[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. Oh, and adding CeeDee Lamb to the mix certainly does not hurt. This season, the division is up for grabs yet again. 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. 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). July 25, 2021 1:56 pm MT. The Next Gen Stats analytics team's top-10 ranking spotlights familiar names, breakout studs and instant-impact rookies. NFC North. Giving him an easy pass like this and clearing his way also makes things easy on their freshman QB. 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. [1:04] This time the defense is running man coverage. Being able to abuse coverage with slants and out routes over and over is more valuable than a receiver that can occasionally win deep downfield. Not all the players listed will make the team, and I might easily miss especially for the Redskins division rivals players who will make the Week 1 roster, but this list should give some idea of the relative depth of the four positional groups. Justin Jefferson can lay claim to the title of being the best receiver in the NFL. It depends on whether you favor production or . Waddle has reached 20+ mph on four offensive touches this season, tied for the third-most among all wide receivers (behind Christian Watson and teammate Tyreek Hill). That is a difficult habit to unlearn at this point in his development, though I saw enough hands catches to think he can develop. The Cowboys are 6-1 with an NFL-leading average of 35.7 points per game since Dak Prescott returned from injury in Week 7. 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). The second-year wideout has been the Lions focal point in high-leverage situations, gaining a first down on 15.2 percent of his routes on third and fourth down this season (third-highest rate, min. March 1, 2023 6:03 am SBNation TomahawkNation. Overall, I think Terry McLaurin is a somewhat raw WR who flashes elite traits and potential, but will probably take a while to see the field on offense, except as a one-dimensional deep threat. Despite being one of just four players at the position with a $100 million tag, Brown is just fifth on the list of highest-paid wide receivers. It's difficult to separate the top two receivers in 2022, but when taking into account career production and capability, Jefferson just barely gets the top spot. Speaking of needing things to go right, Dave Gettleman shocked the NFL world (or didnt, based on which Twitter reports you were reading and believing) by trading Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland. Getty The Cowboys could be the perfect landing spot for Giants WR Richie James. But forcing him to start so far off essentially gives Slayton a running start as he passes Darby. First, notice that McLaurin recognizes Indiana 14 is matched up on him. Known as a jump ball and contested catch specialist, he was a favorite target of Jay Cutler, who often didnt care about throwing into double and triple coverage so long as he trusted his WR. Los Angeles' running backs are in . Note, however, that he didnt make the big play by simply running past everyone with deep speed, but, rather, by using his sudden acceleration and route running ability to get open, and then using his agility to break tackles until the defenders were left behind. Although its an offense that deflates WR stats by distributing the ball a lot, its a cleverly designed offense that gets WRs open. The NFC West has some very good wide receivers in the division. Hogs Haven looks at all four teams in the division in an effort to identify the best and the weakest of the NFC East. The only times I saw Cooper struggle were in press man coverage against fast and experienced DBs. Marshon Lattimore buys it at first, and gives enough cushion to allow Cooper to get open when he redirects outside. Minnesota Vikings. Is the Jaguars' decision to make a big investment in Christian Kirk paying off so far? 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. [4:48] This time McLaurin (bottom of screen) is matched up with Ronald Darby 1-on-1. Slayton has all the athletic traits of a very good WR, but needs a lot of refinement added to his game to allow him to win when athleticism isnt enough. 1 receiver. The CB flips his hips downfield and starts running with him, expecting a deep pass. First, as much as Jim Schwartzs defense makes life difficult for the CBs, Doug Pedersons offense makes like easier for the WRs. . He has been targeted on 39 percent of routes when defenses send the heat, trailing only the next receiver on this list, CeeDee Lamb. SB Nation CFB. 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. With this improved play expect a jump in production for all NFC East receivers in the upcoming 2021 season. This play also shows off his acceleration and route running. 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. Then Richardson makes a great leaping catch, highpointing the ball and securing it at maximum extension away from the DB. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). 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. 1 option. 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. Be the first one to comment on this story. PanthersWire. Carolina Panthers. And Humphries comes over from Tennessee, where he was once a very productive player. Cooper can play every WR position: X, Z, and slot, and the Cowboys use him all over the field to exploit matchups and get him paired with slower DBs. Cooper and McLaurin must receive extra praise for overcoming below average QB play, the Cowboys and Football Team's QB play has been down right terrible this year. Of course, no position group consists of just one or two players. Sims caught 32 passes last year and Harmon had a promising rookie season in 2019 before an ACL tear forced him to miss last year. . The breakout quarterbacks are among the Next Gen Stats analytics team's 10 players most likely to earn all-star accolades for the first time this season. That good deep speed coupled with elite agility and acceleration shows up on tape as well. Kupp averaged nine receptions and 101.6 receiving yards per game in the eight contests he started and finished this season, providing a bright spot for a Rams offense that has struggled all year. Cooper did a poor job on the few plays I saw him used as a blocker, and seemed to get pulled from the field by the coaching staff on many running plays. I suspect the best-known group of receivers in the division is the Cowboys receiving corps, headlined by Amari Cooper and featuring the just-drafted CeeDee Lamb. The Giants are expected to add wide receivers in the draft and free agency, given their current depth chart at the position. Im not sure the skill level is lower now than it was before, but the marquee power seems to have fallen off a bit. 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). He takes off and blows past his DB to get about 6 yards of separation vertically. Chicago Bears. 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. Wide Receiver: Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders, CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys, and A.J. He looks like he has all the size, speed, acceleration, ball tracking, and sharp cutting ability to be great in the NFL. 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. He recognizes the Cover 2 Zone defense and runs his route perfectly along the soft spots between zones the whole way. He shows excellent ability to redirect himself, locate the ball in the air, and great leaping ability to go up to get the ball. Washington Commanders. 1. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Commanders Reacts Survey: Do you want to see the Washington Commanders on Hard Knocks in 2023. The Philadelphia Eagles are ranked No. Dallas Goedert was likened to Zach Ertz even before the draft. With Dak Prescott healthy, this offense could be fun to watch. 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. 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. Lastly, no discussion of Terry McLaurin is complete without discussing his blocking and special teams value. 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). Look how much cushion the CB opposite Reager (bottom of screen) gives him, clearly afraid of getting beat deep. 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. See where he lands in the Next Gen Stats analytics team's ranking of the top 10 slot receivers right now. Brown -- who is also the NFL's leader with 2,299 yards on in-breaking routes since being drafted in 2019 -- is among the biggest factors in Philly becoming the NFLs first team to clinch a playoff spot this season. This is one of those plays that shows even when Jeffery is covered, hes open. Reagor has weaknesses though. Slayton tested extremely well at the 2018 NFL Combine, posting good size (61 and 190 pounds), explosiveness (vertical and broad jump), and speed (4.39 second 40 yard dash). He committed to Stanford, and although red shirted in his freshman year, became an increasingly important part of the offense after that, catching 63 passes for 1,059 yards in 2018 (top 5 in the nation). As we enter 2019, the Eagles may feature the most recognizable names with fans across the NFL with 32-year-old Desean Jackson, coming back for a second run in Philly, Alshon Jeffrey, who first built his reputation in Chicago, and Nelson Aghlor, who experienced a breakout season a year ago being joined by 2nd round pick J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Gallup had 59 for 843 and 5 as third option. 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. 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. Although Doug Pedersons scheme spreads the ball around rather than funneling it to a specific target, its clear that Jeffery is the most trusted target on many Eagles plays. 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. The 2014 Arizona Cardinals 4th rounder bounced around the league over the past 6 years but seems to have finally settled on his 6th team. Watching tape of Tate really reinforced what a YAC monster he is. The crew gets a bit motley after that, with some late-round draft picks and NFL veterans. St. Brown has also provided a safety blanket for Goff when teams blitz (which they often do). Many of the recent early-round busts at this position came from wide-open spread attacks that only asked the wide receivers to run a few routes and when these young receivers adjusted to the league, they were just not close to being well-rounded enough in all aspects of running an NFL route tree. Slayton was taken by the Giants in the 5th round of the 2019 NFL draft. Share. However, he also ended this play with a mistake I saw him make a few other times too by slipping and falling without contact. Reagor is a bit more physical than you might expect from a playing weight under 200 pounds, though he still struggles a bit with press coverage. Slayton doesnt have much in the way of counters, tricks, or physicality to get open if his athleticism isnt enough. Tate then stares down safety Jeff Heath and fakes inside to set him up before cutting outside, breaking another tackle attempt as he accelerates quickly to the endzone. [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). [12:06] This is the second of two plays that are representative of how Cooper gets open on many occasions. [7:19] Slayton lines up on the boundary top of screen opposite Stephon Gilmore. 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