Chicago Bears
The Bears were the epitome of average in 2019, finishing the season a mediocre 8-8. They had a lot of issues but wide receivers weren’t one of them., As a matter of fact, their issues were more so on the quarterback. Mitch Trubisky is not very good, but his receivers are.
Chicago already has plenty of talented young pass-catchers in Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller, and adequate receivers in Taylor Gabriel and Javon Wims. Miller is only 25 years old and had a decent year, finishing strong. Miller was third on the team in target share with 15.65% and 10+ targets, nine receptions, and 100+ yards in two of the last five games. Gabriel is a cut candidate considering it costs the team very little to do so, but they also drafted Riley Ridley last year and he’s quite talented as well.
Even if the Bears wanted to draft another receiver it would be pointless, Trubisky only has eyes for his first read and not much else. He can move out of the pocket for his guys to get open but most of the time stares down his go-to receiver, Robinson, who posted 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2019. He was the Bears target share leader, accounting for 27.62% of the team’s targets. Trubisky’s inconsistency mixed with a talented young receiving corps makes for one of the worst landing spots in the entire league.
New England Patriots
The Patriots are known for taking average talent and making the most of it, but that just hasn’t been the case when it comes to wide receivers. Bill Belichick and the rest of the coaching staff can’t seem to get it right. They miss on the position in the draft year after year. New England even spent a first-round pick on N’Keal Harry in the 2019 NFL Draft but he’s also had difficulty assimilating.
Tom Brady’s age and attitude are some of the main reasons New England is a poor landing spot for receivers. He’s 43 years old and set in his ways. He expects his pass-catchers to be in the right place at the right time, virtually reading each other’s minds. That is a tough ask, even for veteran receivers (who have also failed to connect with Brady upon arrival). There is also the simple fact he may not play much longer and whatever young receivers are still here, will be left with a mediocre replacement at best.
Brady and the Patriots have been unable to develop and connect with young receivers. The star quarterback has shown an unwillingness to work with young players and give them the proper attention needed to succeed. He’s a great leader but he falls short in the development of the young talent department. The Patriots are a nightmare landing spot for any wide receiver prospect.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have plenty of room for improvement but their receiving corps is filled with young talent. Last year we saw the emergence of rookie Preston Williams who caught 32 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns before his season was cut short in Week 9 due to a knee injury. DeVante Parker also had what could only be described as a fifth-year breakout. He finished the year with 72 receptions for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. Miami rewarded him with a three-year, $30 million contract. The Dolphins also have capable receivers in Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant, so, as we can see they are all set at the position.
As previously mentioned, the Dolphins have plenty of room for improvement in other areas such as quarterback and the offensive and defensive lines. That is likely the direction they will go in the draft with the considerable amount of first-round picks they have. Any young receiver they do draft will have his work cut out for him to see any significant playing time.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are fairly strong at wide receiver after drafting D.K. Metcalf last year, who turned in a 900 yard, seven touchdown season as a rookie. Between Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, there are very few targets left for anyone else. They account for 43.16% of the team’s targets. The remaining targets are usually funneled to the tight ends, a la Will Dissly.
Another factor to consider is the lack of passing volume overall in Seattle due to their ability to lean on the running game. Seattle is a top-five rushing team and 10th in passing attempts. The Seahawks recently bolstered their receiving corps and limited passing attempts leave little room for more targets. Young receivers likely won’t get the chance they need to succeed in this offense.
Washington Redskins
The Washington football team was…bad last year. Really bad, 3-13 bad. The wide receivers were actually one of the few bright spots for the Skins in 2019. Rookie Terry McLaurin had an impressive first-season finish with 58 receptions for 919 yards and seven touchdowns. They also drafted Kelvin Harmon who didn’t have anywhere near the same production, but showed some ability towards the end of the year. He averaged five catches and 41.4 yards per game over the last seven games after averaging just one catch and eight yards per game over the first nine. The team inserted plenty of talent at the position from the 2019 NFL Draft so it will be surprising if they feel the need to do so again.
Dwayne Haskins‘s slow development also makes Washington one of the worst landing spots for wide receivers. He already has a connection with McLaurin from college and new, young targets likely won’t help him progress. Haskins probably wouldn’t help them progress either. This terrible landing spot truly lies in the hands of Haskins. Nothing against the kid, but his lack of development is going to impact any rookie receiver they bring in. Washington has what looks to be a superstar in the making in Terry McLaurin and the team recently hired Ron Rivera as their new head coach, meaning the upcoming draft may be heavily focused on their numerous defensive needs. Let’s hope the 2020 prospects land elsewhere.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are all set at wide receiver. They have a superstar in Keenan Allen and a downfield threat in Mike Williams. Both finished 2019 with over a thousand yards. The Chargers also have a field stretcher in Travis Benjamin who is signed through 2020. We haven’t even mentioned Austin Ekeler and Hunter Henry who made up 32.16 % of the Charger’s target share in 2019. They may have one of the strongest receiving corps in the league and any receiver they draft will be hidden amongst all the talent.
The Chargers moving on from Philip Rivers is a major consideration in regards to wide receiver landing spots. He’s a huge component in the passing success the team has had over the years. Young receivers had the benefit of working with a veteran quarterback when they were drafted here. Now, who knows what their quarterback room will look like in 2020.
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee was surprisingly awesome this year and they were really fun to watch for any true football fan. They had a smash-mouth style approach to each game and allowed Derrick Henry to carry them to victories all year. Their success is one of the main reasons this is such a poor landing spot. Much like Seattle, the Titans have a dominant rushing attack and that seriously limits their passing attempts. Tennessee was last in passing attempts per game in 2019.
Not only is the passing game limited in Tennessee but they already have a dynamic wide receiver in A.J. Brown. Brown finished his rookie year with 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns. He was unbelievable and looked like the real deal. The issue is the Titans can barely support one receiver as it is. The focus is on the running game and we expect them to draft and utilize another wide receiver? Corey Davis was their second-leading receiver with just 601 yards and two touchdowns. The last thing I see the Titans doing is drafting a receiver and I sure hope they don’t.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota is a fairly balanced team and can do it all but the Vikings and head coach, Mike Zimmer, tend to focus on the running attack. The Vikings were top five in rushing attempts per game and bottom of the league in passing attempts per game. They have two great receivers in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs and they already deal with Diggs’s dissatisfaction with the number of targets coming his way. Adding another receiver to the mix would be ill-advised.
There are rumors that Diggs could be on the outs so it’s potentially a decent landing spot in the future, but as things currently stand this is not where we want to see young talent end up.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams have a stacked receiver room as it is with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Brandin Cooks leading the way. They even have a suitable replacement with Josh Reynolds waiting in the wings. The tight ends are the final piece of the puzzle. The Rams run out of 12 personnel (2 TE sets) 37% of the time. Tyler Higbee and Geral Everett accounted for 23.15% of the team’s target share in 2019. There is literally no room left for another receiver.
The Rams should also be concerned with quarterback Jared Goff, who took a significant step back this year. He passed for 10 fewer touchdowns and four more interceptions in 2019. They need to focus on getting Goff and the current receivers on the same page for 2020 and leave the hopeful incoming rookie receivers out of it. Solid team, bad wide receiver landing spot.
Thank you for reading. If you have any thoughts or would like to discuss, you can find me on Twitter @WillieBeamanDFF
