College Slot Receivers

Nfl

College Slot Receiver

The NFL draft is perhaps the world’s longest, and most bizarre, job application process.

Over the course of a few months NFL hopefuls will have their lives picked apart by a small group of individuals who hold in their hands the keys to the proverbial castle. Every aspect of their lives are examined. Their best moments. Their worst. With more “applicants” than jobs available, teams are sometimes forced to make difficult decisions, and that leaves incredibly talented applicants on the outside looking in when the final decisions are made.

The slot receiver does not have to have a unique set of skills, but there have been two schools of thought on how to best assemble a group of wide receivers that can challenge a defense. 2020 Wide Receivers Database updated: 02:00 PM EST Year 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985.

Think about the last time you applied for a job. What you put on your resume to separate yourselves from the rest of the applicants. The things you said during the interview to make you a more attractive candidate. With such a high level of competition, every little thing you can do to make yourself stand out can mean the different between starting a new gig, or looking for another shot.

Now think about this year’s wide receiver draft class. Many consider it to be a “historic” group of talent. Daniel Jeremiah, the top draft analyst for the NFL Network, declared before the scouting combine that he had 27 players with a Day 1 or Day 2 grade on his overall board at the wide receiver position.

I’ve got 27 wide receivers with top 3-round grades in this draft. And consider average 31 are taken. We had a max of 35 taken in, I believe that was in 2017. So this is a really phenomenal group of wideouts. Not all those guys are going to go early. They’ll end up spreading throughout the draft. But it’s really a good group.

With such a deep candidate pool, how does one stand out? Conversely, what might cause a candidate to slide?

College Slot Receivers

That brings us to Justin Jefferson.

The LSU wideout put up impressive numbers for the Tigers last season during their run to a National Championship. He also was one of the best performers at the Scouting Combine, as his 4.43 40-yard dash was a bit unexpected, but showed that he has the long speed to function at a high level in the NFL. Yet there are many who express reservations about him.

The main reservation for many? A matter of potential usage in the NFL, and the notion this his skill set is a bit more limited than some of the other options in the draft. His huge numbers last season might be due to the fact that he operated nearly exclusively out of the slot. Jefferson, according to charting data from Pro Football Focus, played 870 snaps last year from a slot alignment.

Just five of those were on the outside.

While 11 offensive personnel (three wide receivers, one tight end and one running back) has become a base personnel package for the majority of NFL teams, making slot receiver a starting position, how that spot is used functionally makes it a bit of an easier position to play. The slot receiver gets the benefit of pre-snap movement, making it easier to avoid press coverage off the line of scrimmage. Additionally, the slot receiver has a “two-way go” off the release, giving the cornerback more to think about. Slot receivers, thanks to their alignment on the field, can run routes breaking both inside and outside.

Slot Receivers In The Nfl

College Slot ReceiversSlot

Boundary receivers, however, are limited with what they can do working towards the outside. On routes where they break towards the sideline, they either have to cheat their alignment towards the middle of the field pre-snap (perhaps indicating to the CB what they are doing) or create space with their route, perhaps by stemming inside first and then breaking outside.

Therefore, receivers with a proven track record of playing outside, and beating press coverage, might be more valuable commodities. If it is harder to find that type of player, teams will be willing to pay a premium for them in terms of draft capital, and wait to draft players whose job might be easier in the league.

Best Slot Receivers

slot re*ceiv*er

What Is The Definition Of A Slot Receiver In Football?

1. This is an offensive position in football where the player generally lines up slightly back from the line of scrimmage and slightly inside the wide receivers on either side of the field.

The slot receiver is responsible for blocking and receiving shorter passes. The position is sometimes referred to as a slotback and is often used in flexbone formations.

Examples Of How Slot Receiver Is Used In Commentary

1. The defense will want to take notice of Welker, who’s been effective in the red zone when he’s lined up as the slot receiver.

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College Slot Receivers Football Games

Sports The Term Is Used

1. Football

Best College Slot Receivers

Also Known As:

College Slot Receivers Receiver

1. Slotback