He takes off and blows past his DB to get about 6 yards of separation vertically. Reagor was selected by the Eagles in the 1st round of the 2020 draft. Featured Promo: Get any full-season NFL Premium Pass for 50% off and win big in 2023. NFC East. 0 Comment. There's one NFC East receiver on the list, and the problem . This play shows Tates nuanced route running, elite change-of-direction ability, elite quickness, and ability to shake tackles to get YAC. PFF also ranked McLaurin 13th in its recent list of top 25 receivers heading into the 2020 season. The addition of Brown has helped Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense reach new heights, as Hurts has a league-high nine TD passes on go routes this season with Brown being responsible for an NFL-best five of them. You can see Reagors style with the ball in his hands is similar to a RB, with sharp cuts and good vision picking out running lanes to get 19 yards after the catch. Overall, it seems like he relies on out-athleting his opponents, beating them with deep speed or strength rather than using the nuances of the WR position to win, which wont be enough at the NFL level. 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 Prescotts limited pass production (he averages 3,625 yards and 25 TDs per season in his career), this group is unlikely to put up truly big numbers in 2019. Andrew is a self-taught film analyst with a pretty impressive resume. As was the case in his rookie season, Chases bread and butter has been passes thrown outside the numbers, where he ranks sixth in the NFL with 515 receiving yards this season. Then Richardson makes a great leaping catch, highpointing the ball and securing it at maximum extension away from the DB. 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. Dallas Cowboys tight end Blake Jarwin was a sleeper candidate to take this award going into this season but has sadly been sidelined with Injuries. This is one of those plays that shows even when Jeffery is covered, hes open. I still think New York should target the position, even if the team has to reach a . He does a good job of positioning his body to box out CBs and gives himself the leverage advantage in making plays on the ball. We will lean on this formula to inform our rankings when applicable. 1 receiver. What follows is the BBV discussion of what scouts look for in running back prospects. Cooper is one of the best in the NFL at building up speed on the route stem as if hes going to go deep, then stopping on a dime and cutting in a different direction so suddenly that the DB is backing up several feet away before he realizes hes out of position. But the NFC East likely has the next four best players, and has greater depth. The Rams are simply not the same team when Kupp is off the field. 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. 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 often uses his quickness to get immediate separation once the ball is in the air, and uses his change-of-direction ability to juke an initial tackle attempt and turn uphill for extra yards. 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. Speaking of top-end receivers who switched teams in the offseason, Adams presents another great case study in positional value. 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. 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). Eventually, Washington took it. Washington Football Team running back Antonio Gibson has emerged as a very efficient catcher out the backfield, if he can raise his yardage he can transform into an all round running back. And Lamb came out of the gate with a 74-catch rookie season. 28 Feb 2023 13:06:39 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. Slayton then quickly runs away from the FS Rodney McLeod, easily outpacing him to the endzone. NFL Wide Receivers 2021 : For a division that is considered one of the weakest in the history of the NFL, the NFC East boasts one of the best receiving groups in the whole league. It could happen, but it requires a lot of things to go right for Washington that didnt go right in 2018. 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. Your login session has expired. Look at the difference in cushion the Eagles give him vs the other boundary WR at the top of the screen! 10 pick in Smith, who will become their No. He is also still an excellent route runner, running crisp routes with a tremendous sense of timing and anticipation of the balls arrival. Last off-season, Hogs Haven published articles that focused on ranking position groups in an effort to identify what the division would look like in 2019. But after McLaurin, Washington didn't have many other weapons. He shows excellent ability to redirect himself, locate the ball in the air, and great leaping ability to go up to get the ball. 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. Bo Wulf of The Athletic suggested this weekend that wide receiver Quez Watkins could find himself . Dallas Cowboys. During his first two seasons, McLaurin has proven himself as a true No. 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. Like Julio, Jeffery is tall, long-limbed, physical, fast, and a good route runner. [7:50] Cooper again lines up top of screen opposite Mike Hughes. [1:05] Tate lines up in the slot on a crossing route, but sees the play break down as Wentz breaks the pocket and changes directions so quickly that CB Greg Stroman slips on the grass trying to cover him. Last year, the Giants fan site, Big Blue View, published a very good series on the topic, What do scouts look for?. McLaurin is an ideal Z receiver, though not quite big enough to play X and not able to consistently beat the best CBs in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles have been active in the trade market under general manager Howie Roseman. Playing like this opens up the risk of Cooper getting behind them if he wins the foot race on a deep route, which is why only equally fast DBs can play him this way. 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. 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. Richardsons negatives almost entirely have to do with his strength and injury history. In addition to football, in high school he was all-state in basketball and placed highly in track. That might not sound like a compliment, but it is intended as such, as I consider Julio the best WR in the NFL. Cooper releases as if hes running deep down the sideline. 1. He never quits on plays. Jose Joaquin (JJ) Arcega-Whiteside was born in Spain, the child of two professional basketball players. 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). [2:32] Jeffery lines up outside with the CB giving him lots of cushion. Which game is featured at the top of NGS's unlikeliest victory rankings? Once hes free, nobody in the secondary can catch him. 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. I expect him to have just as much utility in the screen game as he does stretching the field. Sure, there are ways to use formation and motion offensively to help receivers get away from press. 3. With this improved play expect a jump in production for all NFC East receivers in the upcoming 2021 season. Speed is great without question and true speedsters that know how to use it terrify defensive coordinators. 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. Buy Chargers Tickets. He even manages to keep his feet in bounds when he lands despite a shove by Darby, showing excellent body control and awareness. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. His most impressive area of improvement was in his catching ability. 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. 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. 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. Everyone can ignore this (and more to follow). Such questionable play at the QB spot led me to wonder how the dependent receivers are fairing under such unsteady conditions. 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. Hogs Haven looks at all four teams in the division in an effort to identify the best and the weakest of the NFC East. [1:32] This is an example of being open when covered. 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. Even better, he displayed strong hands, winning quite a few contested catches. He is a smart, high-effort player and among the best in the NFL at his position. 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. At the bottom of the depth chart, Watkins, Hightower and J.J. Arcega-Whitesid might be in a battle. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 . Even still, Jefferson leads the NFL in yards (869) against single-high coverages for the second straight season. 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. Were ranking the division by position group. See where they land in the Next Gen Stats analytics team's ranking of the top 10 most explosive rushers right now. 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). The addition of Samuel in the offseason gives the team another dynamic option who can take it to the house anytime he touches the ball. 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. Dez Bryant, Pierre Garcon, Odell Beckham Jr., and Victor Cruz all added luster to the divisions marketability. Every team has at least one . 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. 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