Have you seen the players he had to work with on offense?
North played. Croom couldn't, despite his size, get around physical DBs. He should be a freak with his size, but consistently refuses to use it. I'm not really sure who the third is that you are referring to.
Josh Smith certainly had some drops in games, but "bricks for hands" is unfair, his biggest asset coming in was his hands. He had few in practice, and earned his spot on the field.
Pig Howard got those plays called because he was the only one other than North that showed the ability to separate from DBs.
I'd love to know how many practices you saw or what level of football you've coached.