The NFL's 8 best receivers against press coverage

27/08/2024 13:00

Your favorite team's press coverage doesn't stand a chance against these 8 NFL wide receivers.

NFL offenses are doing more and more to dump defenses on their collective heads these days. Spread concepts from condensed formations, 2x2 and 3x1 sets that can splay into any kinds of route combinations, and quick game/RPO passing ideas that prevent the pass rush from getting there before the ball is out.

To counter those things, defenses are sending all kinds of pass-rush plans against which it's difficult to impossible to call protections, and safety switches that give quarterbacks completely different coverage looks before and after the snap. As to the NFL's recent quick-game revolution, a lot of defensive coordinators are going back to the future by putting as many of their cornerbacks in press coverage as possible. Whether it's the kind of aggressive press coverage we used to see in the 1960s and 1970s, or press-match coverage which allows cornerbacks to work the routes from the line of scrimmage (ostensibly allowing fewer deep plays as a result), modern NFL defenses are as much about receiver disruption as they are about quarterback disruption.

That's true of the modern NFL defenses that work, to be clear.

So, in the "If this, then that" chess match that has always been a primary construct in football, receivers who can beat press coverage on the regular are more valuable than they might have been a decade ago, when more defenses were trying to replicate the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom Cover-3 stuff without the LOB's on-field talent.

With these modern defensive structures in mind, here are the NFL's best receivers against press coverage.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Next Gen Stats unless otherwise indicated).

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

Hill may be the NFL's most impossible receiver to cover in a general sense, but he's REALLY tough when you try to press him. With his ability to leverage cornerbacks off the line of scrimmage with short-area movement, and his unparalleled field speed to get vertical when he's free from press coverage, there isn't much a defender can do.

Still, defenders tried. For whatever the heck reason, Hill ranked second in the NFL In targets against press coverage with 55. He caught 38 of those catches for 665 yards and six touchdowns. That's a 69.1% catch rate, with 17.5 yards per completion. Hill's Receiving EPA against press coverage – +43.6 – was by far the highest among qualifying receivers; Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers ranked second at +33.1.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel would probably love it if opposing defensive coordinators dialed up more of this stuff. Personally, I'd rather bracket Hill intermediate-to-deep and hope he doesn't house my defense on a simple screen.

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No receiver had more touchdowns against press coverage last season than Mike Evans' seven. Overall, Evans was targeted 37 times in press, catching 19 of those targets for 303 yards. That's a catch rate of 48.1%, 16.7 yards per catch, and an EPA of +15.3 – 12th-highest on this list. But when you watch Evans' targets against press, two things become clear. The passes to him weren't always accurate (sorry, Mr. Mayfield), and opposing cornerbacks were mugging him something fierce at times to offset Evans' 6'5, 231-pound frame, and his ability to just Godzilla his way to the ball.

When Evans had an even shot, even the best press cornerbacks had serious trouble with him.

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

In Lamb's ongoing contract issues with the Cowboys, there have been all kinds of discussions as to whether Lamb is a true No. 1 receiver. That definition is different to different people – and some would argue that you don't really need a No. 1 receiver to have a successful passing game – but in Lamb's case, I think he gets unfairly debited by the question because he makes the things he does well look all too easy.

This extended to Lamb's efforts against press coverage. He was targeted 40 times in press, catching 28 passes for 400 yards, two touchdowns, a 70.0% catch rate, 14.3 yards per catch, and an EPA of +25.7 that was fourth-highest in the league.

In Week 8 of the 2023 season, the Los Angeles Rams decided to press Lamb repeatedly, and it was a disaster for their defense. Lamb caught all five passes against press in which he was targeted for 110 yards and a touchdown. Yikes.

Now that CeeDee Lamb has a new contract extension that makes him the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, there will continue to be discussions regarding whether Lamb is a true No. 1 receiver on the field.

That definition is different to different people – and some would argue that you don't really need a No.1 receiver to have a successful passing game – but in Lamb's case, I think he gets unfairly debited by the question because he makes the things he does well look all too easy.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

Aiyuk had just 33 targets versus press coverage in 19 games last season, but he did as much as he could with those opportunities, catching 22 for 392 yards, four touchdowns, a catch rate of 66.7%, 17.8 yards per catch, and an EPA of +33.1 that was bested by only Tyreek Hill.

Wherever he plays in 2024 and beyond, Aiyuk has become one of the NFL's best and smartest route-runners, and he has a specific array of skills against press coverage from the line of scrimmage to the catch point. If you're in his face, it's hard to contend with his short-area quickness and burst, and his understanding of how best to leave cornerbacks in the dirt with the right kind of route cuts.

Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

Was Chase better against press coverage last season when he had Joe Burrow throwing him the ball? Well, sure… but Chase did more than enough after Burrow's Week 11 season-ending wrist injury to prove that he's capable of beating press no matter who his quarterback is. Overall in 2023, Chase caught 24 passes on 41 targets against press coverage for 430 yards, four touchdowns, a catch rate of 58.5, and an EPA of 25.4.

Chase's physical abilities are obvious and oft-discussed – you don't get a lot of guys with his combination of size (6', 201 pounds), downfield speed, and physical ability… especially when it comes to making the contested catch. In Week 12 against Joey Porter Jr. of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and with Jake Browning as his quarterback. Chase put young Mr. Porter – a more than credible press cornerback – through the blender.

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

If Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy and play at an "Aaron Rodgers we're used to" pace, Wilson could easily become one of the most devastating receivers against press coverage. He already was that in 2023 with Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian, and Tim Boyle as his quarterbacks, and Wilson should probably win some kind of award for that.

When pressed last season, Wilson caught 26 of 52 targets for 445 yards, three touchdowns, a catch rate of 50.0%, 17.1 yards per catch, and an EPA of 16.6. But as is the case with Mike Evans, you have to go back to the tape to see what Wilson was dealing with. Given even half a chance, Wilson demolished aggressive press at the line of scrimmage, and match press through his routes.

George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers

With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as his quarterbacks this season, and Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky as his quarterbacks in 2023, Pickens is another receiver who should receive a quarterback waiver when it comes to his abilities against press coverage. Still, he managed 26 catches on 49 press targets for 586 yards and four touchdowns. Pickens' yards per catch average of 22.5 led all receivers with at least 10 targets against press coverage, and his catch rate of 53.1 – not to mention his EPA of +18.0 – speak more to the guys throwing him the ball than any deficiencies on his part.

Last season, Pickens was especially deadly on fade and corner routes against press, but as this rep against Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (one of the best press cornerbacks in the business) shows, Pickens has it all on lock. Sadly, it appears that the quarterback issues of 2023 are back in different disguises.

Nico Collins, Houston Texans

Collins was a breakout star in 2023 with C.J. Stroud as his quarterback, and that got the 2021 third-round pick from Michigan a new three-year, $72.25 million contract extension this offseason with $32,116 million guaranteed. Collins' efforts against press coverage were pretty spectacular, as well. He had 34 targets against press, catching 22 for 466 yards, four touchdowns, a catch rate of 64.7%, and an EPA of +31.9 (third-best in the league behind Tyreek Hill and Brandon Aiyuk).

Collins had the benefit of Stroud throwing him perfect missile after perfect missile, but that's not to discount his own abilities. At 6'4 and 215 pounds, he's a load to deal with at the line of scrimmage, and his sense of how to break away from press at the start of his route is magnified by his field speed, and his knack for making the contested catch. Even when quality press cornerbacks tried to rein him in, the results were generally in Collins' favor.