Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona Cardinals receiver Michael Floyd had a disappointing rookie season. He didn’t have a terrible year, but he didn’t live up to the expectations of being the 13th overall pick.
The former Notre Dame star came into the NFL as a highly touted prospect, and being paired with Larry Fitzgerald seemed to be a great situation for him. Fitzgerald constantly draws double teams, which meant Floyd would have plenty of open space to operate when he got on an NFL field.
But those results didn’t materialize for him in his rookie year, especially early on. He caught multiple passes only once in the team’s first seven games, and had only one touchdown heading into the final game of the season.
But that final game was a breakout one for him, hauling in eight catches for 166 yards and a touchdown.
Like so many young receivers, it took Floyd a little while to get accustomed to the professional game. But now that he isn’t a green rookie anymore, the big, talented receiver is ready to ride that Week 17 performance to a breakout year in 2013.
At 6’2″ 220 lbs., Floyd fits the mold of a top end NFL receiver. He has good hands and was running better routes as last year progressed. Now with a full offseason under his belt, he will be open more often for new quarterback Carson Palmer.
And the addition of Palmer could be the most important factor in Floyd living up to his potential in his second year as a pro. Last year it turned out it wasn’t being paired with Fitzgerald that mattered, it was the lack of a quality quarterback throwing the ball that mattered. Even Fitzgerald, one of the best receivers in the game right now, couldn’t put up great numbers with the Cardinals last year.
The Arizona offense should be much improved this year with the addition of the strong armed Palmer at quarterback, and Floyd is going to be the player who shows the most improvement because of it.
Ben Sullivan is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him in Twitter @bensullivan52, “like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.
