9 NFL Veterans Who Could Lose Their Jobs to 2017 Rookies

​Jeremy Maclin

Thirty years of age isn’t nearly as damning for wideouts as it is for their ground-based brethren, but for receivers that rely on speed and shiftiness, it can be a tough bar to hurdle. That’s the position Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is in going into 2017.

Injury and ineffectiveness last year saw Maclin plummet to below 90 targets for the first time ever in his career. His 18th-worst Reception NEP per target (among 92 receivers with at least 50 targets) reflects not only his own inefficiency, but that of a short-tossing, ball-control offense, and his ninth-worst Reception Success Rate confirms this.

To make matters tougher for J-Mac, the Chiefs selected Jehu Chesson in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft out of Michigan. Chesson is a larger receiver at 6’3”, 205 pounds, but he can still dust defensive backs with 4.47 40 speed and explosive measurables all over. His size-speed combo -- plus the presence of Chris Conley and Tyreek Hill -- could make Maclin irrelevant on the quick.