Top 10 NFL Slot Receivers according to NexGen Stats

[Beck Water]

29 minutes ago, NORWOODS FOOT said:

God bless the Little Dirty One 😄 but I'd trade him for anyone listed above him in a heartbeat

 

For Randall Cobb of 2022?  You sure about that?

 

For Kupp, Boyd, Godwin or Kirk, Of Course.  I'd trade for some guys below him on the list too - St Brown

 

Jeudy puzzles me.  He looked good his rookie season.  Is it his QB, his offense, him?  For potential coming into the league, sure.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Beck Water

[BananaB]

He hasn’t really filled the hole Beas left. Really surprised he’s on the list

[MJS]

3 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

A slot receiver should almost primarily by the #3 receiver on a team.  If only Davis and Diggs are stacked up top, I'm not going to say one of them is a slot receiver going forward

Wow. And here i thought the slot receiver was the receiver who lines up in the slot...

[mjt328]

My issue with Isaiah McKenzie is his consistency.

 

Yes, he's had three touchdowns and a handful of big catches.  He also would have the game-winning TD against Miami, if Josh Allen hadn't rifled it into the turf.  I would also like to see us bring back the occasional motion/hand-off, which he has often excelled on.

 

He's also got a handful of really bad mistakes over the first 6 games.  The INT off his fingers in Los Angeles.  Failing to fall down on the final drive in Miami.  Not paying attention on the pitch/fumble in Kansas City.  Followed by the endzone trip in Kansas City.  As opposed to his predecessor (Cole Beasley), he just doesn't seem clutch and reliable.  Which is what I want from the starting slot receiver.

 

[NORWOODS FOOT]

2 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

For Randall Cobb of 2022?  You sure about that?

 

For Kupp, Boyd, Godwin or Kirk, Of Course.  I'd trade for some guys below him on the list too - St Brown

 

Jeudy puzzles me.  He looked good his rookie season.  Is it his QB, his offense, him?  For potential coming into the league, sure.

No, actually I'm not sure! I haven't been super tuned into the rest of the league this year. I'm going off of memory on these guys. You got me! 😄

[Virgil]

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here.  There's always going to be exceptions to the rules and times when players line up at different spots on the field, but they are still considered to be an overall X, Y, Z position player.  You will always have one off's, like any tiny person the Patriots used at wide receiver, but that's doesn't change the overall concept for the hundreds of other positions.  Cupp is a player who thrives in the slot, but he's clearly their #1 receiver, similar to an Edelman.  So maybe I retract that he shouldn't be listed as a slot receiver, but I still think that's an unfair comparison.

 

There's receivers like Cupp and Jefferson, now Diggs to a certain degree, that you move around to create mismatches, but at their core, Diggs and Jefferson are outside receivers.  If you built an ProBowl team, you aren't putting Diggs and Jefferson in the slot.  

 

Ed McCaffrey was the perfect example of a slot receiver.  Usually not a burner, can take a hit over the middle, and finds space.  Beasley was a slot, even if he didn't finish second in total yardage.  

 

I feel like people want to use one-off situations to define the entire position.  

[BuffaloBillyG]

I'm old enough to remember when Next Gen type stats told us that Josh Allen was a bust, Lamar was going to be a multiple time MVP and Sam, Baker and Rosen were the future of the NFL.

[Beck Water]

Just now, BuffaloBillyG said:

I'm old enough to remember when Next Gen type stats told us that Josh Allen was a bust, Lamar was going to be a multiple time MVP and Sam, Baker and Rosen were the future of the NFL.

 

Next Gen stats couldn't have told you that Darnold, Mayfield, and Rosen were the future of the NFL, because none of them produced metrics saying this while in the NFL.

 

Jackson did, and continues to at times, so someone writing for NFL using Next Gen stats may well have prognosticated he would be a multi-MVP if he kept that up, but he hasn't been able to for various reasons.  That's not a flaw in the stats, they don't predict changes in future performance.

 

And, there was a time when Josh Allen was producing stats that were, frankly, not good enough to be a long-term NFL QB - and if he'd kept it up instead of improving, he woulda been a bust.    But that's likewise not a flaw in the stats for the same reasons.

 

 

[LABILLBACKER]

7 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

McKenzie was responsible for missing two tds against the Chiefs you can’t have that in the second half down the stretch. If you can find an upgrade you do it. And I’m looking at you KJ Hamler.  

Let's not forget Josh's first int of the season was all McKenzie. No one wanted him to succeed more than me but dude is just way too inconsistent. I don't get that "he's throwing the game" feeling from Shakir.  Trade for Hamler or start giving Shakir more targets. We don't even jet sweep Isaiah anymore?

[Chicken Boo]

3 hours ago, Beck Water said:

Jeudy puzzles me.  He looked good his rookie season.  Is it his QB, his offense, him?  For potential coming into the league, sure.

 

Jeudy needs to get out of Denver. For whatever reason it's just not working. The talent is there.

[Scott7975]

15 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Let's not forget Josh's first int of the season was all McKenzie. No one wanted him to succeed more than me but dude is just way too inconsistent. I don't get that "he's throwing the game" feeling from Shakir.  Trade for Hamler or start giving Shakir more targets. We don't even jet sweep Isaiah anymore?

 

They took that out of the playbook last year.  Never understood why.  We made a lot of plays off the jet sweep/fake jet sweep.  It was like a money play that they just stopped using because one or two teams stopped it.  One or two teams stopped that stupid little shovel pass for KC but they still use that.

[GunnerBill]

11 hours ago, Virgil said:

Cupp being listed as a slot is just cheating and skews the whole list.  I get that he lines up there a lot, but he's not a slot receiver

 

Err... he is.

[GunnerBill]

4 hours ago, Virgil said:

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here.  There's always going to be exceptions to the rules and times when players line up at different spots on the field, but they are still considered to be an overall X, Y, Z position player.  You will always have one off's, like any tiny person the Patriots used at wide receiver, but that's doesn't change the overall concept for the hundreds of other positions.  Cupp is a player who thrives in the slot, but he's clearly their #1 receiver, similar to an Edelman.  So maybe I retract that he shouldn't be listed as a slot receiver, but I still think that's an unfair comparison.

 

There's receivers like Cupp and Jefferson, now Diggs to a certain degree, that you move around to create mismatches, but at their core, Diggs and Jefferson are outside receivers.  If you built an ProBowl team, you aren't putting Diggs and Jefferson in the slot.  

 

Ed McCaffrey was the perfect example of a slot receiver.  Usually not a burner, can take a hit over the middle, and finds space.  Beasley was a slot, even if he didn't finish second in total yardage.  

 

I feel like people want to use one-off situations to define the entire position.  

 

Wes Welker and Julian Edelman both had stretches as New England's #1 receiver. They were also slot recievers. Jefferson was more of a slot receiver as a rookie but now plays only about a quarter of his snaps there. Diggs has played more slot than previously this year with Dorsey but it is still only a 3rd of his total snaps. Kupp is actually close to a 50:50 split this year (slot v wide) which is more wide than previous years and is influenced in part by Van Jefferson's injury and by them being behind more. The last three years he has been variously between 2/3s and 3/4s lined up as a slot. He is a slot receiver.

[Sierra Foothills]

5 hours ago, Virgil said:

There's receivers like Cupp and Jefferson, now Diggs to a certain degree, that you move around to create mismatches, but at their core, Diggs and Jefferson are outside receivers.  If you built an ProBowl team, you aren't putting Diggs and Jefferson in the slot.  

 

 

Ed McCaffrey was the perfect example of a slot receiver.  Usually not a burner, can take a hit over the middle, and finds space.  Beasley was a slot, even if he didn't finish second in total yardage.  

 

I feel like people want to use one-off situations to define the entire position.  

 

To the first bolded, you'd put Diggs at slot if he was uncoverable.

 

To the second bolded you think of Ed McCaffrey as a slot receiver? I remember that he was big and galloped like Gabriel Davis and got open deep down the sidelines a lot. Can't remember where he was always lining up.

 

On the subject of "classic" slot receivers, the player who would have been great is Steve Tasker. I wish Marv had given him more opportunities on offense. Tasker only got that chance towards the end of his career and he excelled at it, both catching and running the ball.

 

 

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Sierra Foothills

[GunnerBill]

10 hours ago, Beck Water said:

I don't think that would explain the busted jet sweep to R/screen pass to L/"option reverse pitch" to McKenzie though, didn't that take place beforehand?

 

It did. If that really was a screen left that Josh came off then I don't put that play on McKenzie. It's on Josh for ad libbing a pitch to a guy who was clearly not expecting it. I still can't decide if I think it was a busted screen left or if it was a designed double bluff of jet motion right, fake screen left, pitch out to the right. I think Cook, split wide left, clearly acts like he expects a screen to him but I dunno... there is just something funky about that play... Josh doesn't come off the screen he simply never considers it so if it was a called screen Allen had decided pre-snap he wasn't going there. 

[Richard Noggin]

8 hours ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

 

This doesn't make sense to me.  The slot is a physical place not a concept.  That's like saying a big power hitter in baseball isn't really a 1-hole hitter if that's where he hits.

 

I love this analogy. But I would argue that while Aaron Judge hit 1st for a portion of this past season, he is not and was not a "leadoff hitter." He was and is a killer 2-hole or 3rd guy. But he hits well enough for average and runs the bases well enough to also hit leadoff if so chosen by the manager. Plus more plate appearances over a long enough timeline made sense at the time. 

 

I think what it boils down to, for WRs, is there are guys who can win on the boundaries and get off press and beat CBs even with that additional defender (the sideline) always cutting off space/options...and there are guys who cannot. The guys who can are not automatically relegated to the slot, although they might actually be even more effective with more space and easier releases and traffic and all that (see: Cooper Kupp), we don't often pigeon-hole with the designation of "slot WR." Whereas Jamison Crowder and Cole Beasley are absolutely SLOT WRs. 

 

But with respect to objective stat tracking, obviously alignment in the formation is the only concrete way to define X, Y, and Z WRs.

[3rdnlng]

10 hours ago, Draconator said:

Even me?

 

He was the scout. He could always find the slot though. 

[Richard Noggin]

51 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Wes Welker and Julian Edelman both had stretches as New England's #1 receiver. They were also slot recievers. 

 

 

This is the conundrum right here. #1 receiver can connote traits, and it can also connote production. There is your prototypical #1 WR who is tall, strong, and wins even when schemed against; Eric Moulds comes to mind. Then there is your #1 WR according to the stats, which can include a more diverse array of traits and alignments. They are often the same player, but "#1 receiver" means different things to different people. 

[finn]

12 hours ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

He's had good moments and awful moments.  Brutal errors at LA and at KC

He also meandered about on the final play in Miami instead of sprinting to get out of bounds and stop the clock. The game ended right there. I'm not a fan. 

[GunnerBill]

15 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

This is the conundrum right here. #1 receiver can connote traits, and it can also connote production. There is your prototypical #1 WR who is tall, strong, and wins even when schemed against; Eric Moulds comes to mind. Then there is your #1 WR according to the stats, which can include a more diverse array of traits and alignments. They are often the same player, but "#1 receiver" means different things to different people. 

 

Sure, but if the argument is that Kupp can't be a slot receiver because he is the #1 receiver that can only be on the basis of his production. Because he isn't a prototypical X receiver in the mould of Eric Moulds or Randy Moss or peak AJ Green. 

 

You can almost count on one hand the number of times in a season Kupp is asked to line up split wide and run a fade or a deep corner route. He isn't great at that stuff so why ask him to do it? Far better to do what the Rams do which is scheme to his strengths. 

[Richard Noggin]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Sure, but if the argument is that Kupp can't be a slot receiver because he is the #1 receiver that can only be on the basis of his production. Because he isn't a prototypical X receiver in the mould of Eric Moulds or Randy Moss or peak AJ Green. 

 

You can almost count on one hand the number of times in a season Kupp is asked to line up split wide and run a fade or a deep corner route. He isn't great at that stuff so why ask him to do it? Far better to do what the Rams do which is scheme to his strengths. 

 

Totally agree that Kupp is, in fact, the rare TRUE slot WR and his team's undisputed #1 WR by design and production. 

 

Bit of an anomaly.

[Doc Brown]

9 hours ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I'm old enough to remember when Next Gen type stats told us that Josh Allen was a bust, Lamar was going to be a multiple time MVP and Sam, Baker and Rosen were the future of the NFL.

Congratulations.  You're older than four.

[TheWeatherMan]

17 hours ago, StHustle said:

Josh has a 126.8 passer rating when targeting Lil Dirty out of the slot. 2nd in the league with 3 TDs out of the slot so far this season. 
 

Yet some people want McKenzie benched and have given up on him 🤦🏾‍♂️

I question whether that’s more McKenzie or Josh.  There’s no doubt McKenzie is a weapon, I don’t think anyone will argue that.  The problem with him are his mental lapses.  If he was one of the top 3 mentioned slot receivers, he would have 4+ TD’s and the team would be undefeated.  

[Freddie's Dead]

ITYS. 

[LyndonvilleBill]

3 hours ago, TheWeatherMan said:

I question whether that’s more McKenzie or Josh.  There’s no doubt McKenzie is a weapon, I don’t think anyone will argue that.  The problem with him are his mental lapses.  If he was one of the top 3 mentioned slot receivers, he would have 4+ TD’s and the team would be undefeated.  

Lil' Dirty is not the reason why we are not undefeated. He was 7 for 9 in the Dolphins game and had Josh not thrown the ball into the ground McKenzie would have had a TD and won the game. Now, he had a horrible game in KC and he deserves the criticism for that performance but I think he's much better than what we just saw.

[TheBillsOrDie]

23 hours ago, Virgil said:

Cupp being listed as a slot is just cheating and skews the whole list.  I get that he lines up there a lot, but he's not a slot receiver

I agree. we only lines up in the slot 55%

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, TheBillsOrDie said:

I agree. we only lines up in the slot 55%

 

This year, sure. 65% last year. 74% the year before. And 55% is still a majority. He is a slot receiver. That isn't a knock on him. He is brilliant. But he is a slot.

[Punching Bag]

On 10/28/2022 at 2:13 PM, Haslett_Stomp said:

 

You're correct, no excuse for that one.

 

Josh commented elsewise but I guess you know better.

[machine gun kelly]

On 10/28/2022 at 11:37 AM, Mango said:

I am/was a big McKenzie fan coming into this season but he really frustrated me in the last outing. He has been moderately productive for us. 

The eyeball test as you mentioned speaks to a different tune.  He flashes at times and I was hoping the McKenzie from the Pats game last year is what I was hoping we would see consistently this year.  The one McKenzie drop in KC was discussed at length on the various WGR shows, and that that one was on Allen for not placing the ball in the right spot.

 

I do like what we are beginning to see from Shakir.  I agree with a couple of posters people like Cupp are not slot receivers, even though they line up at times in the slot.  Then again, I’d say the same on Godwin.  I watch the Bucs weekly when it’s doesn’t conflict with the Bills and Godwin is more like Davis.  Scott Miller is the Bucs slot guy.  
 

That’s why these lists are not always accurate.

[Beck Water]

43 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

Josh commented elsewise but I guess you know better.

 

I don't doubt you but do you happen to know where/when?

[Punching Bag]

43 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

I don't doubt you but do you happen to know where/when?

 

It was in an interview post game saying he had done it unplanned.