Blessed with great physical talent, Tennessee's Kevin Dyson could blossom in his third season.

Now we certainly understand all of this, but we also know about Randy Moss, Torry Holt, Germaine Crowell, and others who have done very well in their first or second season, so we?re not that sold on that "magical" third year. Still, the arguments above are strong, so here's a look at our top-15 third-year WRs. By the way, we left our boy Crowell off the list, but he is in his third year, too. It's safe to say he has already arrived.

Kevin Dyson (10, 16th pick) ... Man, he'd be in a great position had the team not signed Carl Pickens. Even if Yancey Thigpen gets hurt, it's hard to envision Dyson going off on this team with Pickens in the fold. Stranger things have happened, though, and Pickens isn't exactly a sure thing. In addition, Thigpen may not even be ready to start the season, so Dyson still has a real shot. Dyson is a classic example of the third-year WR theory. Big, strong, and fast, Dyson hasn't been much of a playmaker, and, even though he appeared to be a polished receiver in college, he needs to work on his routes and overall feel for the game. He should in his third year.

Corey Bradford (GB, 150th pick) ... Bradford had a very limited football background when he was drafted in '98. In fact, he played only one season in college and starred at QB and DB in high school. That said, he's a perfect candidate to bust out in his third year, especially considering the complex offense he's in has had two years to sink it. Heck, he almost busted out last year. Now if only that pesky Bill Schroeder would just step aside!

Donald Hayes (Car, 114th pick) ... Very patiently, Hayes has sat on the bench, save for that one game he had to start last year in Week 13. The result? Five catches for 133 yards and a TD. Big, strong, fast, and with good hands, he's in a great position to shine. Mad props to you if you can get him real late.

Tony Simmons (NE, 52nd pick) ... Good lord, this third-year theory is making more and more sense. Simmons is blessed with blazing speed, but he has clearly needed to hone his skills. If this off-season is any indication, he has, making him a legitimate TYWROY (Third-year WR of the Year). In the meantime, though, he has to beat out Vincent Brisby.

Tim Dwight (Atl, 114th pick) ? Here's another tremendous example. Drafted as an all-purpose weapon, Dwight made huge strides as a receiver last year and should get better in this, his third year. We say let Shawn Jefferson be a decoy and send Dwight deep as often as possible.

Jacquez Green (TB, 34th pick) ... A Warrick Dunn at WR, Green had a mini coming-out party last year, and he'd be ranked higher if he didn't play for that putz Les Steckel, with Keyshawn Johnson, and with Shaun King, who doesn't have the strongest of arms.

Az-Zahir Hakim (Stl, 96th pick) ... Really, the thing Hakim needs to improve upon is his size, which we know he won't. Otherwise, he's pretty solid in what he does best -- making plays. He's a good guy for an NFL team to have, but probably a little overrated fantasywise. Believe it or not, he had only three more catches than Ricky Proehl last year, and Proehl caught only 33.

Joe Jurevicius (NYG, 56th pick) ... Jurevicious' size presents a very nice option in the red zone, and in his third year he may finally improve his pass-catching. He's someone to look at if a starter goes down on the Giants.

Jerome Pathon (Ind, 32nd pick) ... Based more on potential than past performance, Pathon has a chance to open the season as the team's No. 2 WR, but he'll face stiff competition from EG Green and Terrance Wilkins (who's leading the race) all year long. We liked Green last year, but he?s shown himself to be too injury-prone, and we loved what we saw from Wilkins. Still, Pathon is finally showing signs of life in his third season.

Hines Ward (Pit, 92nd pick) ... Hines is a solid player, but he's probably not a No. 2 guy. Knowing that, the Steelers drafted a WR in the first round the last two years, promptly securing Ward's role as the No. 3 WR. This considered, and with the team's shaky situation at QB, it?ll be hard for him to make a big fantasy splash.

E.G. Green (Ind, 71st pick) ... Like Pathon, Green has been a disappointment on the field and because of injury. At this point, he's got to be considered a reach.

Jason Tucker (Dal (drafted by Cin), 167th pick) ... As we saw last year with the Cowboys, Tucker is a decent playmaker who has, slowly but surely, come around. In his third year, he could continue his accent provided he gets an opportunity.

Pat Johnson (Bal, 42nd pick) ... Johnson would have certainly been higher had he not just suffered a serious injury. Like Simmons, he has great speed but was a little raw coming out of college. He's had his moments for sure, and he would have been someone to watch out for this summer, but he'll have to wait, and so will we until he's healthy again (6-8 weeks).

Jammi German (Atl, 74th pick) ... This is an interesting guy. The Falcons drafted him after he missed essentially his last two seasons in college and then he just kind of hung around for a couple of years. But last year, when the team needed him, he did some good things.

Brian Alford (NYG, 70th pick) ... We've always liked this guy, but apparently we've been wrong the whole time -- he's done nothing. He has good speed and has been seen darting down the sideline in a game at least a couple of times.

Honorable no mention:
Mikhael Ricks (SD, 59th pick) - He should have been the 590th pick.