The Philadelphia Eagles have been active in the trade market under general manager Howie Roseman. A: NAME: TEAM: COLLEGE: . One minor difference in his game from last year is that I think Cooper has visibly improved in run blocking. Featured Promo: Get any full-season NFL Premium Pass for 50% off and win big in 2023. Washington: Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Kelvin Harmon, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims. Here, the CB decides to take the flag on pass interference rather than risk Jeffery getting loose behind the secondary. 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). 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. Watching tape of Tate really reinforced what a YAC monster he is. Although not invited to the NFL combine, JJ had a good pro day, measuring 62 and 223 lbs, and running a 4.49s 40 yard dash. Dealt from Chicago to Baltimore, Roquan Smith was one of the biggest names to change teams before the NFL trade deadline. The only times I saw Cooper struggle were in press man coverage against fast and experienced DBs. Love was smart enough to avoid being fooled by the route, allowing little separation and having enough physicality to prevent getting boxed out. 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. It should be extremely worrying when Daniel Jones is the only guaranteed player who will start for their franchise next season. Reagor is also a skilled kick returner, with 12 kick returns for 312 yards (a 26.0 average) in 2018 and 5 kick returns for 72 yards (a 14.4 average) in 2019. 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. [12:06] This is the second of two plays that are representative of how Cooper gets open on many occasions. Up next in the divisional depth chart review is the NFC East wide receivers. 0 Comment. Andre Dillard is a clear successor to Jason Peters. 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. He got off to a strong start to the season thanks to his dominance in the short game, as his 457 receiving yards on passes of fewer than 10 air yards from Weeks 1 to 9 were 68 more than any other player recorded in that span. This play shows excellent route running ability, strength, and effort, though it would be nice if he trusted his hands enough to make the catch without using his body to corral the ball. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound Ole Miss product was one of the best wide receivers in the league against man coverage. [7:17] Cooper, in the slot, runs a slant route, blowing by Fabian Moreau to get open and secure the catch; he then does a good job redirecting outside to break Moreaus poor tackle and run free. July 25, 2021 1:56 pm MT. 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. 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. Commanders; Cowboys; Eagles; Giants; . Justin Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in the league. Commanders Reacts Survey: Do you want to see the Washington Commanders on Hard Knocks in 2023. 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. Tier 1: Elite 1. 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. Get the comprehensive list of every Wide Receiver for each NFL pro football team. 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. 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. 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). He will put that analytical brain to work this off-season helping to analyze some of the top players in the NFC East. I respectfully disagree with one aspect of this otherwise fine gallery Jeff Chadiha has put together of the NFL's top 10 wide receivers. 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. Neither WR got consistent separation against those CBs, but McLaurin was harder to jam and had stronger hands wrestling away 50/50 balls. PFF also ranked McLaurin 13th in its recent list of top 25 receivers heading into the 2020 season. Dak breaks to his right (Coopers side) almost immediately after the snap despite little pressure and is looking for Cooper the whole time. 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. After the Giants signed Kenny Golladay, the NFC East is shaping up to be one of the most competitive divisions in 2021. I still think New York should target the position, even if the team has to reach a . He does a great job turning on a dime to locate the ball in the air, then boxes out the deep safety Marcus Gilchrist to keep him out of the play (though Gilchrist isnt able to change direction in time anyway). In the end, if a wide receiver has everything else you want at the position but cant consistently bring the ball in and gain yardage, he isnt much good to his team. March 1, 2023 2:19 pm PT. The 2014 Arizona Cardinals 4th rounder bounced around the league over the past 6 years but seems to have finally settled on his 6th team. Try and press Jefferson to disrupt his route? Offenses are based on timing and need to get the ball out quick. I wanted to include this play for 2 reasons. 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. Gallup had 59 for 843 and 5 as third option. Hes still only an average run blocker, but thats a step up from what he was and traditionally means a lot to the Cowboys offense. It also highlights his ability to get open on crossing and out routes because CBs have to guard against the deeper routes so diligently. From the data above on average 96.1 wide receivers per year played in the NFL between the ages of 25-29. Oh, and adding CeeDee Lamb to the mix certainly does not hurt. NFC North. 1. A good balance between raw production and catch efficiency sees him lead the pack. 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. Wide receiver is next up in our position-by-position breakdown of the NFC East. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. "Aaron Rodgers . . 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 doesnt need a lot of subtlety here though, his athletic traits are what allow him to win. He primarily uses a combination of route running, short-area quickness, and savvy (with fakes/misdirection and ability to find the soft spot in zones) to get open and make plays. Giving him an easy pass like this and clearing his way also makes things easy on their freshman QB. [0:38] McLaurin does a good job blocking on this play, eventually blocking his guy to the ground. St. Brown has been a revelation for the Lions -- and his impact has played a big role in the teams opportunity to end its five-year playoff drought. 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 co-author this series with me. Of course, no position group consists of just one star player. There are plenty of talented wideouts that call the division home, so let's take a look at the top eight heading . Ross has been a disappointment in the NFL but anything the Giants get out of him will simply be a bonus. 1 spot over Tyreek Hill Position Power Rankings 2022 NFL season's top 10 wide receivers: Justin Jefferson reels in. McLaurin shows good body control, contorting his body around in the air to make the catch despite his momentum. NFC Players By Position - Wide Receiver. Although he suffered from poor QB play in 2019 (40.2% of passes thrown his way were uncatchable, 3rd worst in this years draft class), he also had a terrible 9.8% drop rate, one of the highest in this years draft class. That might not sound like a compliment, but it is intended as such, as I consider Julio the best WR in the NFL. 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. Last month, the former LSU star surpassed another legendary Vikings receiver -- none other than Hall of Famer Randy Moss -- for the most receiving yards in a player's first three seasons, and he has only added to that total over the last couple weeks. You cant teach speed. Though hes only 511, Reagors leaping ability allows him to go up pretty high to make a catch. And then to grab Brown in the third round might end up being a steal. Also, Coopers ability to keep both feet inbounds as he secures a catch right on the edge of the sideline showcases his body positioning and control. 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. Washington Football Team v Dallas Cowboys. Jeffery plays with more speed than JJ, but JJ plays with more strength and has less of an injury history. During his first two seasons, McLaurin has proven himself as a true No. And Lamb came out of the gate with a 74-catch rookie season. Metcalf also recorded five touchdowns on vertical routes against man coverage, tying for the most in the league. So, who are the top dogs at the position in the early goings of the 2022 season? [1:52] Slayton lines up bottom of screen on the outside. The Next Gen Stats analytics team reveals its ranking of the 10 best edge rushers entering Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season, with the Browns' Myles Garrett leading a list of star defenders. 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. 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. But against NFL-caliber talent, it might not be enough. At 61 and 211 lbs, he also has very good (though not elite) size for a WR. The Next Gen Stats analytics team uses its newly launched Expected Return Yards model to identify the top 10 returners of the 2022 regular season. As mentioned before, hes a bit small for a WR and can be pressed at the line. Hughes gives a generous initial cushion to prevent getting beat deep, which allows Cooper to get an easy reception for a first down and then some. Who are the most impactful tight ends in the NFL right now? In addition, his strengths are still his strengths. 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. This shows how much the Cowboys trust Cooper to be a red zone weapon. 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. He is also still an excellent route runner, running crisp routes with a tremendous sense of timing and anticipation of the balls arrival. He even manages to keep his feet in bounds when he lands despite a shove by Darby, showing excellent body control and awareness. It depends on whether you favor production or . 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. In addition to football, in high school he was all-state in basketball and placed highly in track. First, as much as Jim Schwartzs defense makes life difficult for the CBs, Doug Pedersons offense makes like easier for the WRs. 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. 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. As an aside, I think this play also highlights problems with how the Eagles scheme up their secondary. But after McLaurin, Washington didn't have many other weapons. Here are the top 25 wide receiver prospects in this year's draft class according to the consensus big board. Cooper suddenly breaks and reverses direction on a comeback route. 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. [4:48] This time McLaurin (bottom of screen) is matched up with Ronald Darby 1-on-1. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). 10 pick in Smith, who will become their No. With Dak Prescott healthy, this offense could be fun to watch. After the Chiefs traded Hill in the offseason, he presented an ideal case study for how important an elite receiver can be to an offense. 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). St. Brown has also provided a safety blanket for Goff when teams blitz (which they often do). Hogs Haven looks at all four teams in the division in an effort to identify the best and the weakest of the NFC East. Cooper isnt weak, but hes not especially physical, and pressing him at the line can disrupt his routes. 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. The Redskins highest profile receiver from 2018, Jamison Crowder, is now a New York Jet. 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. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. The Next Gen Stats analytics team provides a ranking of the top 10 shutdown cornerbacks right now. -- Mike Band, Keegan Abdoo and Cole Jacobson contributed to this piece. However, note that this play seems designed explicitly to get the ball to Cooper. 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