Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. However, he also ended this play with a mistake I saw him make a few other times too by slipping and falling without contact. Although big, long, and strong on tape, his 40 time was a surprise to many who saw him as lacking deep speed. Lamb leads the way here and is also the youngest of the three, while . But forcing him to start so far off essentially gives Slayton a running start as he passes Darby. Who tops the list? PFF also ranked McLaurin 13th in its recent list of top 25 receivers heading into the 2020 season. Los Angeles' running backs are in . First, notice that McLaurin recognizes Indiana 14 is matched up on him. Eagles: DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Travis Fulgham, Quez Watkins, John Hightower. [2:21] Cooper (bottom of screen) runs forward to act as a blocker, but whiffs on his initial attempted block and cant really get push on anyone. Then Richardson makes a great leaping catch, highpointing the ball and securing it at maximum extension away from the DB. [7:50] Cooper again lines up top of screen opposite Mike Hughes. He takes off and blows past his DB to get about 6 yards of separation vertically. Is the Jaguars' decision to make a big investment in Christian Kirk paying off so far? That number drops to only 21.9 for wide receivers in the 30-34 bracket. 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. Last year, the Giants fan site, Big Blue View, published a very good series on the topic, What do scouts look for?. This is a perfect example of why hands-catching is necessary against NFL-caliber talent, where the few inches of separation created by catching the ball arms length away is the difference between a big catch and an incompletion. As a result, Slay does not get fooled when Cooper stops and turns around to catch the ball on a comeback. 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. The Hill-Waddle duo has been a handful for defenses all season long, and as a result, Miami has a chance to earn its first playoff berth since 2016. 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. Having a terrific big muscular body for the position and running a great 40-yard dash time are wonderful attributes, but it doesnt always translate to success in the league. NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah joined Chris Brown and Steve Tasker on One Bills Live from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Cornerbacks and safeties are smart in the NFL and can read route tells extremely well. 10 pick in Smith, who will become their No. Brown has been dominant on tight-window throws this season, with a career-high 273 yards on such targets (second in the NFL behind George Pickens). [3:49] This time, Love wins the matchup, getting a hand in to break up the pass. . NFL Week 15 underdogs: Can Dolphins halt slide against Bills? 1. As it pertains to this season specifically, Diggs has not slowed down, leading the league with 10 receiving TDs when aligned wide. Tight ends. However, he fared better against those CBs than Amari Cooper. His time with the Raiders was productive, but wildly inconsistent. The Next Gen Stats analytics team provides a ranking of the top 10 shutdown cornerbacks right now. 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. 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. I expect him to have just as much utility in the screen game as he does stretching the field. The Allen-Diggs connection leads all QB-receiver duos with +61.0 expected points added this season, helping the Bills surge to the top spot in the AFC entering Week 15 and giving both players plenty to be thankful for. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. He loses close to the line of scrimmage to CBs like Josh Norman who are even more physical than he is. 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. In addition to that, he is experienced running routes from any WR position, though he favors the slot. Washington Football Team Terry McLaurin has solidified himself as one of the best young receivers in the NFL. 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. 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. 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 built on that success his sophomore year in 2018, with 72 receptions for 1,061 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay's time with the Giants is reportedly coming to an end.Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Giants will cut Golladay when the new league year begins on March 15. Except for those teams with the transcendent signal-callers like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady. Fulgham is a huge question mark but we know hes talented. [1:24] Great job by McLaurin turning a simple out route into a first down with yards to spare. I think smart, physical CBs will give JJ trouble in the NFL as well, at least early in his development. So far we have looked at: 1. Tate gets wide open and signals Wentz for the TD. Overall, I think Reagor is a skilled, explosive playmaker who can stretch the field vertically while also taking short passes or handoffs for big gains, using his sudden cuts and quick acceleration to juke defenders and get yards after the catch. This time, instead of Mike Hughes, Cooper (top of screen) is facing off against Darius Slay. Because you know what happens when a rookie receiver enters the league? [4:48] This time McLaurin (bottom of screen) is matched up with Ronald Darby 1-on-1. I also think hes not especially physical and will have trouble against press coverage. He really emerged after that though, acting primarily as a deep threat early in the season, but leveraging his early success to get more snaps, run a few more routes, and demand more attention from opposing defenses. The crew gets a bit motley after that, with some late-round draft picks and NFL veterans. McLaurin seems to try to fake outside, but Slay doesnt bite, instead following McLaurin as he releases inside. 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. He was also a competent kick returner, with 9 returns for 189 yards (21.0 Y/R). Despite missing four games with a hip injury, Chase still manages to be all over the receiving leaderboards this season. Then he shows good awareness of the defense in sprinting away from defenders to get the long TD. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Speaking of top-end receivers who switched teams in the offseason, Adams presents another great case study in positional value. 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 . He has been targeted on 39 percent of routes when defenses send the heat, trailing only the next receiver on this list, CeeDee Lamb. After the Giants signed Kenny Golladay, the NFC East is shaping up to be one of the most competitive divisions in 2021. Every team has at least one . With Dak Prescott healthy, this offense could be fun to watch. After the top three, Wilson flashed some big-play ability last year and Fehoko is a big-bodied rookie. Washington Commanders. 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. McLaurin also breaks his route at around the first down line, ensuring that he has a good chance of getting the first down if he makes the catch. 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. Once Reagor has passed the CB he shows great acceleration getting down the field quickly and showing good use of inside leverage, keeping himself between the CB and the QB so the QB has a clear path to throw to him inside. This was the TD that tied Walter Paytons career rushing TD record, and Adrian Peterson gave Terry the ball after the play because he knew the TD wouldnt have been possible without his blocking. Jeffery plays with more speed than JJ, but JJ plays with more strength and has less of an injury history. CeeDee Lamb is running away with this award. 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. 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. [10:15] Richardson absolutely blows past his CB running deep. Andrew is a self-taught film analyst with a pretty impressive resume. 1. Its difficult to overthrow Alshon Jeffery, he can often jump over a DB to make the catch. He will put that analytical brain to work this off-season helping to analyze some of the top players in the NFC East. He is also an ace gunner on special teams and the Skins reportedly had him ranked as the number 1 ranked special teams player in the draft. 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. Running a sub-4.4 40 time himself, Slay isnt afraid of getting beat deep, and keeps his eyes moving between Cooper and Dak the entire time he runs with Cooper. He never quits on plays. JJ is also a good route runner and solid (though not aggressive) blocker. Richardson is prone to being jammed at the line of scrimmage, and I often saw him positioned behind the line to avoid getting jammed. This division has new faces all around, and some of the best talent in all of football. One major reason for that success has been Lambs consistency, as the third-year wideout has posted 70-plus receiving yards in five of those seven games. The Redskins highest profile receiver from 2018, Jamison Crowder, is now a New York Jet. Sometimes we look around the NFL and see how a quarterback is only as good as his wideouts. He primarily (though not exclusively) seemed to be used as a deep threat option in Seattle. Washington: Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Kelvin Harmon, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims. This year, were going to do it again. 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. Gilmore held Cooper to no catches on 2 attempts (one of which went for an interception). Will Jaguars prevail over Cowboys. I still think New York should target the position, even if the team has to reach a . 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. He has enough deep speed that he can completely blow past most CBs given a few seconds to run in a straight line, though he doesnt have the lateral agility to juke a DB out of his shoes, nor does he utilize fakes to misdirect opponents and get free early. 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. Of course, no position group consists of just one or two players. Lastly, no discussion of Terry McLaurin is complete without discussing his blocking and special teams value. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles. 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