How much can we really expect from Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards in 2010?

As NFL fans around the country slowly kick the dust off their boots and venture out of this desert called the NFL offseason training camps around the country are starting, or have just started. With Panthers' camp kicking off on Thursday there are numerous questions surrounding the team that we have discussed ad nauseum we're reaching the point where the rubber hits to road and players need to go out there and perform.

Nowhere is this more prevalent that with the revamped wide receiver position. As it stands there is no way to know who will be standing opposite Steve Smith come week one of the regular season. The organization was well aware of their impending crisis at the WR position after selecting three wide receivers in the 2010 draft. Out of these three players both Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards will be looked at to be the future of the Panthers' passing attack. Without looking into the far future, let's go back one year to look at 2^nd and 3^rd round receivers from the 2009 draft and see if there's any way to predict how much LaFell and Edwards can add to the Panthers' 2010 season.

There were 9 receivers taken in rounds 2 and 3 in last year's draft:

-         Brian Robiskie

-         Mohamad Massaquoi

-         Derrick Williams

-         Brandon Tate

-         Mike Wallace

-         Ramses Barden

-         Patrick Turner

-         Deon Butler

-         Juaquin Iglesias

These 9 receivers combined to play in 64 games, 18 of which were starts. They also combined for 1,729 yards and 9 touchdowns.

On the very most basic level we can see that 2^nd and 3^rd round receivers didn't contribute a lot in the 2009 season; in fact, over 75% of the group's receiving yards was due to two players Mohamad Massaquoi and Mike Wallace who combined for 1,380 yards. The former started 11 games for the Cleveland Browns in 2009, and the latter started 4 games for the Steelers.

This should reassure Panthers' fans because it shows us that if given time to play these 2^nd and 3^rd round rookie receivers can contribute effectively in their first year. One statement I kept hearing what that we should expect little from Armanti Edwards due to his size, as it would likely take longer for him to develop into and NFL receiver. Granted he's a converted quarterback, but his size will not play into his development. All nine of the 2009 2^nd and 3^rd round rookies could be considered Brandon LaFell sized (Over 6"2, over 210 lbs) and Armanti Edwards sized (Less than 6"2, less than 210 lbs). Here's how the two groups stacked up:

LaFell Group (Robiskie, Massaquoi, Barden, Turner)

32 games, 12 starts- 746 yards, 3 TD

Average: 23.3 yards per game

Edwards Group (Williams, Tate, Wallace, Butler, Iglesias)

31 games, 6 starts- 983 yards, 6 TD

Average: 31.7 yards per game

Granted, much of the Edwards group production was due to Mike Wallace, but it does show a curious comparison where smaller receivers flourish slightly more than larger ones in their rookie season, even when starting less time. Much of this can be attributed to their role in the offense. Many of these smaller players are utilized out of the slot, much like Edwards figures to work in the offense.

Ultimately, there's no way to know for sure how our two receivers will figure into the offense in 2010, but with promising examples like Massaquoi and Wallace on both sides of the size spectrum it should be interesting to see how it all pans out.

So, what do you think LaFell and Edwards' stats will look like at season's end?