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. And Humphries comes over from Tennessee, where he was once a very productive player. 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). That number drops to only 21.9 for wide receivers in the 30-34 bracket. 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. The Cowboys receivers may have the most talent and productivity potential of any group in the NFC East, but, with the Cowboys' run-centered offense, and Dak Prescott 's limited pass production . The only times I saw Cooper struggle were in press man coverage against fast and experienced DBs. He ran an unofficial 4.28 second 40 time at a private Pro Day after dropping some of that weight. However, this makes him a poor matchup on physical CBs like Josh Norman who can shove back harder. Robinson is a superstar whose contributions have been overlooked. East Carolina: R: NAME: TEAM: COLLEGE: #NFL pic.twitter.com/Nuw7mbf7gC. [1:04] This time the defense is running man coverage. Jefferson makes the improbable look routine, with six more receptions (24) than any other player this season on passes with less than a 50 percent completion probability. On the short end of the NFC East receivers, the Giants and Eagles have an average height of 72.2 inches, or 6 feet. NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand, and MORE! The New York Giants have a desperate need at the wide receiver position this offseason. However, Richardson is also a good route runner and is quick and nuanced enough to operate well on all routes in the route tree. 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. Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports Flowers is another potential first-round option depending on how his combine week goes. NFC East receivers chart.The Best Receiver in the division is either Amari Cooper or Terry McLaurin. The Philadelphia Eagles are ranked No. 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. Richardson is smart and aware enough to attack the seams in a defense, and he is a great improviser, working hard after the play breaks down to keep himself open as a viable pass catching threat. Despite missing four games with a hip injury, Chase still manages to be all over the receiving leaderboards this season. But in todays NFL, it is better to be quick with great acceleration out of a break or a cut. Playing well through injury is one way scouts measure football character. He is a very good runner, his routes are crisp and he does a very good job breaking them deep enough to ensure a first down if he makes the reception on most plays. 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. The Next Gen Stats analytics team provides a ranking of the top 10 players at the position in 2022, with some names that could surprise you. Despite having plenty of separation, McLaurin extends his hands to catch away from his body, showing better form than the hands-catching I noted in his college tape. The starting QB for the 2019 season was inexperienced freshman Max Duggan, causing Reagor to statistically regress to 43 receptions for 611 yards, which still lead the team. They bring two DBs down to bracket Slayton (bottom of screen). 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. Building on his success earlier in the game, Cooper fakes another deep route down the sideline, then stutter-steps inside on a slant route. Slayton doesnt have much in the way of counters, tricks, or physicality to get open if his athleticism isnt enough. Wide receiver is next up in our position-by-position breakdown of the NFC East. Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper edges out the competition to place as the NFC East's best receiver. 1. He looks like he has all the size, speed, acceleration, ball tracking, and sharp cutting ability to be great in the NFL. Lamb leads the way here and is also the youngest of the three, while . To say a wide receiver is a great Route Runner means a lot of different things and there are a wide variety of routes that are run, some of which accentuate different skill sets. 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. Which game-wrecking unit reigns supreme right now? 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. 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. Will Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa make the Pro Bowl? 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. 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. Buy Chargers Tickets. Again, Slayton does the basic job necessary to run his route and make a play, but doesnt employ any subtlety or counters to beat a CB as athletic as he is. 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. Still, this was overall a very positive play for Reagor. I thought he wasnt as shifty as one might expect for a player so fast, he was a body-catcher rather than a hands-catcher, and he relied too much on out-athleting his opponents using speed or physicality to get open, which wouldnt necessarily work at the next level. JJ is excellent at using his strength, big body, and smart positioning to block out CBs and make catches in contested spaces like this. In addition to that, he had a bit of a college injury history, missing several games to injury his sophomore year, then redshirting his entire junior year due to a torn ACL. Watching him play, Slayton seems like a great athletic prospect who still needs a lot of refinement. He has been targeted on 39 percent of routes when defenses send the heat, trailing only the next receiver on this list, CeeDee Lamb. 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. 1 receiver out of the gate. Jeffery rushes forward and head fakes inside, but the CB doesnt bite and stays with him outside. Chicago Bears. Well, they are often doing battle with excellent man coverage cornerbacks. 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). Vikings top "player team report card," and . McLaurin again does a good job catching the ball away from his body (and away from Slay), keeping it safe. Jeffery plays with more speed than JJ, but JJ plays with more strength and has less of an injury history. [12:06] This is the second of two plays that are representative of how Cooper gets open on many occasions. The "Cheetah" has put up historic efficiency numbers this season, gaining 3.7 yards for every route run. He doesnt need a lot of subtlety here though, his athletic traits are what allow him to win. One of the first things a receiver needs to do at the NFL level is to win against outstanding press man coverage. . March 1, 2023 6:03 am SBNation TomahawkNation. Cooper again runs down the sideline and seems to get open by selling the deep route, but breaking it back to shake loose. Slay held Cooper to 3 catches on 8 attempts for 38 yards (a 38% catch rate). He will break down film of some of the top receivers in the division: Click here to read the 2019 review of wide receivers which includes Golden Tate, Alshon Jeffrey and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside as well as last years look at Cooper and McLaurin. He loses close to the line of scrimmage to CBs like Josh Norman who are even more physical than he is. However, I think Slayton has a very high ceiling and could be really good if he continues to develop. 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. Neither WR got consistent separation against those CBs, but McLaurin was harder to jam and had stronger hands wrestling away 50/50 balls. Andre Dillard is a clear successor to Jason Peters. Cowboys: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, Cedric Wilson, Simi Fehoko That top three of Cooper, Gallup and Lamb might be the best trio in the NFL. St. Brown has also provided a safety blanket for Goff when teams blitz (which they often do). That top three of Cooper, Gallup and Lamb might be the best trio in the NFL. 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. NFC East Positional overview. Zach Ertz was once the NFC East's undisputed best TE but injuries and the declining play of his quarterback has seen him fall off the radar the last two seasons. 100 routes). Amari Cooper can play every WR position: X, Z, and slot, and the Cowboys used him all over the field to exploit matchups. In 2020, he caught 87 passes for 1,118 yards and 4 touchdowns and now Washington has gotten him even more help. Schoen may need to get creative in order to land a true No. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Oh, and adding CeeDee Lamb to the mix certainly does not hurt. 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. Cowboys: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, Cedric Wilson, Simi Fehoko. This ends up being a running play for Adrian Peterson, who breaks his run to McLaurins side of the field. The Redskins probably have the least recognizable names in the division, even though the squad features former first round pick Josh Doctson and last years relatively high-profile free agent signing, Paul Richardson. Zay Flowers, Wide Receiver (Boston College) Let's say Johnston and other top wide receivers are off the board. PFF also ranked McLaurin 13th in its recent list of top 25 receivers heading into the 2020 season. With combine measurements of 60 tall, 175 lbs, and running a 4.40s 40 yard dash, Richardson has the height and speed of an NFL WR, but is greatly lacking in body mass. And then to grab Brown in the third round might end up being a steal. Buy Seahawks Tickets 25. It's really impressive. See where they land in the Next Gen Stats analytics team's ranking of the top 10 most explosive rushers right now. -- Mike Band, Keegan Abdoo and Cole Jacobson contributed to this piece. But after McLaurin, Washington didn't have many other weapons. The one guy you dont have to worry about is Ward. The Washington Football Team stands at 72.6 inches, or 6'1". However, JJ has tremendous ability to stay open even when covered, using his big body, long arms, and good hands-catching ability to reach out and grab the ball out of the CBs reach, even with very little separation. He will break down film from 6 NFC East wide receivers, in order: Amari Cooper was selected 4th overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2015 draft. 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. [5:16] Cooper lines up outside and fakes a break outside, causing Jalen Mills to bite hard on the fake, and leaving Cooper wide open when he redirects inside. Getty The Cowboys could be the perfect landing spot for Giants WR Richie James. 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. 10 pick in Smith, who will become their No. I expect him to have just as much utility in the screen game as he does stretching the field. 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. 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. He never quits on plays. Often at the college level, receivers see very little in-your-face physical man coverage, so watching what we can and analyzing it very closely is extremely important. This play showcases his deep speed and big play ability, but also his ability to locate the ball and adjust to the throw. NFC East . The Redskins highest profile receiver from 2018, Jamison Crowder, is now a New York Jet. This steep drop-off is no surprise, but it does influence the total number of age 30+ wide receivers who hit 100 targets in a season. Brandin Cooks was a first-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2014 NFL Draft. In 2018 tape I thought he was severely lacking as a run blocker, sometimes just phoning it in or getting brushed aside by a DB, but in 2019 he looked much improved in both effort and technique. Overall, he is big, strong, has good hands, and is nuanced at many aspects of playing WR, but shows a lack of deep speed on film. Gambling problem? Dak breaks to his right (Coopers side) almost immediately after the snap despite little pressure and is looking for Cooper the whole time. Richardson also has good hands, and I think his somewhat low career catch percentage (58.7%) is more a function of running deep routes than any lack of pass catching ability. Speed is great without question and true speedsters that know how to use it terrify defensive coordinators. Tight ends. This play highlights Coopers ability to make tough catches, as well as the awareness and body control to keep both feet in bounds for the reception. But the ball is perfectly placed where only JJ can get it, and he again reaches out and uses his long arms and sure hands to secure the ball beyond the reach of the CB for a tough TD catch. This play shows what happens when Slayton is matched up against a CB who is just as fast and quick as he is and allowed to play close. He was also a competent kick returner, with 9 returns for 189 yards (21.0 Y/R). I just needed a place to publish some GIFs that I want to embed elsewhere. 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. Except for those teams with the transcendent signal-callers like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady. He has good deep speed, but is more of a home run threat due to his ability to get open and break tackles, rather than just because he just runs past everyone. Of the players I reviewed last year for the Ranking the NFCE series, my opinion on Cooper is that he is among the least changed. Andrew is a self-taught film analyst with a pretty impressive resume. 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. Here, the CB decides to take the flag on pass interference rather than risk Jeffery getting loose behind the secondary. Everyone can ignore this (and more to follow). 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. He does an excellent job locating and tracking the ball in the air and adjusting his routes to match the balls trajectory (which was important, because he was often so fast that he got underthrown on deep routes). Here are PFF's wide receiver rankings ahead of the 2022 season, starting with Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp at the top. Former Jacksonville Jaguar Allen Hurns, who hasnt been able to break 500 yards in a season since 2015, when he put up 1,031 yards and 10 TDs, is probably the headliner of the bottom half of the depth chart. Panthers saddled with another odd pick in latest NFL.com mock draft. 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. On tape, Richardsons quickness and speed stand out. 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. 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). 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. His only obvious weakness is as a blocker in run support, where he doesnt quite have the strength and physicality to excel. Despite no separation in the endzone, JJ uses smart body-positioning and use of hands to maintain inside leverage and box out the CB in the endzone. Paul Richardson Jr was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2014 NFL draft. New York Giants. 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