. More often than not, he'll be measured against two players -- Michael Crabtree and Louis Murphy.
Crabtree was taken 10th overall by San Francisco. Following a holdout, he’s played in five games this season. On the year, Crabtree already has 22 receptions for 292 yards and a touchdown.
Murphy, whom the Raiders took 117 picks later than Heyward-Bey, has 17 receptions for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
Then, there’s Heyward-Bey. Through 10 games, as many as Murphy, he has seven catches for 103 yards and no touchdowns. He’s only registered more than one reception in a game once this season. What’s worse, Heyward-Bey has been given more snaps than any other receiver on the Raiders, according to Yahoo sports.
It still might be too early to say Heyward-Bey is a bust. However, there’s nothing wrong with thinking it.
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