Slot Receiver Nfl 2019
If there was a bright spot on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense last year it was second year receiver Dede Westbrook. While his 717 yards didn’t quite hit the 1,000-yard mark, he led the team in receiving and hauled in the most receiving touchdowns of the Jags’ group with five.
Throughout the 2018 season he also flashed his versatility to play from various receiver positions and proved to be a solid threat from the slot due to his run after the catch ability. His efforts certainly didn’t go unnoticed by some analysts in the nation like our comrade Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, who listed Westbrook as the NFL’s 11th best slot receiver in his recent rankings.
Slot receivers who can break tackles, create space for themselves or that have the versatility to work deeper routes into the repertoire are special weapons. In 2019, Jarvis Landry was one of those. McCaffrey entered the NFL in 2017 and has never failed to put up over 1,000 yards from scrimmage (as of 2020) in fact, in 2019 he totaled a thousand yards running and a thousand yards receiving, with a lot of those receiving yards coming from the slot back position McCaffrey is a peculiar example, because most slot backs are not expected to get. How did Jamison Crowder compare to NFL's best slot receivers in 2019? Jamison Crowder proved to be the most important offensive player for the Jets in 2019. He quickly became a favorite target of.
When watching Jacksonville’s 2018 passing offense, two things are abundantly clear — Jaguars receivers had one heck of a time with consistent production with Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler throwing the ball all over the place, and the acquisition of Nick Foles was a necessity to give those receivers any chance of improvement. Among those receivers, Westbrook may have the most potential, as he brought in 59 slot receptions on 83 targets for 646 yards and five touchdowns. Not bad for a second-year receiver who’s never had a lot of help from his quarterbacks at the NFL level.
Westbrook uses nimble feet and an impressive catch radius to make contested catches, and he has a good knack for getting open in zones. His drop rate was a problem at times, but with a credible quarterback at the helm, Westbrook could be a rising star in a big hurry.
Farrar basically echoed what we’ve been saying all year, and that’s the fact that upgrading the quarterback position could help Westbrook. Nick Foles, who isn’t necessarily elite, certainly should be just that, and it’s showing in the early stages of the summer as he and the receivers had a strong showing in minicamp and offseason training activities. Now, all that is left is to have the same success when the pads go on.
With Chris Conley having the abilities to play at the X-receiver spot and DJ Chark having the ability to play the Y-receiver spot like Westbrook, it’s possible offensive coordinator John DeFilippo will utilize Westbrook in the slot often this season, but ultimately time will tell. Regardless as to where he plays though, it wouldn’t be shocking if he got closer to the 1,000-yard mark — or possibly eclipse it this season.
A healthy Dante Pettis put on a show during his rookie season. Injuries limited him to only 12 games, but his time on the field was impressive enough to land him at No. 8 on Doug Farrar’s list of the 11 best NFL slot receivers.
Pettis’ ability to work out of the slot and outside is part of why he’s so valuable in an offense that requires a diverse skill set from receivers. He caught 27 balls for 467 yards and five touchdowns overall last season, but his work from the slot stood out to Farrar:
Slot Receiver Nfl 2019 Schedule
Especially in the slot, Pettis had some impressive moments, and he projects well as a primary receiver in multiple roles. In 2018, he caught 12 passes on 16 targets from the slot for 234 yards and two touchdowns. So, you have to project optimal production when it comes to Pettis, but it’s easy to do.
While he won’t line up a ton in the slot in 2019 with a few other receivers on the roster capable of filling that role, his high-level production in that area of the field point to all the things that make him a good receiver. His ability to quickly separate at the line of scrimmage make him deadly in the confined spaces a slot receiver works in, and he has enough speed to run away from defenders and turn short throws into big plays.
Nfl Standings 2019-2020 Season
It stands to reason that Pettis notches a 1,000 yards in Year 2 as long as he stays on the field. A pair of knee injuries last year are the biggest red flag for the 23-year-old. On the other hand, he admittedly took awhile to get in the flow of the offense, and his productivity between Weeks 8 and 12 are a sign that he’s only going to get better. He hauled in 20 balls for 359 yards and four touchdowns in that four week stretch.
Best Slot Receivers Nfl 2019
With the arrow pointing up on the former second-round pick, it’s not an inconceivable notion that Pettis winds up among the NFL’s best receivers overall after 2019, and not just out of the slot.