If you’re a football fan you have your own favorite “type” of scheme or player. Maybe you enjoy a team who likes to run the ball and punish defenses, or maybe you like a team with a high powered offense who could score on any given play.
An example of a position would be maybe you like a quarterback whose a “gun-slinger” like Jameis Winston more than a quarterback who tries to just take what the defense gives like Marcus Mariota.
When it comes to wide receiver, the Titans may have already shown us their hand at what they look for in the position.
2017 was Jon Robinson’s second year as the team’s general manager, and in the previous year, he had taken steps in improving the offensive line to protect Mariota.
This season, there is a glaring need for weapons for the young signal-caller. Robinson has stated to the media that he’s looking for someone to get open and catch the football in the past, and former head coach Mike Mularkey emphasized blocking ability as well.
Fast forward to present-day, and the Titans have a revamped group of wideouts. Mularkey is also gone, but the three core principles are still here; get open, catch the football, and block.
However, if you dig a little deeper, this core group of receivers have much more in common than these three essential rules.
Route-Running
The biggest factor for a wide receiver to get open lies in his route running. How many different routes can he run? How sharp are his breaks? Speed, size, and overall athleticism are also factors, but route-running can take a player from good to great.
Corey Davis: coming out of Western Michigan Davis was widely known as the best route-runner in the class. He also had the biggest route tree, which is something a lot of rookie wide receivers struggle with.
Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com had this to say about Davis in his draft profile.
“Davis has impressed evaluators with good route-running, reliable hands, and deceptive speed.” However, the praise doesn’t stop there.
Lois Reddick also chimed in on how well Davis ran his routes: “He can run the entire route tree and it starts at the line of scrimmage. The guy can just beat press (coverage).”
Adam Humphries: Humphries is known as one of the “elite” slot receivers in the NFL. In order to thrive as a slot receiver at the professional level, one must be a good route-runner to work the middle of the field. The fact that Humphries is known to be unathletic, small and went undrafted just goes to show you how important route-running is.
AJ Brown: Much like Davis has previously mentioned, Brown ran a wide variety of routes in college. He showcased an ability to go deep, as well as catch the underneath balls to move the chains. Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com said, “Brown is a dangerous wideout who is not a burner with rare speed, but he makes up for it with polish and physicality. With good route-running and strong, reliable hands, Brown is a chain mover who does the dirty work in the short to intermediate part of the field.”
Others: While Tajae Sharpe wasn’t even close to being one of the top receivers in his class, he was one of the best route runners. His route-running ability earned him a starting opposite Rishard Matthews his rookie year. Taywan Taylor was mostly known for his speed coming out of Western Kentucky, but that speed also helped Taylor with his route-running. PFF’s draft profile said this of Taylor.
“Uses his quickness well both during route-running in coming out of his breaks and also when the ball is in his hands after the catch.” PFF went on to say he “knows how to read defenses and coverages and adjusts his routes to take advantage of what the defense does and to find the coverage’s soft spots.”
Catching the football
Corey Davis: if there was one knock on Davis coming out of college, it would be the number of drops he amassed. However, Davis’ size and measurements suggest he should catch most 50/50 balls, and most coaches believe they can coach out the concentration errors in players.
Adam Humphries: Humphries caught over 70% of his targets over his last two years with Tampa Bay. His most notable play came when he was able to secure the catch while getting lit up by a defender, and getting his helmet knocked off in the process.
AJ Brown: Brown is known is known as a possession receiver or a power slot guy. He’ll make his money by catching passes even while he’s covered up by defenders. As mentioned before Brown can catch short balls and move the chains, or go deep and threaten a defense.
Others: The two biggest things Tajae Sharpe has going for him coming out of college were his route-running ability and being known for having sure hands. We actually got to see some of that in his rookie season. Taywan Taylor on the other hand is a different type of receiver. In order for Taylor to consistently catch the football he’ll have to rely on his speed and route-running. At his size, Taylor has a difficult time catching contested passes. Many draft analysts knocked Taylor for is lack of attacking the football coming out of college.
Physicality
Instead of listing these next traits individually, I’ll just list them under one category of physicality, which will take blocking ability into consideration.
Corey Davis: When Mike Mularkey added blocking to the regime for a wide receiver, it was evident Corey Davis was about to be a Tennessee Titan. When it came to blocking, Davis was head and shoulders above any other receiver in the class. Yards after catch is also a stat-line that falls into the physicality category, and that was something Davis absolutely excelled in. I remember watching film on him, and I can’t recall a single play in which it took only one defensive back to bring him down.
Adam Humphries: As a slot receiver, one must be willing to work the middle of the field, which is where the big linebackers are. Another thing that makes Humphries so great is his physicality with defensive backs that try to press him at the line of scrimmage, and his ability to still have a good get off.
AJ Brown: when it comes to physicality, Brown maybe the most physical of the group. He has the entire package — blocking, gaining yards after the catch, and having a clean get off. He uses his big body well, and it’s easy to spot when you turn his film on. He’s also spent a lot of time in the slot, and as mentioned with Humphries, that’s a place a receiver has to be willing to take hits from much bigger linebackers.
Others: Tajae Sharpe and Taywan Taylor aren’t known for being physical receivers. However, Sharpe has been known to be a slot guy, and Taylor can gain yards after the catch with his elusive route running. Taylor being a deep threat also means it’s vital for him to have a good get off when cornerbacks try to press him, which I hope to see him improve on this year.
Versatility
Corey Davis: While we see Davis take most of his snaps lined up on the outside, we have seen him in the slot on occasion. That’s mainly because before this year, the Titans didn’t have the fire power to move him around at the position. In his college days, Western Michigan moved Davis around all over the field, not only into the slot, but also the opposite side.
Adam Humphries: While Humphries is considered an “elite” level slot receiver, Robinson believes he can play on the outside as well. Barring any type of injury, Humphries will start for the Titans in two-wide sets when the season rolls around.
AJ Brown: Like Humphries, Brown has spent a lot of time in the slot. However, when his teammate DK Metcalf went down at Ole Miss, Brown spent a lot of playing time on the outside too, and his production wasn’t hurt from the shift.
Others: Tajae Sharpe is another excellent example of versatility. He spent a lot of time playing on the outside opposite Rishard Matthews his rookie season, but his best work comes from the slot position. Taywan Taylor happens to be the opposite of Sharpe in this situation; he can play in the slot, but his best work comes from outside the hashmarks.
