KC Chiefs: Five Players Who Need To Step Up in 2016
By Bobby Miller
Chris Conley | Wide Receiver
Coming out of the University of Georgia, Chris Conley‘s athleticism was too extraordinary to pass up.
Conley measures in at 6’2 207 lbs., and his combine recordings include a 4.35 second 40 time, 11’7” broad jump, and 45” vertical leap.
Despite never eclipsing 700 yards receiving in a season, he lead the Bulldogs in receiving his junior and senior years.
This stat below had to be exciting for the KC Chiefs front office to read.
Conley’s a big, athletic receiver who was productive in college, so what’s the problem?
His rookie year with the KC Chiefs in 2015 was less than impressive.
Conley averaged 12.4 receiving yards per game this past year, and only caught one touchdown pass.
He was even bested by fellow KC Chiefs receiver Albert Wilson who was given a 64.5 rating by Pro Football Focus compared to Conley’s rating of 60.0.
When Arrowhead Pride‘s Joel Thorman recapped the KC Chiefs Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he pointed out that Conley was given a “full-time role”, and the results weren’t too promising.
“Chris Conley played a full time role at WR with Albert Wilson out of the game,” Thorman said. “Conley had two catches and recorded a negative Pro Football Focus score.”
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In addition to this poor outing, Conley was also named co-worst wide receiver of Week 6 by Pro Football Focus last season.
This rating was received after a game against a Minnesota Vikings team that featured the other co-worst receiver that week in Mike Wallace.
Conley needs to step up not only because of what type of player he could turn into, but also because the wide receiver position got a little more crowded with Rod Streater now under contract.
Conley gets a pass for being a rookie, but he will still be expected to earn his roster spot this offseason.
If Conley takes either the number two or three receiver spot, he will be expected to use his size advantage and athleticism against number two corners and nickels in order to balance the KC Chiefs run-heavy offense.
Next: Number One Overall