Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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WHO'S POTENTIALLY OUT THERE?
NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal recently released his list of the top 101 potential free agents, which includes the following 15 receivers:
3. Allen Robinson II, 6. Chris Godwin, 15. Kenny Golladay, 21. Will Fuller V, 24. Curtis Samuel, 25. JuJu Smith-Schuster, 32. Corey Davis, 47. T.Y. Hilton, 56. Nelson Agholor, 57. Marvin Jones, Jr., 60. Sammy Watkins, 64. Antonio Brown, 74. Cordarrelle Patterson, 85. Tyrell Williams and 100. Breshad Perriman
Those are some big names who have been primary targets, like Robinson and Golladay for NFC North foes Chicago and Detroit. NFL Media's Cynthia Frelund broke down the top three receivers (based on receptions in 2020) for each team ahead of free agency and noted that 45 of Robinson's 102 receptions occurred on first downs and 25 of those moved the chains.
Jones led the Lions with a career-best 76 receptions for 978 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. He capitalized on increased opportunities because Golladay missed 11 games. He overlapped with Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer for two seasons in Cincinnati and has caught at least six passes in four of his past six games against Minnesota, including a four-score game in 2019 and a line of 8-180-2 in the 2020 finale.
Godwin, a 2017 third-round pick of the Bucs, and Brown, an in-season vet pickup from the suspended list, helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV.
Watkins has played in the past two Super Bowls but was coming off an injury in last month's game.
Fuller, Samuel, Smith-Schuster, Davis and Hilton each had more than 53 receptions and 762 yards last season. Smith-Schuster led that grouping with 97-831-9 for Pittsburgh.
Everyone in Purple knows Patterson well. The 2013 first-round pick is the best active kickoff return specialist and among the best ever. After a career-high 52 catches in 2016 in his final season with Minnesota, however, Patterson has totaled 31 (with the Raiders in 2017), 11 (with the Patriots in 2018) and 32 (with the Bears from 2019-20) receptions. Chicago moved him to the backfield a lot more last season, and he rushed 64 times for 232 yards and a score.
DOMINO EFFECT?
One aspect to keep an eye on regarding receivers is what teams decide to do at quarterback. Teams are likely to finalize their plans there — or take a leap of faith in a couple of instances — before figuring out what resources they can commit to receivers.