Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd was a human highlight film last decade, yet he seems to be forgotten nowadays, why?
The 2010 decade for the (now) Los Angeles Chargers was filled with Hall of Fame talent and hidden gems without the illustrious Super Bowl ring to show for it.
There were so many Chargers greats in the 2010s such as Antonio Gates, Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Vincent Jackson, Eric Weddle etc. However, the lack of success kept a lot of star players out of the media spotlight.
Gates and Rivers came into the league almost at the same time, as it allowed them to connect for 95 touchdowns together, ranking third all-time. However, Rivers did join the Chargers the same year undrafted rookie Floyd did as well.
At first glance, Floyd’s stats do not speak to his talent as he never had a 1000-yard season. A big factor in this is that he only played a full season once, as he was riddled with injuries throughout his career.
The stats that do pop out are his yards per reception at 17.3 for his career. That is more than Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson and about the same as the speedy DeSean Jackson. Floyd also averaged 9.7 yards per target, which is third all-time since 1992.
While Floyd didn’t have the amount of targets and reception as these greats, he was as dangerous deep down the field as anyone.
The 6-foot-5 deep threat Floyd made difficult catches look routine with his incredible jumping ability. Rivers and Floyd connected on so many deep balls over the years, to the point that it was rare to see Floyd catch anything less than a first down.
His length allowed him to stretch over defenders as well as reach out while getting held like this clip against the Denver Broncos.
Although Floyd has been out of the game for seven years, it is hard to not think of him when big Mike Williams leaps over two defenders just like Floyd.
Similarly to many other athletes, it will never be known how good Floyd could have been if he was able to avoid some of his nasty injuries. While Floyd was a great fit for Rivers, it’s hard not to think what could have been if Floyd was able to play with long ball extraordinaire, Justin Herbert.
While currently, Mike Williams does have many similarities to Floyd, Floyd truly might have been better.
Floyd is taller than Williams with similar athleticism, but most notably is more versatile. While Floyd’s main role was the deep ball like Williams, Floyd was a great option on 3rd down with his consistent catching.
Herbert throwing deep down the field with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore dialing up a play for a young Floyd would be one of the prettiest plays the world won’t ever get to see.
Anyone can do a what if for anyone, but what is known is that Floyd when healthy was as much of a deep threat as anyone to ever play the game.
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Featured image courtesy of Chargers.com
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