Coopers ability to sell a fake will still get him open against younger DBs, which is why it really takes an experienced and fast DB playing press man to shut him down. In addition to showing Tates change-of-direction ability yet again, this play shows his improvisational ability and persistence. 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. Evan Engram is the best TE. He has been targeted on 39 percent of routes when defenses send the heat, trailing only the next receiver on this list, CeeDee Lamb. He can still run past many opponents, is more physical than many DBs (hes surprisingly strong for his size), and shows a lot of effort in run blocking. This play really shows off Slaytons physical traits; hes got speed, acceleration, and quick change-of-direction ability for days. Id like to quote heavily from that series here. The NFC East in 2020 has been described as the most atrocious division in NFL history. Here, the CB decides to take the flag on pass interference rather than risk Jeffery getting loose behind the secondary. It looks to me like hes supposed to run a corner route, but when he finishes the route and looks back to Russell Wilson he sees him scrambling. He makes the catch (though its a body catch, not a hands catch) and shows great strength and body control breaking the initial tackle to run for several more yards. Hes not moving to the slot; the ball gets snapped while hes in the process of transitioning, allowing him to catch the ball in the backfield while the other two WRs act as blockers for him. 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. March 1, 2023 6:03 am USAToday PanthersWire. QB-pass catcher duos Undrafted players Wide receivers Players in 2022 Top 5: Brother duos NFL Network's "Top 100 Players of 2022" -- voted on by the players themselves -- concludes on. NFC East receivers chart.The Best Receiver in the division is either Amari Cooper or Terry McLaurin. Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 28, 2023. He is also still an excellent route runner, running crisp routes with a tremendous sense of timing and anticipation of the balls arrival. Cooper again runs down the sideline and seems to get open by selling the deep route, but breaking it back to shake loose. Richardson is prone to being jammed at the line of scrimmage, and I often saw him positioned behind the line to avoid getting jammed. Tate only has good speed, but has elite quickness, and plays like this highlight his ability to get separation quickly when in tight coverage if the DB doesnt maintain constant eyes and leverage on Tate. It also highlights his ability to get open on crossing and out routes because CBs have to guard against the deeper routes so diligently. NFL Offensive Player Rankings, Week 15: Building the AFC Pro Bowl Games roster on offense, NFL Offensive Player Rankings, Week 15: Building the NFC Pro Bowl Games roster on offense, RB Index, Week 15: Three fresh-legged running backs who could impact the NFL playoff picture, NFL rookie rankings at quarter pole of 2022 season: Jets duo holds top spots; Lions lead with three reps, NFL QB Index, Week 15: San Francisco 49ers rookie Brock Purdy soars into top half of rankings. The Rams are simply not the same team when Kupp is off the field. As Slayton makes the reception, he stops on a dime and cuts so hard back outside that the CB whiffs on the tackle. Dorrell was most recently the head coach at the University of Colorado. Hes matched up against Rasul Douglas 1-on-1 at the top of the screen. Washington: Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Kelvin Harmon, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims. Hes a high effort blocker, but his technique and power are below average. Brown recently said he feels like he "won" the trade that sent him from Tennessee to Philadelphia during the 2022 NFL Draft, and it's hard to argue with him, based on the results. When St. Brown has been missing, Goffs EPA per dropback becomes negative (-0.10). Which game-wrecking unit reigns supreme right now? 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). [0:01] Reagor shifts from the left slot to right boundary, helping his QB to diagnose zone coverage because the slot CB doesnt travel with him. Reagor also looks a bit like a running back with the ball in his hands, juking and finding running lanes to get yards after catch. 1 spot over Tyreek Hill Position Power Rankings 2022 NFL season's top 10 wide receivers: Justin Jefferson reels in. That might not sound like a compliment, but it is intended as such, as I consider Julio the best WR in the NFL. Undersized at 510 and 199 lbs, Tate doesnt quite have the measurables of a WR1, but excels as a WR2. Although the ball is placed right on his hands, he makes an ugly drop and misses out on a big play. Amari Cooper can play every WR position: X, Z, and slot, and the Cowboys used him all over the field to exploit matchups. Sometimes he would make an incredible contested catch, then in the same game have the ball hit him in the hands and bounce into a nearby DB for an interception. 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. 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. Who are the most impactful tight ends in the NFL right now? NFC Players By Position - Wide Receiver. Unfortunately, Kupps season was cut short by injury. Despite pass interference from the CB (and what looks like an uncalled facemask penalty), McLaurin fights through the contact to make a tough catch and get the first down. 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). He has NFL bloodlines as his father, Paul Richardson, played several years as an NFL wide receiver as well. Slay is in position to easily break the pass up instead. 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. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. 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. 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. 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. Douglas is not the fastest of CBs and is playing a few yards off, so he cant jam McLaurin at the line to disrupt his route. #NFL pic.twitter.com/Nuw7mbf7gC. 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 the down year, Reagor had a pretty good Combine, measuring in at 511, 206 pounds, and running a 4.47 second 40 yard dash. Hogs Haven looks at all four teams in the division in an effort to identify the best and the weakest of the NFC East. 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. The Dallas Cowboys rookie taken 17th overall in the 2020 NFL draft looks like a bona fide future star and may emerge as the divisions best weapon sooner rather than later. Not only did the Giants sign Golladay to a four-year, $72 million contract this offseason, but they also used their first-round pick on Toney, the explosive rookie wideout from Florida. Such questionable play at the QB spot led me to wonder how the dependent receivers are fairing under such unsteady conditions. 1 wide receiver. HONORABLE MENTION: Terry McLaurin, Commanders; Tee Higgins, Bengals; Garrett Wilson, Jets; Chris Olave, Saints. 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. And Humphries comes over from Tennessee, where he was once a very productive player. Indeed, the only games where he had less than a 50% catch rate were against the Patriots and Lions, where he was shadowed by Stephon Gilmore and Darius Slay respectively. He shows enough effort and skill in route running that I think he will develop into a capable NFL starter under good coaching, but I think his immediate value will be on special teams, where he already has the ability to make an impact. 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. 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). 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. This year, were going to look at the division again, but were gonna try to ramp things up a bit by adding some film review to some of the position group reviews. So far we have looked at: 1. His biggest problem is his drop rate, which will need to improve in the NFL if he is to become a trusted target of Carson Wentz. 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 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. In our continuing series of ranking the players at different positions in the NFC West and also ranking the teams at each position, we now take a look at the four teams . Darius Slayton was not only an All-Region receiver out of high school, but also a state sprint champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. It could happen, but it requires a lot of things to go right for Washington that didnt go right in 2018. At 61 and 211 lbs, he also has very good (though not elite) size for a WR. Here are PFF's wide receiver rankings ahead of the 2022 season, starting with Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp at the top. NOTE: The composite score for each player is based on a series of advanced receiving metrics, courtesy of Next Gen Stats. That top three of Cooper, Gallup and Lamb might be the best trio in the NFL. 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. McLaurin shows good body control, contorting his body around in the air to make the catch despite his momentum. Also, Im not sure how much this will translate to the NFL, but I literally saw Reagor yelling at his QB after some plays where he expected a different read or better ball placement. Opposing defenses either shadowed him with their best CB or shaded coverage in his direction to account for him. Sometimes we look around the NFL and see how a quarterback is only as good as his wideouts. Except for those teams with the transcendent signal-callers like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady. [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). 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. He was also a competent kick returner, with 9 returns for 189 yards (21.0 Y/R). [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. 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. 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