Nfl Teams Slot Receivers

In the 2019 regular and postseason, per Pro Football Focus data, slot receivers regardless of position (receivers, running backs, and tight ends) accounted for 32% of all targets, 31.6% of all receptions, 32.3% of all receiving yardage, and 34.3% of all receiving touchdowns. In a league where the three-receiver set is by far the default formation (it happened on 69% of all snaps last season, per Sports Info Solutions), having a versatile and productive slot receiver is an absolute necessity in the modern passing game.

• Nfl Teams Slot Receivers Rankings
• Nfl Teams Slot Receivers Rankings
• Nfl Teams Vs Slot Receivers 2019
• Nfl Teams Slot Receivers 2019

Moreover, there is no one kind of slot receiver in the modern NFL. It used to be that you wanted the shorter, smaller guy inside, and your bigger, more physical receivers on the outside. Then, offensive coaches started to realize that by putting bigger receivers and tight ends in the slot, you could create mismatches with slower linebackers and smaller slot cornerbacks. Teams countered this by acquiring linebackers built like safeties, eager to do more than just chase after run fits, and also by moving their best cornerbacks into the slot in certain situations.

Now that offensive and defensive coaches have worked hard to create as many schematic and personnel ties in the slot as possible, the best slot receivers are the ones who consistently show the ideal characteristics for the position. These receivers know how to exploit defenders who don’t have a boundary to help them — they’ll create inside and outside position to move the defender where they want him to go. They understand the value and precision of the option route, and how you can hang a defender out to dry with a simple “if this/then that” equation based on coverage rules. They know how to work in concert with their outside receivers to create route combinations which create impossible math problems for defenses. And they know how to get open in quick spaces.

But don’t automatically assume that slot receivers are just taking the dink-and-dunk routes — they’re actually tasked to catch everything from quick slants to vertical stuff down the seam and up the numbers. Last season, per PFF data, the NFL average for yards per completion for outside receivers was 11.28. For slot receivers, it was 11.63. So, over time and based on the play design and the makeup of the receivers, teams could find just that many more yards by throwing to their slot targets.

The best slot receivers in the game bring unique and highly valuable traits to the game, and here are the best among them.

More Top 11 lists: Slot defenders Outside cornerbacks Safeties Linebackers Edge defenders Interior defensive linemen Offensive tackles Offensive guards Centers Outside Receivers

Honorable Mentions

Samuel is talented and has more than a little appeal for teams looking for a slot receiver or pass-catcher out of the backfield. He's also an impending free agent who Spotrac estimated will. Green Bay Packers: Only one other team deployed three-receiver sets more often than Green Bay's 75.8 percent usage rate last season, and that team also falls within this category.

Had we dropped the qualifying floor to under 50% slot snaps, two guys would have easily made it — Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, and Baltimore’s Marquise Goodwin. Evans led all slot receivers with at least 25 targets with a passer rating when targeted of 151.3, and Brown was an absolute force against defenses in the slot — especially when he was using his speed in empty formations.

San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel, who was probably the MVP of the first half of Super Bowl LIV before things started to go backward for his team, would have received a mention as well — Samuel had just 33 targets, but caught 28 of them and helped his quarterback to a 135.3 rating when he was targeted in the slot. Kansas City speed receiver Mecole Hardman had just 23 a lot targets, but he was also highly efficient with them, helping his quarterbacks to a 133.9 rating. Though Danny Amendola was the only Lions receiver to make the 50% threshold, both Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay were highly efficient when tasked to move inside. Other former slot stars like Tyreek Hill of the Chiefs and Minnesota’s Adam Thielen saw their roles change more to the outside in 2019 from previous seasons.

Of the receivers who actually qualified, Nelson Agholor of the Eagles was quietly efficient and had just two drops in the slot last season — which would go against several memes on the subject. Buffalo’s Cole Beasley just missed the cut, through he was one of several receivers on the Bills’ roster who didn’t always get the accuracy and efficiency they deserved from quarterback Josh Allen. And though Randall Cobb was productive for the Cowboys last season and should be so for the Texans in 2020, his nine drops as a slot man… well, we can only have one guy with nine slot drops on this list. More on that in a minute.

Now, on to the top 11.

Nfl Teams Slot Receivers Rankings

Willie Snead IV Julian Edelman Tyler Boyd Jared Cook Golden Tate Keenan Allen Larry Fitzgerald Allen Robinson Cooper Kupp Chris Godwin Tyler Lockett

Jamison Crowder proved to be the most important offensive player for the Jets in 2019. He quickly became a favorite target of Sam Darnold’s and finished the year with a team-high in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

Whether it was a combination of game script, scheme or a lack of protection, Darnold loved throwing the ball Crowder’s way. The wideout owned a 24.8 percent target share, 11th-highest in the league in 2019, and he made the most of it.

Crowder’s ability in the slot made him even more valuable, though, and his production ranked among the best in the NFL at the receiver position. Adam Gase used Crowder the best of the Jets’ skill position players. Crowder ran 70 percent of his 802 offensive snaps out of the slot in 2019 and caught 58 balls from the slot, which ranked fourth in the league behind only Larry Fitzgerald, Cooper Kupp and Julian Edelman, according to Pro Football Focus. His five touchdowns and 648 yards out of the slot also ranked fifth and ninth in the league, respectively.

Crowder wasn’t just a great slot receiver, he was also the Jets’ best red zone receiver as well. He led the team with 15 targets, which accounted for 30.6 percent of the Jets’ targets inside the 20-yard line, which ranked 20th in the league. All six of his touchdowns came in the red zone as well, including this beauty against the Ravens that had a 24 percent completion probability, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

Nfl Teams Slot Receivers Rankings

Crowder’s success is, sadly, a direct result of the Jets’ inept offense. New York ranked 28th in yards per completion with 10.7, which is coincidentally Crowder’s yards per completion total as well. The Jets also finished dead last with only 33 red zone attempts, meaning the Jets leaned on their slot receiver more inside the 20.

Nfl Teams Vs Slot Receivers 2019

The signing of Crowder during the 2018 offseason came with little fanfare, but the production far outweighed the rest of that free agency class. Another year with Darnold and Gase should help Crowder build on his solid 2019 campaign, especially after Joe Douglas fortified the offensive line – which should help Le’Veon Bell – and brought in two speedy outside receivers in Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims.

Nfl Teams Slot Receivers 2019

Regardless of the improvements on offense and the development of Darnold, the Jets will likely lean on Crowder once more in 2020 amid all of the uncertainty around the influx of talent. It will be hard to gauge how much better this team will be this season without a full offseason, but Crowder’s presence should ease concerns given his easy inclusion in Gase’s offense with Darnold at the helm. A healthy quarterback and stable offensive line should only make things easier for Crowder and the Jets, and their slot production could see a spike in efficiency even if the stats don’t increase.