Top 10 NFL Slot Receivers according to NexGen Stats

[gobills404]

3 minutes ago, HoofHearted said:

 

Was Edelman a slot?

Apparently not 🤷‍♂️

[Beck Water]

3 minutes ago, nedboy7 said:

How many snaps has Diggs gotten at slot?  Seemed like quite a few last game. 

 

I think Cover1 did a piece on this, that it's been 37%, but that Dorsey bumped it up to 46% vs KC. 

Edit: here it is, try about 2:50 in 

 

It'll be interesting to see whether or not this continues;  the Bills were platooning Crowder and McKenzie in the slot to play to the strengths of each guy, and hyperbole aside it's not clear that Shakir is "up to" the whole find the gaps in zone/option route/give Josh clear body language gig yet (that's not a knock on Shakir, but the Bills may continue to put Diggs in that role and have Shakir on the outside when it's zone and his ability to release is not a big issue).

[LeGOATski]

He's made some good plays; he's made some bad plays...

 

I'm this offense, we shouldn't be surprised to have top 10 production from all three receivers. 

 

McKenzie with slot receptions and TDs.

 

Diggs in yards, targets and TDs

 

Davis in yards/reception and TDs (dude is #1 deep ball WR)

 

TDs, TDs, TDs!!!

[GoBills808]

McKenzie ranked above Amon-Ra St. Brown is really something.

[Beck Water]

16 minutes 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

 

Er...#3 by what criteria?

So in 2020, when Beasley was the #2 WR on the Bills in yards, in targets, and in receptions - you woulda said he's not the "slot"?

 

I thought slot had to do with where a guy lined up on the field, and what routes he ran

[Draconator]

20 minutes ago, DJB said:

Guess anyone can be a top 10 slot WR these days 

Even me?

 

[Virgil]

10 minutes ago, HoofHearted said:

 

Was Edelman a slot?

 

Hmmm, my brain was failing me.  I would say he was primarily a slot, but due to lack of depth or whatever reasons, he was the primary a lot.

[freddyjj]

Personally wonder if Dorsey could use Shakir vz Zone and Lil Dirty vs man looks without our personnel/formation  being a tell.  Lil Dirty on crossers vs man loooks is a killer - just ask the Patriots.  

[Ethan in Cleveland]

1 hour 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 🤦🏾‍♂️

Well to be fair he dropped a TD pass and had an INT bounce off his hands.  So he has had some issues this year. I am not sure people wanted him benched so much as they wanted to see what Crowder and Shakir can do as well.  

[Beck Water]

27 minutes ago, freddyjj said:

Personally wonder if Dorsey could use Shakir vz Zone and Lil Dirty vs man looks without our personnel/formation  being a tell.  Lil Dirty on crossers vs man loooks is a killer - just ask the Patriots.  

 

I intend no disrespect to Shakir, who has played well when called upon.  But I really haven't seen him dissecting the zone yet.  Despite what some here imply, most of our "eyeball perceptions" are faillable until/unless we sit down to methodically chew through the all-22, so I may have missed some good stuff.   I don't watch as much all-22 since NFL broke the interface; if anyone knows how I can get my eyes on all-22 where I can bring up individual plays and slo-mo LMK.

 

Diggs has been killing opponents from the slot with option routes because no matter how the opponent defends him, he makes them wrong, and Josh and he are able to be on the same page from his body language.  Crowder and Josh were maybe 80% on the same page?  Crowder doesn't have an INT scored to him this season, but I'm pretty sure I saw one pick where Josh expected Crowder to run one option and Crowder ran the other.

 

My guess would be we'll see Diggs running a few more slot routes and Shakir running more routes outside against zone, but I dunno. 

 

Dorsey has been doing this thing on occasion - I saw it with McKenzie but maybe more - where McKenzie lines up outside, Diggs lines up in the slot, then McKenzie runs a short slot-type route while Diggs gets a free release.  I guess it's dangerous because the guy guarding Diggs would have a free shot at the backfield if McKenzie isn't fast enough?  There has to be a reason we don't see it more.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Beck Water

[Beck Water]

53 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

Hmmm, my brain was failing me.  I would say he was primarily a slot, but due to lack of depth or whatever reasons, he was the primary a lot.

 

Maybe this should be asked:

 

Exactly how do you define "slot receiver"?  What makes a receiver "a slot"?

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

2 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

 

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.

[Haslett_Stomp]

1 hour ago, Beck Water said:

 

No question there was concern, Chad Hall and a trainer met him coming off the field.  I thought that should have been called as a "defenseless receiver" hit as the defender's helmet went right through the ball into McKenzie's facemask while he was landing.  I guess if you target the ball, you can get away with hitting the head (or the nuts, or anyplace else)

 

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?

 

You're correct, no excuse for that one.

[Warcodered]

33 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

Maybe this should be asked:

 

Exactly how do you define "slot receiver"?  What makes a receiver "a slot"?

Does he catch passes from just one QB or does he go around town catching them from whomever is throwing them.

[bobobonators]

3 hours ago, MiltonWaddams said:

"aced that test so far"....sounds like a stat-based examination on the player. A real-life examination would see key drops in big moments and looking somewhat lost on the field at times. Truth be told, he has had some big catches too, but after 3 years of Cole, we Bills fans expect much more.

i think the majority of your post

can be attributed to one game - the first one back after a concussion too. 
 

im super excited for Shakir but im not willing to throw away McKenzie. 

[TheBrownBear]

I'm willing to give McKenzie a bit of a pass last game since he was just coming off a concussion, but I really don't see him as being anywhere near a top-10 slot receiver in today's NFL.  It's a position that I think can be upgraded, and I think it will, once Shakir is ready to take on more responsibility.

[Chandler#81]

2 hours ago, Haslett_Stomp said:

 

I think he had his "bell rung" early in the KC game, which affected his play the rest of the game.  His head hit the field fairly hard on the play where he went after a high pass and was drilled backward onto the turf.

How can you tell from any other day?😳

[Buffalo716]

1 hour 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

Not always 

 

Wes welker was the #1 or 2 from the slot … Julian Edelman was #1 or 2 from the slot 

 

Larry Fitzgerald became the #1 from the slot 

 

Andre reed helped create the modern slot position and he was a #1

[LyndonvilleBill]

Haters gonna hate...😜

 

[NORWOODS FOOT]

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

Edited October 28, 2022 by NORWOODS FOOT