Its difficult to overthrow Alshon Jeffery, he can often jump over a DB to make the catch. The NFL's top 16 wide receivers Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC West Broncos Chargers Chiefs. The crew gets a bit motley after that, with some late-round draft picks and NFL veterans. With Dak Prescott healthy, this offense could be fun to watch. March 1, 2023 6:03 am USAToday PanthersWire. Minnesota Vikings. Eventually, Washington took it. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! Despite the down year, Reagor had a pretty good Combine, measuring in at 511, 206 pounds, and running a 4.47 second 40 yard dash. This play shows good awareness by Richardson to read the defense and split the defenders, as well good speed (notice how quickly he runs by them) and good ability to locate the ball and adjust to it. Although hes a big, physical WR who is good at contested catches, he is also fast enough to blow past some DBs when going vertical. The score is calculated by scaling each metric to a percentile (from 0 to 100) relative to all wide receivers who have played at least 150 offensive snaps through Week 14 of the 2022 season. This year, were going to do it again. Last month, the former LSU star surpassed another legendary Vikings receiver -- none other than Hall of Famer Randy Moss -- for the most receiving yards in a player's first three seasons, and he has only added to that total over the last couple weeks. There doesnt seem to be just one reason he is so good at this, but rather a combination of factors that all work together. With defenses afraid to leave a corner on an island, the Vikings have faced the lowest rate of single-high coverages this season (45 percent). Jeffery rushes forward and head fakes inside, but the CB doesnt bite and stays with him outside. Gilmore held Cooper to no catches on 2 attempts (one of which went for an interception). Check out the NFC West's top 10 receivers. He was also a competent kick returner, with 9 returns for 189 yards (21.0 Y/R). That good deep speed coupled with elite agility and acceleration shows up on tape as well. Although his deep speed is only good (not great), he has elite quickness/acceleration and change-of-direction ability. However, when healthy, Richardson is a very capable pass catcher. Philadelphia Eagles. McLaurin seems to try to fake outside, but Slay doesnt bite, instead following McLaurin as he releases inside. The Washington Football Team stands at 72.6 inches, or 6'1". Amari Cooper was selected 4th overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2015 draft. This play shows excellent route running ability, strength, and effort, though it would be nice if he trusted his hands enough to make the catch without using his body to corral the ball. He primarily uses a combination of route running, short-area quickness, and savvy (with fakes/misdirection and ability to find the soft spot in zones) to get open and make plays. Without missing a beat, Richardson sees the wide open endzone in front of him and runs across, accelerating so quickly that the safety cant keep up in order to get the easy TD. He has surprising physicality for his size, often fighting through contact on a contested catch to get extra yards. Justin Jefferson gained 190 of his 223 yards against press coverage in Week 14, the most in a game since Julio Jones in Week 4, 2016 (254 yards).Most Yards vs Press Coverage (since 2020): Jefferson: 1,889 Davante Adams: 1,416 Diontae Johnson: 1,168#MINvsDET | #Skol pic.twitter.com/YyD7Q94fIU. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound Ole Miss product was one of the best wide receivers in the league against man coverage. Slayton doesnt have much in the way of counters, tricks, or physicality to get open if his athleticism isnt enough. McLaurin does a good job turning around and locating the ball in the air, but the ball is again underthrown, so he has to slow down, allowing the CB and an assisting safety to catch up. Oh, and adding CeeDee Lamb to the mix certainly does not hurt. [4:48] This time McLaurin (bottom of screen) is matched up with Ronald Darby 1-on-1. CD Lamb is the best Wide Receiver in the NFC East . So, who are the top dogs at the position in the early goings of the 2022 season? SB Nation CFB. Amari Cooper can play every WR position: X, Z, and slot, and the Cowboys used him all over the field to exploit matchups. The NFC East was a historically bad division in 2020, which is why all four teams were in the race deep into the season. Opposing defenses either shadowed him with their best CB or shaded coverage in his direction to account for him. Hes still only an average run blocker, but thats a step up from what he was and traditionally means a lot to the Cowboys offense. He looks, to me, a lot like a poor mans Julio Jones. Both are big, strong, physical WRs who are great at making contested catches, highpointing the ball, and serving as their teams WR1. This is a perfect example of why hands-catching is necessary against NFL-caliber talent, where the few inches of separation created by catching the ball arms length away is the difference between a big catch and an incompletion. NFL Week 15 underdogs: Can Dolphins halt slide against Bills? Perhaps most problematic, he is more of a body catcher than a hands catcher. The more I learn about certain recent Eagles draft picks, the more it seems like they are perfect long-term replacements for some of the star players on the Eagles roster. Tight ends. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. This home run ability forces defenses to guard the deep field against Cooper and sometimes causes CBs to give up short crossing and out routes to him because they are afraid of him running deep. Richardsons injury history served as prologue to his time in the NFL. Other than that, he is good to elite in all the traits of a WR. Bo Wulf of The Athletic suggested this weekend that wide receiver Quez Watkins could find himself . To put that in perspective, he is currently the only player in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) to average over 3.3 yards per route in a season (min. 1. Tate is rarely asked to block in the run game, but is a willing and physical blocker when put in that role. NFC East. [2:09] Jeffery runs right at his CB (Eli Apple), using his long arms to shove him back, then breaking inside to get open and get the catch and first down. This is almost a right of passage and wide receivers must show the ability to win at the line of scrimmage and make defensive coordinators pay for playing them in this manner. He is a capable deep threat, not quite as fast as DeSean Jackson or Terry McLaurin, but fast enough to break big plays and force defenses to respect the deep pass. However, I noted he had a few flaws in his game that I thought would cause him problems. Offenses are based on timing and need to get the ball out quick. Metcalf also recorded five touchdowns on vertical routes against man coverage, tying for the most in the league. Lattimore is so fast that he closes in for a tackle as soon as the ball arrives, but Cooper does a great job making the catch through contact and keeping his feet in bounds for the reception. The Next Gen Stats analytics team provides a ranking of the top 10 shutdown cornerbacks right now. Gilmore is on top of him the whole way and cuts back just as hard as Slayton, wrapping him up as the ball gets to him and knocking the ball away. Marshon Lattimore buys it at first, and gives enough cushion to allow Cooper to get open when he redirects outside. [9:18] Tate lines up outside this time, fakes an out route, but then redirects to run deep and accelerate quickly while CB Anthony Browns head is turned to the QB, allowing him to get yards of separation and an easy catch that he turns into a TD. This week, we've assembled a list of the top 10 wide receivers heading into Week 15. Since joining Josh Allen and the Bills, Diggs leads the NFL with 2,953 receiving yards when aligned wide, and his 1,077 yards on hitch routes over that span are 370 more than the next-closest player (Tyler Lockett, 707). Golladay will finish his Giants career with 43 receptions for . The Cowboys 2018 season turned around completely when they traded for Amari Cooper, who, playing in his 5th year option season in 2019, is in a contract year and looking to get paid going forward. Speed is great without question and true speedsters that know how to use it terrify defensive coordinators. Giants: Darius Slayton, Kenny Golladay, John Ross III, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney. St. Brown has also provided a safety blanket for Goff when teams blitz (which they often do). In this section, well offer a look at a few of the top players in the division, with an analysis of their styles, skills and limitations written by Andrew York, who has volunteered to co-author this series with me. Slayton then quickly runs away from the FS Rodney McLeod, easily outpacing him to the endzone. We are seeing more and more taller receivers that run well in a straight line, but arent great at changing directions, fall lower and lower in the draft. Although Reagor is a deep threat, I think hes similar to Amari Cooper in that hes a bit more quick than fast; defenses have to respect his deep speed, but his suddenness in changing direction is actually more of a threat than his ability to take the top off a defense. To prepare, we at Chargers Wire are previewing players from every position. As miserable as that 2020 season was for the Cowboys, he still had 92/1,114/5. He is also still an excellent route runner, running crisp routes with a tremendous sense of timing and anticipation of the balls arrival. Chicago Bears. [9:35] Gilmore again lines up opposite Slayton at the top of the screen. Unless Eli Manning, who has averaged 3,800 yards, 20 TDs and 12 INTs over the past two seasons with OBJ on the field with him for 16 games, can find some magic in his 38-year-old arm, the Giants receivers are unlikely to make a big dent in the league receiving statistics. Alshon Jeffery doesnt have elite quickness, but uses his physicality to get open on short routes like this instead of relying on quickness and change-of-direction ability. PFF's George Chahrouri said on a July episode of the "PFF Forecast" podcast that McLaurin was the most valuable receiver in the division based on his 0.6 Win Above Replacement (WAR), which is the best among all NFC East receivers. McLaurin keeps track of the play, and when he sees Peterson coming to his side of the field, does a great job blocking Mills out of the play. [1:45] Cooper does a great job seeming to run deep and selling a slant route inside. This is an example of the trouble Cooper has when facing off against top CBs who are as athletically gifted as he is and arent afraid of getting beat deep. The NFC East is STACKED at receiver. Basically everything about this matchup is tilted in McLaurins favor, and I think its the type of matchup he isnt likely to receive now that teams have had a look at him. Ross has been a disappointment in the NFL but anything the Giants get out of him will simply be a bonus. Watching him play, Slayton seems like a great athletic prospect who still needs a lot of refinement. Eagles: DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Travis Fulgham, Quez Watkins, John Hightower. Overall, I think Reagor is a skilled, explosive playmaker who can stretch the field vertically while also taking short passes or handoffs for big gains, using his sudden cuts and quick acceleration to juke defenders and get yards after the catch. [7:50] Cooper again lines up top of screen opposite Mike Hughes. Though hes only 511, Reagors leaping ability allows him to go up pretty high to make a catch. Tate is a good route runner, an extremely reliable catcher (2nd fewest drops among WRs in 2018), and most importantly is one of the NFLs best WRs at getting yards after catch (YAC). Who's the more explosive ball-carrier, Justin Fields or Lamar Jackson? Jared Goffs comeback season has been a lot prettier when St. Brown has been on the field -- he averages +0.22 EPA on those dropbacks, a number that would only trail Patrick Mahomes in the category this season. Speaking of top-end receivers who switched teams in the offseason, Adams presents another great case study in positional value. Cooper suddenly breaks and reverses direction on a comeback route. He also does a great job using fakes to misdirect opposing CBs and create lots of early separation at the release. So far we have looked at: 1. Another WR on the same boundary runs vertically to clear out the DB there, leaving Reagor with a lot of open grass in front of him as he receives the short pass. JJ is also a good route runner and solid (though not aggressive) blocker. 4 in the division but have several talented pass-catchers. NFC East The AFC East probably has two receivers who are currently better than anyone in this division. Unfortunately, Kupps season was cut short by injury. As was the case in his rookie season, Chases bread and butter has been passes thrown outside the numbers, where he ranks sixth in the NFL with 515 receiving yards this season. Here are the pre-free agency wide receiver rankings for the NFC North. Tate gets wide open and signals Wentz for the TD. Five-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen could be a surprise cut this offseason with the Los Angeles Chargers sitting at $19.9 million over the salary cap.It was a luxury to have both Allen and Mike Williams on the same team, but the time might have finally arrived for the Chargers to settle in with one player being the No. If there were a vote for the most anonymous group in the division, I suspect that it would be won by the Giants, whose WR corps is headlined by Golden Tate and was not supplemented in the April draft, in which Dave Gettleman selected three offensive linemen and three linebackers, while every other team in the division drafted at least one new receiver. Hes a high effort blocker, but his technique and power are below average. [3:34] Reagor again goes deep, this time going inside (maintaining early inside leverage against the boundary CB), then outside a little later (maintaining outside leverage against the deep safety). Tate freezes safety DJ Swearinger with a subtle fake inside before finally being brought down by HaHa Clinton-Dix, dragging him several yards before going down. NFC East receivers chart.The Best Receiver in the division is either Amari Cooper or Terry McLaurin. Hughes gives a generous initial cushion to prevent getting beat deep, which allows Cooper to get an easy reception for a first down and then some. Playing on a loaded Ohio State offense, McLaurin only caught 35 passes in 2018, but did a lot with his opportunities (20.0 YPR average). Watching Reagor play, I would describe him as explosive, sudden, fast, smart (good at recognizing coverages and exploiting soft spots in zones), and a good route runner. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Up today: Receivers 1. Taking a closer look at his peers we can see Jalen Reagor the Philadelphia Eagle's 21st overall pick in the previous draft is experiencing regular rookie growing pains. A: NAME: TEAM: COLLEGE: . Love was smart enough to avoid being fooled by the route, allowing little separation and having enough physicality to prevent getting boxed out. Evan Engram is the best TE. Building on his success earlier in the game, Cooper fakes another deep route down the sideline, then stutter-steps inside on a slant route. [1:52] Slayton lines up bottom of screen on the outside. Jeffery is the closest thing to a WR1 on the Eagles offense. He has NFL bloodlines as his father, Paul Richardson, played several years as an NFL wide receiver as well. That is a difficult habit to unlearn at this point in his development, though I saw enough hands catches to think he can develop. Jeffery lines up on the outside in a bunch formation (3 WRs all bunched up on the same side), but at the last second moves inside as if hes moving to the slot. Then he shows good awareness of the defense in sprinting away from defenders to get the long TD. Where do Eagles' receivers rank among NFC East. This was a 37 yard play. It also helped the other players on offense by giving them easier matchups and complicating the Lions defense (if Slay had to travel, then other DBs had to travel or adjust their responsibility accordingly). This division has new faces all around, and some of the best talent in all of football. However, starting QB Shawn Robinson decided to transfer to Missouri after the 2018 season, leaving the Horned Frogs scrambling for a replacement. NFC East Positional overview. Robinson is a superstar whose contributions have been overlooked. 1. In the video I reviewed of Cooper (all after the trade to the Cowboys), he looked like a very good WR, just one step down from elite (not quite a Julio Jones or Antonio Brown). He ranked top three in both receiving grade (91.7) and yards per route run (3.64) versus such looks. Reagor is also a skilled kick returner, with 12 kick returns for 312 yards (a 26.0 average) in 2018 and 5 kick returns for 72 yards (a 14.4 average) in 2019. As it pertains to this season specifically, Diggs has not slowed down, leading the league with 10 receiving TDs when aligned wide. Despite lack of deep speed, JJ was often able to make big plays like this one using fakes, quick feet, and good hands-catching ability. Slayton was taken by the Giants in the 5th round of the 2019 NFL draft. Richardson is a very smart WR, aware of the field and good at improvising to keep himself open as a viable option when the play breaks down (he made a similar TD off of improvisation against the Panthers last year). That top three of Cooper, Gallup and Lamb might be the best trio in the NFL. While gaining separation through great route running is fantastic, there are some great receivers like DeAndre Hopkins that just win time and time again at the catch point despite not gaining a lot of separation. The formula uses each individual's percentile score across a series of key metrics to create one composite score, indicating which players at that position performed best. Paul Richardson Jr was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2014 NFL draft. Again, Adams' impact is felt beyond just the box score. In the end, if a wide receiver has everything else you want at the position but cant consistently bring the ball in and gain yardage, he isnt much good to his team. With very little separation, Slayton runs down the sideline on a fade route, looks back, sees the ball in the air and reaches for it, but Gilmore bats it out of his hands. Gets wide open and signals Wentz for the most in the early goings of the screen 2020 season was short! 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