I saw the blub go by on the weekend, speculating about Phillip Dorsett as a deep threat, and it caught my eye. He’s only 5-foot-10, and typically with receivers having success on longer passes, I think about them being taller guys.
Bigger guys are bigger targets, making them easier to hit on those deep passes downfield. Mike Evans and Kenny Golladay, for example, might be the the league’s best long-ball receivers right now, and they’re 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-4. And taller guys have longer strides, with more speed (once they get going). DeVante Parker (pictured) is tall and had a lot of success on deep routes last year.
With shorter guys (especially those lacking top-end speed) I think they end up more often playing underneath in slot-type roles. Even if the shorter guys aren’t as fast, I think they can be quicker, which is more important on shorter routes.
But I didn’t have time to look into it and let it go.
Let me come back to that now for a moment.
On this one, I pulled out all wide receivers who’ve caught at least 50 passes in a season in the last 10 years. Then I looked at the 30 guys who finished with highest and lowest yards-per-catch averages. To ensure a variety of names, I didn’t allow players to appear more than once (I didn’t want Danny Amendola or Julian Edelman showing up five times and skewing the results). I wanted 30 different guys on each list.
As luck would have it, five guys appear on both lists – catching lots of long balls one season, and being short-yardage guys in another. But I still see some difference overall, with more tall guys on the long ball list.
The 30 guys who tended to hit on more long passes averaged 6-foot-1. That’s 2 inches more than 30 guys with the shortest averages.
On the charts, if a player is 6-foot-2 or taller, I put his name in bold. If he’s under 6 feet tall, I put a black dot in front of his name.
| LONG-RANGE WIDE RECEIVERS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | Ht |
| 2010 | Mike Wallace, Pitt. | 60 | 1,257 | 21.0 | 6-0 |
| 2014 | • DeSean Jackson, Was. | 56 | 1,169 | 20.9 | 5-10 |
| 2019 | A.J. Brown, Ten. | 52 | 1,051 | 20.2 | 6-1 |
| 2012 | Vincent Jackson, T.B. | 72 | 1,384 | 19.2 | 6-5 |
| 2013 | Josh Gordon, Cle. | 87 | 1,646 | 18.9 | 6-3 |
| 2010 | Johnny Knox, Chi. | 51 | 960 | 18.8 | 6-0 |
| 2010 | Brandon Lloyd, Den. | 77 | 1,448 | 18.8 | 6-0 |
| 2011 | Victor Cruz, NYG | 82 | 1,536 | 18.7 | 6-1 |
| 2011 | Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 68 | 1,263 | 18.6 | 6-3 |
| 2019 | Kenny Golladay, Det. | 65 | 1,190 | 18.3 | 6-4 |
| 2017 | Marvin Jones, Det. | 61 | 1,101 | 18.1 | 6-2 |
| 2019 | Stefon Diggs, Min. | 63 | 1,130 | 17.9 | 6-0 |
| 2012 | Cecil Shorts, Jac. | 55 | 979 | 17.8 | 6-0 |
| 2015 | James Jones, G.B. | 50 | 890 | 17.8 | 6-1 |
| 2013 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 84 | 1,492 | 17.8 | 6-5 |
| 2011 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 54 | 959 | 17.8 | 6-3 |
| 2018 | Mike Evans, T.B. | 86 | 1,524 | 17.7 | 6-5 |
| 2011 | • Steve Smith, Car. | 79 | 1,394 | 17.7 | 5-9 |
| 2011 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 80 | 1,411 | 17.6 | 6-3 |
| 2015 | Allen Robinson, Jac. | 80 | 1,400 | 17.5 | 6-3 |
| 2015 | Sammy Watkins, Buff. | 60 | 1,047 | 17.5 | 6-1 |
| 2013 | Torrey Smith, Balt. | 65 | 1,128 | 17.4 | 6-0 |
| 2012 | • T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 50 | 861 | 17.2 | 5-9 |
| 2017 | • Marquise Goodwin, S.F. | 56 | 962 | 17.2 | 5-9 |
| 2010 | Braylon Edwards, NYJ | 53 | 904 | 17.1 | 6-2 |
| 2018 | • Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 87 | 1,479 | 17.0 | 5-10 |
| 2018 | • Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 57 | 965 | 16.9 | 5-10 |
| 2019 | Michael Gallup, Dall. | 66 | 1,107 | 16.8 | 6-1 |
| 2019 | DeVante Parker, Mia. | 72 | 1,202 | 16.7 | 6-3 |
| 2017 | • Brandin Cooks, N.E. | 65 | 1,082 | 16.7 | 5-10 |
| SHORT-RANGE WIDE RECEIVERS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | Ht |
| 2010 | • Danny Amendola, St.L. | 85 | 689 | 8.1 | 5-11 |
| 2016 | Cordarrelle Patterson, Min. | 52 | 453 | 8.7 | 6-2 |
| 2016 | Anquan Boldin, Det. | 67 | 584 | 8.7 | 6-1 |
| 2016 | • Tavon Austin, LAR | 58 | 509 | 8.8 | 5-8 |
| 2017 | • Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 112 | 987 | 8.8 | 5-11 |
| 2019 | Mohamed Sanu, Atl.-N.E. | 59 | 520 | 8.8 | 6-2 |
| 2015 | • Golden Tate, Det. | 90 | 813 | 9.0 | 5-10 |
| 2017 | Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 53 | 482 | 9.1 | 6-3 |
| 2014 | James Jones, Oak. | 73 | 666 | 9.1 | 6-1 |
| 2018 | Chester Rogers, Ind. | 53 | 485 | 9.2 | 6-0 |
| 2014 | • Percy Harvin, Sea.-NYJ | 51 | 483 | 9.5 | 5-11 |
| 2013 | • Ace Sanders, Jac. | 51 | 484 | 9.5 | 5-7 |
| 2011 | Austin Collie, Ind. | 54 | 514 | 9.5 | 6-0 |
| 2016 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 107 | 1,023 | 9.6 | 6-3 |
| 2015 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 50 | 483 | 9.7 | 6-1 |
| 2016 | • Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 61 | 593 | 9.7 | 5-10 |
| 2012 | • Kendall Wright, Ten. | 64 | 626 | 9.8 | 5-10 |
| 2010 | • Wes Welker, N.E. | 86 | 848 | 9.9 | 5-9 |
| 2017 | • Randall Cobb, G.B. | 66 | 653 | 9.9 | 5-10 |
| 2019 | Dede Westbrook, Jac. | 66 | 660 | 10.0 | 6-0 |
| 2018 | Stefon Diggs, Min. | 102 | 1,021 | 10.0 | 6-0 |
| 2013 | • Julian Edelman, N.E. | 105 | 1,056 | 10.1 | 5-10 |
| 2019 | • Sterling Shepard, NYG | 57 | 576 | 10.1 | 5-10 |
| 2014 | Keenan Allen, S.D. | 77 | 783 | 10.2 | 6-2 |
| 2015 | • Jamison Crowder, Was. | 59 | 604 | 10.2 | 5-8 |
| 2014 | Michael Crabtree, S.F. | 68 | 698 | 10.3 | 6-1 |
| 2018 | • Taylor Gabriel, Chi. | 67 | 688 | 10.3 | 5-8 |
| 2015 | • Cole Beasley, Dall. | 52 | 536 | 10.3 | 5-8 |
| 2017 | • Adam Humphries, T.B. | 61 | 631 | 10.3 | 5-11 |
| 2011 | Nate Burleson, Det. | 73 | 757 | 10.4 | 6-0 |
—Ian Allan