Leonard Hankerson, a possible starter in 2011?
It's not common for wide receivers to make a huge impact in their rookie season.
As an example, Tampa's Mike Williams was the only rookie receiver to finish with more than 600 receiving yards last year. And Saints receiver Marques Colston was the last receiver to go over 1,000 yards in his rookie season (2006).
Nonetheless, Washington receiver Leonard Hankerson, the team's third-round pick (79th overall), could get lots of playing time, especially if the Redskins don't bring back Santana Moss.
“He has very big hands, the biggest hands in the draft,” [coach Mike] Shanahan said, via Gary Fitzgerald of Redskins.com. “He’s a big kid and he’s a bit stronger than you normally see at the collegiate level.”
Hankerson, 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, set single-season school records at Miami (FL) in receptions (72), receiving yards (1,156) and receiving touchdowns (13) last year.
As Fitzgerald notes, Redskins receivers had only four touchdowns last year and all were caught by Moss, who is due to become a free agent.
The likely recipient of his fair share of redzone targets, Hankerson could turn out to be a worthwhile late-round sleeper in fantasy football in 2011.
