Cooper is the true No. Derek Barnett has a very similar skillset to Brandon Graham. In addition to football, in high school he was all-state in basketball and placed highly in track. He looks like he has all the size, speed, acceleration, ball tracking, and sharp cutting ability to be great in the NFL. Although he is a bit undersized for a boundary WR at 60 and 208 lbs, he has good agility (7.01s 3-cone), good quickness (4.15s 20 yard shuttle), and elite deep speed (4.35s 40 yd dash), as well as impressive strength (18 BP reps). 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. Although McLaurin isnt able to get much separation from Slay, he is able to body Slay out and break open just as the ball reaches him. March 1, 2023 2:19 pm PT. 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. 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. Here are the top 25 wide receiver prospects in this year's draft class according to the consensus big board. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. ApplePodcasts|Google Play|Spotify|Stitcher|Art19|Watch on YouTube. 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. Its difficult to overthrow Alshon Jeffery, he can often jump over a DB to make the catch. Such questionable play at the QB spot led me to wonder how the dependent receivers are fairing under such unsteady conditions. 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. Each week of the 2022 NFL season, the Next Gen Stats analytics team will present a different Position Power Ranking meant to spotlight the top performances among a specific group of players. Well, they are often doing battle with excellent man coverage cornerbacks. They respect his deep speed and he takes advantage by breaking inside on a crossing route with nobody around him. He has a PhD in Experimental Particle Physics and has spent several years doing research with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, and now does R&D work as a US government contractor. With Amari Cooper off to Cleveland, and James Washington and Michael Gallup dealing with injuries this season, the window has been there for Lamb to step up, and hes done so with flying colors to help Dallas to its 10-3 start. The wide receiver landscape in the NFC East has changed dramatically over the past couple of seasons. By releasing Golladay, the Giants save $6.7 million against their salary cap. 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. NFC East Positional overview. Cooper working with Dalton and practice squad players has put up respectable numbers while McLaurin working with a revolving door of quarterbacks has emerged as a leader and playmaker in the culture Ron Rivera is trying to implement. CeeDee Lamb is running away with this award. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. In 2017, the Bears let Jeffery leave in free agency, and he signed with the Eagles. If the Redskins are going to make any noise in the division, they will need at least two of their mostly young and unheralded receivers to hit big in 2019, and they will need a quarterback either veteran Case Keenum or rookie Dwayne Haskins to be throwing the ball effectively. Jalen Reagor became the focal point for TCUs offense in his freshman year (2017), leading the Horned Frogs in receptions (33) and receiving yards (576). The team is left with newly-signed the veteran free agent, 30-year-old Golden Tate (who, for the record, I wanted the Redskins to sign in free agency this year) as the apparent top receiver on the roster. Justin Jefferson can lay claim to the title of being the best receiver in the NFL. Justin Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in the league. Then he shows good awareness of the defense in sprinting away from defenders to get the long TD. However, he also ended this play with a mistake I saw him make a few other times too by slipping and falling without contact. He discussed areas where this year's draft class looks strong . Jhabvala didn't specify when the interview was taking place, but the team was expected to . But he is good in all of these areas, and is a very reliable WR - one a quarterback can throw to in almost any situation, particularly in the red zone. 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. Richardson plays his role very well here, and I think it shows not just his intelligence and attention to detail in getting the timing and nuance of a play like this down right, but also his selflessness in working hard to execute a play that ultimately benefits another pass catcher. McLaurin releases and expertly fakes outside, causing Douglas to flip his hips outside while Terry turns back inside and easily runs past Douglas in the 1-on-1 matchup and gets open to make a big catch. Odds & lines subject to change. He does a great job turning on a dime to locate the ball in the air, then boxes out the deep safety Marcus Gilchrist to keep him out of the play (though Gilchrist isnt able to change direction in time anyway). The Giants are expected to add wide receivers in the draft and free agency, given their current depth chart at the position. [1:17] Arcegna-Whiteside makes a great fake outside to over-commit the CB, then uses quick feet to explode inside and get great initial separation. 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. 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. The Allen-Diggs connection leads all QB-receiver duos with +61.0 expected points added this season, helping the Bills surge to the top spot in the AFC entering Week 15 and giving both players plenty to be thankful for. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. He has surprising physicality for his size, often fighting through contact on a contested catch to get extra yards. [3:49] This time, Love wins the matchup, getting a hand in to break up the pass. Tate is rarely asked to block in the run game, but is a willing and physical blocker when put in that role. Eagles fans were decrying their lack of receivers in the latter half of 2019, and hope that the addition of first-round pick Jalen Reagor will be a partial answer to their concerns, even as they hold out hope that the light will come on for last years second-round selection J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and that the aging speedster Desean Jackson can remain healthy for more than the opening week game against the Redskins. Reagor has weaknesses though. An argument can be made he is the third best receiver in the NFC East. The suddenness with which Cooper changed his direction and the degree to which the CB committed deep make it impossible for the CB to redirect in time, and Cooper gets open for an easy catch. Cooper isnt weak, but hes not especially physical, and pressing him at the line can disrupt his routes. 3. As miserable as that 2020 season was for the Cowboys, he still had 92/1,114/5. 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 help me with this series. In the off-season, Washington went out and signed speed-threat Curtis Samuel to a three-year, 34,500,000 contract. This ability combined with the fact that less athletic DBs give him plenty of cushion to guard against deep routes makes Cooper very good at getting open on high-completion crossing, out, and curl routes. Terry McLaurin flashes elite traits, but has enough problems in his tape that I can see why he fell to the 3rd round. Jeffery is just a bit less gifted in each of these areas than an elite player like Julio Jones, and isnt really elite in any area. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay's time with the Giants is reportedly coming to an end.Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Giants will cut Golladay when the new league year begins on March 15. 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. He got off to a strong start to the season thanks to his dominance in the short game, as his 457 receiving yards on passes of fewer than 10 air yards from Weeks 1 to 9 were 68 more than any other player recorded in that span. Despite missing four games with a hip injury, Chase still manages to be all over the receiving leaderboards this season. 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. In addition, his strengths are still his strengths. However, he has a limited route tree and doesnt show much subtlety in terms of using fakes, counters, leverage, body-positioning, or physicality to get open. Wide Receiver: Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders, CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys, and A.J. He grew in almost all of those areas as a WR in his first year, putting to bed my concerns about how he would translate to the NFL. [1:32] This is an example of being open when covered. Despite the emergence of Isaiah Hodgins, who re-signed with Big Blue last week, the Giants are likely to. Schoen may need to get creative in order to land a true No. 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. 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. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. It depends on whether you favor production or efficiency on who wins out. Los Angeles' running backs are in . And, sure, Reagor had a disappointing rookie season in 2020 but its way to early to write him off, especially with a new offensive scheme coming to town. 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. [6:10] Tate lines up outside and runs an out route, changing direction uphill immediately after the catch so quickly that Stroman whiffs on his tackle and Tate gets tons of YAC. Slayton doesnt have much in the way of counters, tricks, or physicality to get open if his athleticism isnt enough. When St. Brown has been missing, Goffs EPA per dropback becomes negative (-0.10). 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. Hard to tell. [8:53] This is the danger Jeffery can present going deep. Once hes free, nobody in the secondary can catch him. Eagles: DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Travis Fulgham, Quez Watkins, John Hightower. One of the first things a receiver needs to do at the NFL level is to win against outstanding press man coverage. These traits were evident in his game tape as well; he plays more fast than quick, and uses physicality or deep speed to get open more often than agility. Chase ranks in the top 10 in both receiving yards over expected (+157) and yards after catch over expected (+122), even though hes only played in nine games. Commanders Reacts Survey: Do you want to see the Washington Commanders on Hard Knocks in 2023. His routes are smooth and fluid, and once he turned on his jets near the endzone, the safety couldnt keep up. Jonathan Mingo - Mississippi Feb 2, 2023; Mobile, AL,. Speaking of top-end receivers who switched teams in the offseason, Adams presents another great case study in positional value. Gambling problem? If you look at all the players at this position that have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, you might be shocked that a good percentage of them are not elite speedsters. Wayne announced that he will return to the Colts as their wide receivers coach for the 2023 season on Tuesday night and head coach Shane Steichen confirmed it on Wednesday. He also doesnt use deception and fakes as aggressively as he could in his routes, possibly because he is accustomed to simply running past opponents. The wide receiver landscape in the NFC East has changed dramatically over the past couple of seasons. 1 spot over Tyreek Hill Position Power Rankings 2022 NFL season's top 10 wide receivers: Justin Jefferson reels in. Since entering the league in 2021, Chase leads the NFL with +720 receiving yards over expected, as he has consistently been among the leagues best players at his position. Cowboys: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, Cedric Wilson, Simi Fehoko. JJ is excellent at using his strength, big body, and smart positioning to block out CBs and make catches in contested spaces like this. This play highlights Coopers ability to sell the deep route as well as his short area quickness to stop and turn on a dime to get open. 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. Because you know what happens when a rookie receiver enters the league? . The Raiders have faced Cover 6 at an outlier rate this season (17 percent, the only team over 13 percent), as defenses "cloud" Adams' side of the field, drawing a safety farther away from the ball. Lions shutdown CB Darius Slay follows him into the slot, and indeed shadowed him all game. He has NFL bloodlines as his father, Paul Richardson, played several years as an NFL wide receiver as well. Instead of taking a step back, Hill has elevated an entire offense and been the key to third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's breakout season. Otherwise, young receivers can fade away fast in this league. When I reviewed McLaurins college tape for this ranking last year, I noted that he was a tremendous athlete, good route runner, and a willing and physical blocker. The 2018 version of this article focused on players like Odell Beckham Jr., Josh Doctson, Paul Richardson, Jamison Crowder, Terrance Williams, Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley, Nelson Agholor and Mike Wallace - none of whom will be discussed in this article, just two years later. Who tops the list? Cornerbacks and safeties are smart in the NFL and can read route tells extremely well. This was a poorly placed ball it should have been lower and inside to make it harder to intercept and easier to catch but Reagor did a great job tracking the ball and adjusting (leaping) to the high throw to bail out his QB. He recognizes the Cover 2 Zone defense and runs his route perfectly along the soft spots between zones the whole way. Id like to quote heavily from that series here. 3rd year tight end Dallas Goedert has emerged as the NFC East's best TE. Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports Flowers is another potential first-round option depending on how his combine week goes. Not only did he gain an impressive number of yards after catch with his explosiveness and quick cuts, but this play seems designed around getting the ball to Reagor, whom the coaches clearly see as their teams number 1 weapon. The Dallas Cowboys are the only team that has all the same faces. At 63, 216 lbs, and running a 4.48s 40 yard dash, he checked a lot of the boxes for a WR1 in the NFL. He committed to Auburn and was a big play threat throughout his college career, but didnt get to show much versatility in a simple offense with poor QB play for much of his college career. After watching both WRs in those matchups, I think the difference was McLaurins physicality and ability to win contested catches. Minnesota Vikings. He is also a much tougher and higher-effort player than I had previously realized, able to hang on to make contested catches, and often reaching forward after contact to gain a few extra yards. JJ has an extensive bag of tricks, using good fakes and foot quickness to get open at the release and good body positioning to make tough, contested catches. [7:06] Very clever play design by Doug Pederson. 300 routes run). Although its an offense that deflates WR stats by distributing the ball a lot, its a cleverly designed offense that gets WRs open. CBS Sports Draft Analyst Chris Trapasso joined One Bills Live from the NFL Combine. Last years 3rd round pick, Michael Gallup adds a speed element to the teams receiving corps, which was further bolstered this off-season when the Cowboys signed former Green Bay Packer Randall Cobb during the veteran free agency period. Still, he forces teams to respect the deep game, and I often saw him get an easy completion on a crossing or out route because the DB gave him a lot of cushion in order to defend the deep routes. [2:32] Jeffery lines up outside with the CB giving him lots of cushion. Lastly, he is more physical than one might expect from an undersized WR and never gives up on a play, so he will often drag a tackler for several yards and excels at improvising after a play breaks down to get open when other players thought the play was dead. Every team has at least one . Although he managed more than 1000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, most of those yards seemed to come in about 30% of his games. The "Cheetah" has put up historic efficiency numbers this season, gaining 3.7 yards for every route run. In addition to showing Tates change-of-direction ability yet again, this play shows his improvisational ability and persistence. 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. [1:24] Great job by McLaurin turning a simple out route into a first down with yards to spare. Who's the Best Wide Receiver in the NFL? The prospect with perhaps the best potential to become a true No. Right now Slayton is relying almost entirely on his athletic traits to find success, which is enough to get him pretty far against some teams, but limits his versatility and allows him to be shut down by the more athletic CBs in the NFL. Philadelphia Eagles. The Next Gen Stats analytics team provides a ranking of the top 10 shutdown cornerbacks right now. Washington Commanders. Who are the most impactful tight ends in the NFL right now? As an aside, I think this play also highlights problems with how the Eagles scheme up their secondary. He still doesnt have the short-area-quickness or suddenness to juke DBs out of their shoes, but he showed better ability to get open in tight spaces using fakes and body positioning. Is the Jaguars' decision to make a big investment in Christian Kirk paying off so far? Opposing defenses either shadowed him with their best CB or shaded coverage in his direction to account for him. He built on that success his sophomore year in 2018, with 72 receptions for 1,061 yards. The on-field portion of the NFL Combine begins on Thursday, marking the start of the testing circuit that propels some prospects into the stratosphere while ruining the stock of others. Afraid of getting beat deep, defenses have played split-safety coverages at the highest rate against the Dolphins (51 percent) and man coverage at the lowest rate (17 percent). Slayton had success early in this game when he was matched up on other CBs, but got completely shut down once Gilmore moved to shadow him starting with this play. In a sport that is as physically demanding as football, one in which player injuries are common, the unit depth is as important a factor as the skill of the star players. Instead, they show the attributes listed below. Washington: Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Kelvin Harmon, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims. [2:08] Here is another example of using excellent body-positioning to box an opponent out, but this time against a much better opponent: Julian Love (taken by the Giants in the 4th round of the 2019 draft). In addition to that, he is experienced running routes from any WR position, though he favors the slot. 1. Where do Eagles' receivers rank among NFC East. 1. He has enough speed to get open deep, but also the physicality and jump ball ability to make himself open in contested short-yardage plays. Washington Football Team Terry McLaurin has solidified himself as one of the best young receivers in the NFL. He has a PhD in Experimental Particle Physics and has spent several years doing research with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, and now does R&D work as a US government contractor. Non-Redskin fans could be forgiven if they were unfamiliar with Cam Sims, Trey Quinn, Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon, though the latter two, taken in the 3rd & 6th rounds of Aprils draft, got a lot of good press during the pre-draft buildup this year. Panthers saddled with another odd pick in latest NFL.com mock draft. Gambling problem? . Staying close and allowing little separation early in the route also allows those DBs to keep Cooper covered when he breaks inside on a crossing or curl route. He is a smart, high-effort player and among the best in the NFL at his position. He never quits on plays. He lines up on the boundary at the top of the screen opposite Vikings CB Mike Hughes. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. [7:19] Slayton lines up on the boundary top of screen opposite Stephon Gilmore. He also tested extremely well at the combine, achieving a 95th percentile SPARQ score. In his rookie year in the NFL, he did an excellent job reaching out and catching the ball away from his body (hands-catching), which is critical to keep the ball safe from DBs that rarely allow as much separation as in college. That good deep speed coupled with elite agility and acceleration shows up on tape as well. But after McLaurin, Washington didn't have many other weapons. This division has new faces all around, and some of the best talent in all of football. It is well known in the scouting community that when watching tape of college wide receiver prospects, it is imperative to analyze every snap against press man coverage. Whenever defenses left him 1-on-1 against non-elite CBs, he was able to get open for a big play, though he was often missed by inaccurate Redskins QBs early in the season. Despite this, Jeffery turns on a dime and immediately locates the ball in the air, leaping up to get the catch and first down. The NFC East in 2020 has been described as the most atrocious division in NFL history. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. 100 routes). NFC East The AFC East probably has two receivers who are currently better than anyone in this division. As Slayton makes the reception, he stops on a dime and cuts so hard back outside that the CB whiffs on the tackle. McLaurin gets a poor angle on the block because of the DBs speed, but nevertheless uses his strength to hold his man in place and eventually follow him to the ground, forcing the defender to reach out for an attempted shoestring tackle. By DJ Siddiqi. Once hes caught the ball, this play is over, as McLaurin is too fast for any Eagles defenders to catch him. This week, we've assembled a list of the top 10 wide receivers heading into Week 15. It also highlights his ability to get open on crossing and out routes because CBs have to guard against the deeper routes so diligently. The Washington Football Team stands at 72.6 inches, or 6'1". Commanders Reacts Survey: Do you want to see the Washington Commanders on Hard Knocks in 2023. In fact, with four games remaining on the schedule, Brown already has set the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) single-season record with four touchdowns on deep, tight-window passes. Except for those teams with the transcendent signal-callers like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady. Updated Jan 5, 2023 at 10:27pm. The Redskins highest profile receiver from 2018, Jamison Crowder, is now a New York Jet. He ran an unofficial 4.28 second 40 time at a private Pro Day after dropping some of that weight. Sterling Shepard, the Giants 2016 second-round pick, has probably not yet lived up to the high expectations that surrounded him when he was drafted, but he went for 872 yards and 4 TDs in 2018. Good luck. The NFC West has some very good wide receivers in the division. However, this makes him a poor matchup on physical CBs like Josh Norman who can shove back harder. [5:06] The Eagles had no answer for Slayton in this game and it may point to why they prioritized adding speed to their defense in the offseason. 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. This season, the division is up for grabs yet again. A touch under $40 million was fully guaranteed at signing, with another $17.221 million becoming guaranteed at the start of the 2023 league year. This play showcases McLaurins sense of timing (looks back just as the ball should be arriving, making it tough for Darby to react in time), toughness, contested catch ability, body control, and situational awareness (to stay in bounds). This play highlights Coopers ability to sell fakes (hes excellent at selling fakes to get open) and his toughness and effort in fighting through contact for extra yards.
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