Titans receiver Kendall Wright shifted gears in his second pro season, dramatically boosting his number of catches and yards in 2013.
Wright showed a dynamic level of play **in the slot** and the ability to handle moving to the outside when the Titans were in sets with two receivers. Most important, Wright responded well as opportunities increased.
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| Click Here For Infographic: Kendall Wright - By The Numbers |
The 20th overall pick in 2012 caught 94 passes on the 139 times he was targeted, meaning 67.6 percent of those targets resulted in catches. That percentage tied with San Diego rookie Keenan Allen for the second-highest of players (behind Julian Edelman's 69.5) with at least 1,000 receiving yards in 2013.
The catches exceeded Wright's 64 in 2012 that tied for the league lead among rookies, and Wright took his yardage from 626 to 1,079 yards. The 453-yard increase was fueled by Wright's gains after catches. Wright was seventh in the NFL in 2013 with 546 yards after catches, moving him up 30 spots from 2012 when he had 330.
Wright's catches ranked fifth in the AFC and seventh in the NFL, and his yardage ranked eighth in the AFC and 19th in the NFL. He tied for 15th in the league with 17 catches of at least 20 yards.
Despite the Titans playing Jake Locker (seven games) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (nine games) at quarterback in 2013, Wright showed consistency, recording five or more catches in 12 games this season and emerged as one of the NFL's most reliable receivers on third down.
Wright had 30 receptions on third-down plays, ranking third in the AFC and fifth in the NFL, and had touchdowns at Houston and a game-winner at Oakland.
He became the fifth player in Titans/Oilers franchise history to record at least 90 catches in a season, joining Charlie Hennigan (101 in 1964), Haywood Jeffires (100 in 1991, 90 in 1992), Derrick Mason (95 in 2003, 96 in 2004) and Drew Hill (90 in 1991).
When asked about what that meant to him at season's end, Wright said, "I haven't really thought about it. I guess that means get a hundred next year. That's what I'm shooting for, 94, 95 would be good for me next year. I just want to get better with everything, as far as route running. I'm not really worried about stats, but I just want everything to be better than this year."
