Tyreek Hill doesn’t have great hands; he drops too many balls. But he also sprinkles in lots of big plays, and it’s nice to have that potential – he’s always capable of turning a lesser game into a good one with a 70-yard touchdown.
Hill caught 7 TDs last year, and they came from an average of 58 yards. That’s the highest average of any wide receiver in this century (among those who caught more than 5 TDs). Hill also scored an 82-yard touchdown on a punt return, which isn’t reflected here.
| AVERAGING OVER 40 YARDS ON TD CATCHES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | TD | Year | |
| 58.3 | 7 | 2017 | Tyreek Hill |
| 54.8 | 6 | 2014 | DeSean Jackson |
| 54.7 | 6 | 2010 | DeSean Jackson |
| 52.4 | 7 | 2008 | Bernard Berrian |
| 52.0 | 9 | 2011 | Victor Cruz |
| 50.2 | 6 | 2007 | Joey Galloway |
| 49.1 | 8 | 2006 | Lee Evans |
| 48.6 | 9 | 2013 | Josh Gordon |
| 45.9 | 7 | 2002 | Quincy Morgan |
| 45.6 | 9 | 2009 | DeSean Jackson |
| 44.5 | 6 | 2000 | Torry Holt |
| 44.1 | 8 | 2016 | Brandin Cooks |
| 44.0 | 6 | 2011 | Pierre Garcon |
| 43.7 | 9 | 2005 | Santana Moss |
| 43.1 | 9 | 2010 | Mario Manningham |
| 42.8 | 6 | 2005 | Kevin Curtis |
| 42.7 | 6 | 2016 | Taylor Gabriel |
| 42.1 | 8 | 2011 | Julio Jones |
| 42.0 | 6 | 2002 | Joey Galloway |
| 42.0 | 6 | 2006 | Santana Moss |
| 41.8 | 6 | 2009 | Hakeem Nicks |
| 41.7 | 7 | 2012 | Cecil Shorts III |
| 40.8 | 6 | 2002 | Corey Bradford |
| 40.8 | 6 | 2009 | Mike Wallace |
| 40.7 | 10 | 2010 | Mike Wallace |
| 40.5 | 6 | 2015 | Emmanuel Sanders |
| 40.0 | 7 | 2010 | Braylon Edwards |
At the other end of the scale, we have the wide receiver who’s getting most of the headlines right now. Jarvis Landry probably will wind up with a new team, and he doesn’t almost all of his work on underneath routes. All 9 of his touchdown catches last year came inside 10 yards.
In the last 18 seasons, only three wide receivers have caught more than 5 TDs and averaged under 6 yards on said plays, and they’ve all come from the last three years – Golden Tate, Allen Robinson and Landry. Robinson also is currently a free agent.
This doesn’t mean, of course, that Landry simply can’t run or play. He was fast enough to score on a 69-yard punt return back in 2015. There’s value in having wide receivers who can work the short routes in traffic. Wes Welker, for example. Larry Fitzgerald hasn’t gone downfield much in recent years. But trying to get behind defenses for big strikes hasn’t been a big part of Landry’s game.
| AVERAGING UNDER 10 YARDS ON TD CATCHES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | TD | Year | |
| 3.5 | 6 | 2015 | Golden Tate |
| 4.9 | 9 | 2017 | Jarvis Landry |
| 5.8 | 6 | 2016 | Allen Robinson |
| 6.0 | 7 | 2014 | Roddy White |
| 6.0 | 10 | 2013 | Wes Welker |
| 6.6 | 7 | 2010 | Mike Sims-Walker |
| 6.7 | 7 | 2016 | Donte Moncrief |
| 7.1 | 7 | 2008 | Dwayne Bowe |
| 7.9 | 7 | 2008 | Isaac Bruce |
| 7.9 | 7 | 2001 | J.J. Stokes |
| 8.0 | 6 | 2006 | Larry Fitzgerald |
| 8.3 | 6 | 2010 | Larry Fitzgerald |
| 8.5 | 6 | 2000 | Muhsin Muhammad |
| 8.7 | 6 | 2003 | Darnerien McCants |
| 8.8 | 6 | 2015 | Donte Moncrief |
| 8.8 | 6 | 2005 | Keyshawn Johnson |
| 9.0 | 6 | 2003 | Ike Hilliard |
| 9.3 | 7 | 2007 | Hines Ward |
| 9.3 | 7 | 2007 | Torry Holt |
| 9.4 | 8 | 2011 | Roddy White |
| 9.4 | 9 | 2015 | Larry Fitzgerald |
| 9.5 | 11 | 2007 | Marques Colston |
| 9.7 | 6 | 2017 | Jordy Nelson |
| 9.7 | 6 | 2014 | James Jones |
| 9.7 | 7 | 2009 | Steve Smith (NYG) |
—Ian Allan