Do you want a lighter receiver? Such players in theory should be faster and more capable of big plays – DeSean Jackson, Travis Benjamin, T.Y. Hilton. Or are you better going for a larger, more muscular pass catcher, figuring he’ll have more ability to get away from press coverage and win balls in contested situations. Think Brandon Marshall, Anquan Boldin or Dez Bryant.
I wonder about this as I’m putting together scouting reports on the guys. Do young, thin players such as Will Fuller and Robby Anderson need to hit the weight room, adding some muscle? Or are they smarter to retain their current body shape, maintaining the explosiveness to hit on big plays.
Specifically with Anderson, who made the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Temple, he’s got the weird build of 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. That one had me checking the sizes of all other wide receivers, to see if I could find anyone 6-foot-3 who didn’t weigh at least 210 pounds. And this sent me down the road of looking into body shapes in general.
I considered all wide receivers who caught at least 40 passes last year, then looked at the height and weight of each. I’m sure some of the measurements are off, with teams or players for some reason wanting to list them differently. But I’m going with what the teams have supplied.
I then divided the weight by the height to get a “skinniness factor” for each player. Will Fuller, DeSean Jackson and Travis Benjamin each weigh 2.50 pounds per inch. Those are the thinnest guys, with Robby Anderson, Emmanuel Sanders and Ted Ginn Jr. close behind.
The chunkiest receivers are Kelvin Benjamin, Demaryius Thomas and the two from the Jets – Quincy Enunwa and Brandon Marshall. They all weigh over 3 pounds per inch. So those guys have size and girth but not the same burst and explosiveness.
For the 2016 seasons, the heavier wide receivers tended to put up better numbers. Of the 15 skinniest receivers, that is, only three finished with top-20 receiving numbers in 2016. I’ve got those guys in bold. But seven of those 15 skinny receivers ranked in the bottom 20 in receiving production (that is, ranked between 51st and 70th in this group of players). They’re tagged with black dots.
This is receiving production only. If you’re counting returns and rushing, Tyreek Hill would be in bold.
If you look at the bottom of the table, things kind of flip around. Seven of those bottom 15 ranked in the top 20 in receiving production. And only one of those heavy guys (Cordarrelle Patterson) finished with bottom-20 receiving numbers.
| SKINNIEST WIDE RECEIVERS (40-plus catches in 2016) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Height | Weight | Lbs per inch |
| • Will Fuller, Hou. | 6.00 | 180 | 2.50 |
| DeSean Jackson, Wash. | 5.10 | 175 | 2.50 |
| • Travis Benjamin, S.D. | 5.10 | 175 | 2.50 |
| • Robby Anderson, NYJ | 6.03 | 190 | 2.53 |
| Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 5.11 | 180 | 2.54 |
| Ted Ginn Jr., Car. | 5.11 | 180 | 2.54 |
| Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 5.10 | 181 | 2.59 |
| • Tavon Austin, L.A. | 5.08 | 176 | 2.59 |
| • Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 5.10 | 182 | 2.60 |
| T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 5.09 | 180 | 2.61 |
| • Tajae Sharpe, Tenn. | 6.02 | 194 | 2.62 |
| • Robert Woods, Buff. | 6.00 | 190 | 2.64 |
| Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 5.10 | 185 | 2.64 |
| Cole Beasley, Dall. | 5.08 | 180 | 2.65 |
| Stefon Diggs, Minn. | 6.00 | 191 | 2.65 |
| • Tyler Boyd, Cin. | 6.02 | 197 | 2.66 |
| • Eli Rogers, Pitt. | 5.10 | 187 | 2.67 |
| Marvin Jones, Det. | 6.02 | 198 | 2.68 |
| Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 5.08 | 182 | 2.68 |
| Tyrell Williams, S.D. | 6.04 | 205 | 2.70 |
| Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 5.10 | 189 | 2.70 |
| Adam Thielen, Minn. | 6.02 | 200 | 2.70 |
| Kenny Stills, Mia. | 6.00 | 195 | 2.71 |
| • Jeremy Kerley, S.F. | 5.09 | 188 | 2.72 |
| Dontrelle Inman, S.D. | 6.03 | 205 | 2.73 |
| • Chris Conley, K.C. | 6.03 | 205 | 2.73 |
| Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 5.10 | 192 | 2.74 |
| • Randall Cobb, G.B. | 5.10 | 192 | 2.74 |
| Willie Snead, N.O. | 5.11 | 195 | 2.75 |
| • Adam Humphries, T.B. | 5.11 | 195 | 2.75 |
| • Jeremy Maclin, K.C. | 6.00 | 198 | 2.75 |
| Cameron Meredith, Chi. | 6.03 | 207 | 2.76 |
| A.J. Green, Cin. | 6.04 | 210 | 2.76 |
| Sterling Shepard, NYG | 5.10 | 194 | 2.77 |
| Marqise Lee, Jac. | 6.00 | 200 | 2.78 |
| Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 5.11 | 198 | 2.79 |
| Brandon LaFell, Cin. | 6.03 | 210 | 2.80 |
| Golden Tate, Det. | 5.10 | 197 | 2.81 |
| Steve Smith Sr., Balt. | 5.09 | 195 | 2.83 |
| Michael Thomas, N.O. | 6.03 | 212 | 2.83 |
| Jordan Matthews, Phil. | 6.03 | 212 | 2.83 |
| DeVante Parker, Mia. | 6.03 | 212 | 2.83 |
| • Mohamed Sanu, Atl. | 6.02 | 210 | 2.84 |
| • Terrance Williams, Dall. | 6.02 | 210 | 2.84 |
| Mike Wallace, Balt. | 6.00 | 205 | 2.85 |
| Julian Edelman, N.E. | 5.10 | 200 | 2.86 |
| • Jermaine Kearse, Sea. | 6.01 | 209 | 2.86 |
| Amari Cooper, Oak. | 6.01 | 210 | 2.88 |
| Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 6.03 | 217 | 2.89 |
| Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 5.11 | 206 | 2.90 |
| Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 6.03 | 218 | 2.91 |
| Allen Robinson, Jac. | 6.03 | 218 | 2.91 |
| • Alshon Jeffery, Chi. | 6.03 | 218 | 2.91 |
| • Brian Quick, L.A. | 6.03 | 218 | 2.91 |
| Pierre Garcon, Wash. | 6.00 | 211 | 2.93 |
| Julio Jones, Atl. | 6.03 | 220 | 2.93 |
| Terrelle Pryor, Clev. | 6.04 | 223 | 2.93 |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 6.01 | 215 | 2.95 |
| Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 6.01 | 215 | 2.95 |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 6.01 | 215 | 2.95 |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 6.02 | 220 | 2.97 |
| • Cordarrelle Patterson, Minn. | 6.02 | 220 | 2.97 |
| Kenny Britt, L.A. | 6.03 | 223 | 2.97 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 6.05 | 231 | 3.00 |
| Anquan Boldin, Det. | 6.01 | 220 | 3.01 |
| Rishard Matthews, Tenn. | 6.00 | 217 | 3.01 |
| Brandon Marshall, NYJ | 6.04 | 230 | 3.03 |
| Quincy Enunwa, NYJ | 6.02 | 225 | 3.04 |
| Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 6.03 | 229 | 3.05 |
| Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 6.05 | 245 | 3.18 |
—Ian Allan