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. Be the first one to comment on this story. Even better, he displayed strong hands, winning quite a few contested catches. They really don't have a choice, as Hill's yards-per-route figure jumps to 4.2 against man coverage and 4.6 when left on an island against single-high coverages. [1:43] This is why the Redskins drafted Terry McLaurin. His only obvious weakness is as a blocker in run support, where he doesnt quite have the strength and physicality to excel. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Before we dive in, though, a note on our methodology: To help create quantifiable rankings, we have devised a formula that yields a Next Gen Stats percentile score, which measures how a player is performing relative to his peers. But against NFL-caliber talent, it might not be enough. 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. And Lamb came out of the gate with a 74-catch rookie season. Hogs Haven looks at all four teams in the division in an effort to identify the best and the weakest of the NFC East. CD Lamb is the best Wide Receiver in the NFC East . Love was smart enough to avoid being fooled by the route, allowing little separation and having enough physicality to prevent getting boxed out. 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. He looks like he has all the size, speed, acceleration, ball tracking, and sharp cutting ability to be great in the NFL. The NFC East was a historically bad division in 2020, which is why all four teams were in the race deep into the season. Schoen may need to get creative in order to land a true No. Still, this was overall a very positive play for Reagor. And J.J. Arcega-Whiteside seems like he was chosen to be the eventual replacement for Alshon Jeffery. NFC East Positional overview. 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. Up next in the divisional depth chart review is the NFC East wide receivers. [7:19] Slayton lines up on the boundary top of screen opposite Stephon Gilmore. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. 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. He has NFL bloodlines as his father, Paul Richardson, played several years as an NFL wide receiver as well. The Rams are simply not the same team when Kupp is off the field. Tate also does a good job maintaining awareness of the QB and tracking the ball almost the entire time its in the air. However, I think Slayton has a very high ceiling and could be really good if he continues to develop. He was on a torrid pace yet again when healthy. Jose Joaquin (JJ) Arcega-Whiteside was born in Spain, the child of two professional basketball players. Tight ends. Buy Seahawks Tickets 25. 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. 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. Instead, they show the attributes listed below. Then he shows good awareness of the defense in sprinting away from defenders to get the long TD. On the plus side, defenses respect his deep threat ability so much that opposing CBs often backed up away from the line themselves, where they were not in a position to jam him. 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. [12:06] This is the second of two plays that are representative of how Cooper gets open on many occasions. 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. It also shows how much teams have to respect his deep-threat ability and how that opens up opportunities for short passes. Hes matched up against Rasul Douglas 1-on-1 at the top of the screen. 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. 2022 NFL season's top 10 wide receivers: Justin Jefferson reels in No. 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). [4:48] This time McLaurin (bottom of screen) is matched up with Ronald Darby 1-on-1. However, this is all based on his rookie year alone, and he is still developing. 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. The NFC East has three new head coaches and a young group of quarterbacks; its probably no surprise that it has more young and promising receivers than older established veteran receivers. He was traded to the Cowboys in the middle of last season (the 4th year of his rookie contract) for a 1st round pick in 2019 draft, and Cooper had an immediate impact, seemingly jump-starting the Cowboys offense and helping them to a division championship. Slay held Cooper to 3 catches on 8 attempts for 38 yards (a 38% catch rate). But those wide receivers that have been most successful of late early in their career are the Route Runners. These are guys who are exceptional coming out of their breaks without losing too much speed, have repetitive and repeatable routes time after time so their quarterback knows where they are going to be and can create separation by setting up a cover man and making every route look the same from the beginning. [1:04] This time the defense is running man coverage. Metcalf also recorded five touchdowns on vertical routes against man coverage, tying for the most in the league. 1. 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. [0:38] McLaurin does a good job blocking on this play, eventually blocking his guy to the ground. Also, the fact that the Lions had Slay shadow McLaurin all game, even traveling with him into the slot, shows the respect they had for him. 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. 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. As mentioned before, hes a bit small for a WR and can be pressed at the line. The Vikings pulled off the biggest comeback in NFL history last week, but the Next Gen Stats analytics team says it wasn't the most improbable comeback of the season. 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). The Packers' offense has faltered for most of the season without Adams to create explosive plays. Vikings top "player team report card," and . -- Mike Band, Keegan Abdoo and Cole Jacobson contributed to this piece. Behind every great quarterback, there's an excellent wide receiver, or two, or three. New York Giants tight end Evan Engram is a more talented overall player than both but the 3rd year TE is struggling with his catch percentage(it is sub 60%) as an offense safety blanket Engram has been a disappointment this year. Paul Richardson Jr was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2014 NFL draft. McLaurin seems to try to fake outside, but Slay doesnt bite, instead following McLaurin as he releases inside. As Slayton makes the reception, he stops on a dime and cuts so hard back outside that the CB whiffs on the tackle. 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. At 61 and 211 lbs, he also has very good (though not elite) size for a WR. This week, we've assembled a list of the top 10 wide receivers heading into Week 15. Is the Jaguars' decision to make a big investment in Christian Kirk paying off so far? Will he ever duplicate that magical five-game stretch last year? He runs basic routes that get him where he needs to go, but show very little nuance (in terms of exploiting zones) or subtlety (in terms of using fakes and timing). Former Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall made a plea to the Packers star via Instagram on Tuesday, during which he implored Rodgers to drift on into retirement. They also arguably have the best starting group of anyone in the NFL. Hard to tell. 1 option. At the Combine, he had posted a very good 4.42s 40-yard dash (showing good deep speed), but also produced an elite 6.71s 3-cone drill (agility), and 3.98s 20 yard shuttle (acceleration). ApplePodcasts|Google Play|Spotify|Stitcher|Art19|Watch on YouTube. Slay is in position to easily break the pass up instead. Once hes free, nobody in the secondary can catch him. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! See where they land in the Next Gen Stats analytics team's ranking of the top 10 most explosive rushers right now. 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. [3:05] This was the play that introduced McLaurin to a lot of us. 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. What follows is the BBV discussion of what scouts look for in running back prospects. 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. Love is draped all over JJ, trying to muscle him even having the awareness to reach out when the ball is in the air to break up the pass. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . McLaurin shows good body control, contorting his body around in the air to make the catch despite his momentum. Id like to quote heavily from that series here. He discussed areas where this year's draft class looks strong . 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. Here are the top 25 wide receiver prospects in this year's draft class according to the consensus big board. Featured Promo: Get any full-season NFL Premium Pass for 50% off and win big in 2023. Slayton doesnt have much in the way of counters, tricks, or physicality to get open if his athleticism isnt enough. [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). 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. 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. 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. McLaurin is an extremely willing and tough blocker, even if his technique could use some work, and is generally willing to do the dirty work necessary to help his team succeed. Lamb leads the way here and is also the youngest of the three, while . Giants: Darius Slayton, Kenny Golladay, John Ross III, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney. Speed is great without question and true speedsters that know how to use it terrify defensive coordinators. Jeffery plays with more speed than JJ, but JJ plays with more strength and has less of an injury history. 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). 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. Odds & lines subject to change. By DJ Siddiqi. But the NFC East likely has the next four best players, and has greater depth. An argument can be made he is the third best receiver in the NFC East. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Lastly, no discussion of Terry McLaurin is complete without discussing his blocking and special teams value. 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. Four teams in the secondary can catch him plays with more strength and physicality nfc east best wide receivers getting. Explosive plays a blocker in run support, where he doesnt quite have the strength and has less of injury. 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