Tag: Taylor Decker

Lions film room: Breaking down Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow vs. the Titans

Lions film room: Breaking down left tackle Taylor Decker and left guard Graham Glasgow vs. the Titans

The Detroit Lions rampaged past the Tennessee Titans in Ford Field. The 52-14 final score saw the Lions score the final 38 points en route to improving to 6-1 on the season. Reviewing the game film was reflective of the early struggles followed by sheer dominance thereafter.

This week, I focused on two players: left tackle Taylor Decker and left guard Graham Glasgow. It was an interesting game for the left side of the Lions offensive line, and the film review reflected that.

I evaluated Decker and Glasgow on every snap, giving a plus for a positive play and a minus for a poor one. Not every play earns a plus or minus. Here’s how they fared against the Titans in Week 8.

Opening drive

Decker started out about as badly as someone of his stature can. Titans EDGE Arden Key fired up the field from a 2-point stance and simply ran around Decker, who appeared to set his inside foot too shallow and too early in protection. Decker barely grazed Key on the way to the defender sacking Jared Goff.

The subsequent snap wasn’t much better for Decker, and on this one Glasgow also got soundly beaten. Glasgow started out by firing into massive DT T’Vondre Sweat, who aligned between the left guard and center Frank Ragnow. After doing very little to slow down Sweat (Ragnow took over and also got bulled backward), Glasgow spun the wrong way to help Decker with Key to his left. Goff got the pass away underneath, but the pressure forced him to abandon wideout Kalif Raymond streaking open across the field with neither deep safety picking him up. That’s a 30-yard gain, at minimum, if Goff gets an extra second.

On third down, the Titans run a twist after shifting the line just before the snap. Decker earns a plus for picking up his man, but Glasgow picks up another minus for missing his mark and instead blocking Ragnow’s back before shoving Jeffery Simmons to the ground from behind as Goff lets go of the ball. He missed his twist assignment and also missed his immediate help.

Rest of the first half

Decker settled in nicely. He earned another minus on the second sack of Goff, though the sack itself was definitively on Jahmyr Gibbs. Decker also got beaten on the play, quickly losing the blitzing LB (Jack Gibbens) after making the initial pick-up.

The very next play was a hit on Goff, and on first blush it appeared to be Decker’s fault. But further review largely exonerates the big left tackle–and shifts the minus to Glasgow. The left guard lost immediately over his inside shoulder to Sebastian Jones-Day, which forced Goff to escape directly into where Decker had been successfully locking up Key. In fact, Decker is still engaged with Key when Goff runs almost directly into Key and goes down.

For the half, Decker finished with seven plusses and four minuses, with all the minuses coming in pass protection. Glasgow had six minuses and four plusses, the first of which he earned for a terrific open-field block that helped spring Jahmyr Gibbs on his long TD run. In pass protection, one plus and three minuses.

Second half

The performance after halftime was somewhat abbreviated, as Decker left the game for Dan Skipper in garbage time. Glasgow did stay in the entire game. In the limited duty, Decker did great, earning four plusses and one minus. He earned a plus on the Lions first offensive snap of the half, a beautifully coordinated pickup of a line twist that both Decker and Frank Ragnow played expertly. This was an exotic set for both teams, with the Titans running a DT/DE twist and the Lions having Glasgow pull across to pick up the right-side DE (Key) and RT Penei Sewell chipping back inside to pick up the LDT, who happened to twist deeper away from him.

Glasgow earned one minus in the run game for getting pushed by Jeffery Simmons into Frank Ragnow, causing both to fall down and neutering what could have been a nice run off left tackle by Montgomery. Decker got a plus on the same play for a perfect drive/seal block on the edge. Both earned a minus on the later hit on Goff, with Glasgow being directly responsible for losing over his outside shoulder to Simmons; Decker also got beaten inside, partially because he got clipped (not the penalty) by Simmons and being unable to sustain his solid contact with Key because of it. This play is notable because it changed in the official box score from initially being a split sack between Simmons and Key to just Simmons getting credit–which is exactly correct.

Final tally

Taylor Decker: 11 plusses, 5 minuses. In pass protection, six plusses and five minuses.

Graham Glasgow: 8 plusses, 11 minuses. In pass protection, four plusses and nine minuses.

Decker deserves credit for altering how he played Key after getting abused early on. He appeared to shorten his set and not give Key as much of a target to hit on him.

Glasgow spent a lot of the day going against Jeffery Simmons, who is one of the NFL’s best pass-rushing DTs. That’s important context for his overall poor performance, though that doesn’t excuse Glasgow’s long-running habit of impressively getting out into space in run blocking but failing to actually engage with anyone. Other than the aforementioned plus above, that was No. 60s’ standard fare run blocking.

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Lions vs Packers: Wednesday injury report medical analysis

Lions vs Packers: Wednesday injury report medical analysis on both teams, including Jared Goff, Malcolm Rodriguez and Jordan Love

The Lions and Packers will be dueling for first place this Sunday. While both team’s QBs suffered injuries last game, the bigger question mark is the status of Jordan Love.

Love left the last game due to a groin injury and did not practice today. He is also still wearing a knee brace related to an MCL sprain suffered in week one.

The Lions came out of the Titans game very healthy after dodging a severe injury to Malcolm Rodriguez. Many Lions got rest days today which could be a routine precaution or related to previous injuries that I will reference below.

DETROIT LIONS

Jared Goff QB (NP) ankle

In the 1st quarter, Goff suffered a mild inversion injury to his right ankle which can cause a low ankle sprain. He didn’t miss any plays and only left in garbage time.

A rest day was expected and is not a concern. He might get some extra tape but should be a full-go vs the Packers.

Malcolm Rodriguez LB (NP) ankle

Early in the 1st quarter on punt coverage, a Titans player crashed into his left ankle from the side which can cause a high ankle sprain, medial ankle sprain, or a fracture. Fortunately, reports are that the injury is minor and not a high ankle sprain. While he likely won’t play this week, he might be back next week.

Josh Paschal DE (NP) illness

Paschal did not practice all last week and missed the Titans game due to an illness. For an illness to last this long is slightly unusual, but fortunately, early reports are it is minor. Most importantly, the illness isn’t a recurrence of the life-threatening melanoma he had in 2018.

Brodric Martin DT (FP) knee

Martin suffered a right knee hyperextension on August 24. Good to see that his 21-day practice window has opened with an FP. We could see him moved to the active roster at any point, even as soon as this weekend. More likely he’ll use up most of his practice window before getting activated.

Taylor Decker OT (NP) chest

Not sure what to make of the chest designation but I’m not too concerned at this time. The pec and ribs are in the chest area but are usually listed as such. There is worry for internal organ injury (typically lungs) with a chest designation but there were no signs of a serious injury during the game.

I reviewed all his plays in the 3rd quarter and didn’t notice anything. He didn’t play in garbage time of the fourth quarter.

Sione Vaki RB (NP) knee

Video review showed that he came up limping on punt coverage in the 4th quarter. He was not in frame for most of the play. The limp suggested a right leg injury. He did not go down after the play which hopefully means it’s minor.

Frank Ragnow C (NP) rest

Ragnow has had a chronic toe issue for years and has gotten regular rest days since then.

Kevin Zeitler OG (NP) rest

Zeitler missed the Cowboys game three weeks ago due to a groin/hip issue but has played the last two games. He also had a shoulder issue in training camp.

Levi Onwuzurike DT (NP) rest

Onwuzurike has made a remarkable recovery from L5-S1 lumbar fusion in October 2022. Getting regular rest days may help keep his back healthy.

DJ Reader DT (NP) rest

Reader had a right quad tendon tear in December 2023. He made his first appearance in game two and has been reliable so far. Rest days might be a good idea to keep his leg strong.

Graham Glasgow OG (NP) rest

Glasgow had a minor knee issue back in week two.

NOTABLES

Kalif Raymond

On a day he won special teams player of the week, Raymond had his head slammed onto the turf in the 4th quarter. He did pass the sideline concussion evaluation and seemed fine after the game. Good news that there are no signs of delayed concussion symptoms.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Jordan Love QB (NP) groin

The MRI this week did not show anything severe which suggests this won’t be a long-term injury. Whether he plays vs the Lions is up in the air and likely comes down to many factors including severity and risk tolerance.

Lean in:

  • This is an important game in the division.
  • The bye after the game allows for extra recovery time.

Lean out:

  • The groin isn’t an area that can be effectively protected with a brace or tape like an ankle or knee. Thus an aggravation during the game is certainly possible.
  • He’s still recovering from his week one MCL sprain and wears a knee brace.
  • It’s still early in the season so risking an aggravation to the groin or MCL may not be worth it.
  • Malik Willis has won two games as a starter this year beating the Colts and Titans.

Jaire Alexander CB (NP) knee

This starting CB played 100% of snaps last game. An MRI this week was negative which suggests he has a good chance of playing vs the Lions.

Josh Jacobs RB (NP) ankle

Jacobs has been an impact player for the Packers this year with 667 rushing yards. He hurt his ankle this past Sunday but he’s expected to be ready for the Lions.

Quay Walker LB (FP) concussion

Walker missed last game due to concussion but is on track to play Sunday.

Josh Myers C (NP) wrist

Myers is the starting center and played all snaps last game.

Rasheed Walker OT (NP) knee

Walker is the starting LT and played all snaps last game.

Elgton Jenkins G (NP) glute

Jenkins had the glute injury before last game and still played.

Corey Ballentine DB (LP) ankle

This CB has had minimal defensive snaps this year. He missed last game but may be on track to be back this Sunday.

Kenny Clark NT (LP) toe

Evan Williams S (NP) hamstring

Devonte Wyatt DT (LP) ankle

Ben Johnson says Lions still have more tricks up their sleeve after Dallas game

Ben Johnson says Lions still have more tricks up their sleeve after Dallas game

The Lions dominated the Dallas Cowboys Sunday by a score of 47-9. That game included a touchdown that came from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s bag of tricks.

The play started with WR Amon-Ra St. Brown in motion. Quarterback Jared Goff took the snap, then handed off to RB David Montgomery. Monty then handed off to St. Brown who tossed it back to Goff. Goff then launched deep and found TE Sam LaPorta for a 52-yard score that helped give the Lions a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter.

You might think the bag is empty for the Lions and Johnson, but as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend.”

“Oh yeah,” Johnson said when asked if there are trick plays from games they did not use. “Each and every week we stock up, and so that’s been constant. It just so happened last week that we wanted to unload them.”

That was just one of a handful of trick plays the Lions tried against the Cowboys. They also tried throwing a pass to OT Taylor Decker, ran a hook a ladder to OT Penei Sewell and had OT Dan Skipper run routes as a wide receiver.

Johnson had this to say about preparing all those trick plays: “It was one of the things that we talked about last week, what is our identity, and one of those three was being detailed, and that’s something springtime, training camp, up until now that we are very demanding out of our players. Really every position group and so when we are like that, you get into a game week, and we have more volume, or we have nuances that maybe we don’t get a ton of reps on. They have to decipher it and handle it, and they do a great job of it. That combined with some of them are for premier looks and if we don’t get that look, we get out of it. I mean, go back a couple weeks ago when we called the pass to Jared (Goff), I want to say Houston ran the same play but it wasn’t quite a premier look in my opinion, and so – I think (Texans WR) Stefon Diggs had to run for the touchdown when they did it. So, we do have some elements of that where we have to get the right look. We’re not just calling plays to call plays because we think they look cool. It’s really by design and intent and then our guys carry it the rest of the way.”

The Lions tried using Decker as an eligible receiver during last year’s meeting in Dallas, but according to the officials, Decker never reported as eligible, wiping out the two-point conversion attempt. Detroit got their revenge and then some. And while those plays are now on film, Johnson is not worried.

“This game’s been around for a long time and our challenge as a coaching staff,” Johnson said. “And I say it to the offensive staff quite a bit, is we can run a million different types of plays and because of that, I don’t like to run the same one twice. I don’t like to do it within a game, I don’t like to do it within a season. We certainly do have some staples that I will repeat at times, but we’re charged with let’s have a little creativity. Defenses, they’re doing their film study, they’re looking at things, they’re finding, ‘Hey out of this formation, they’re doing this, that and the other.’ And we try to mix it up. So, from that regard, I’m not worried about putting things on tape. If anything else, it’s just going to help set up the next thing down the road, and yeah, the well is deep in terms of the thoughts.”

The Lions could very well break out another fun play this week in what is now a huge divisional game against the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC North.

Lions projected starting offensive line graded as best run blocking group

Lions projected starting offensive line graded as best 2023 run blocking group

The Lions are going to sport one of the most explosive passing offenses in the league this season, led by quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Their run game figured to be just as good and deserves more love.

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery will once again provide one of the best one-two punches in the backfield. But the key to their run game is going to be their offensive line, led by their two stalwart tackles Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker.

Those two, along with Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler, combined for the best offensive run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus during the 2023 season.

The gap between the Lions and the second-highest team, the Atlanta Falcons, is noticeable. More than five points separate the two teams. The Lions had the top run-blocking tackle in Sewell and the top center in Ragnow among players that played at least half of their team’s offensive snaps.

The Lions are going to move people up front. Even with the change from Jonah Jackson to Zeitler, the former Raven was still one of the better run blockers last season. The Lions will be just fine in the run game.

Taylor Decker contract extension locks open the Lions offensive window

Taylor Decker contract extension locks open the Lions offensive window with all the key pieces signed through the next few seasons

Taylor Decker will be a Detroit Lion through at least the 2027 season after signing a three-year contract extension worth $60 million. The longtime left tackle is the latest Lions core player to lock in for the long term with the team this offseason.

The team’s longest-tenured player, Decker’s play and leadership have both evolved into something that definitely adds value, to use a term Decker stated several times in his press conference Monday. Detroit securing that value for the next three years after already showering QB Jared Goff, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and fellow OT Penei Sewell with big contracts this offseason means the Lions offense figures to remain one of the very best in the league for the foreseeable future.

Decker is 30 and entering his ninth season in Detroit. He’s consistently proven to be an above-average left tackle over the last two seasons after fluctuating a little closer to average earlier in his career. Decker himself feels like he’s got several good years ahead of him.

“I think I’m in my prime. I still think I am,” Decker said confidently. “I think I’ll be able to play as long as I want to, knock on wood, barring any freak accidents. So I just want to be here. I want to be a part of this team.”

Of the core players locked up by the team this offseason, Decker is the greybeard. Goff, like Decker a 2016 first-round pick (by the Rams), is 29 and coming off perhaps his best all-around season. St. Brown is 24. Sewell, named the best offensive lineman in the league by some outlets earlier this summer, is still just 23 years old. All-Pro center Frank Ragnow is 28 and signed through the 2026 season.

Other key pieces like Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs are on rookie contracts through the next two seasons. Running back David Montgomery, 27, is signed through 2025.

All the players who were critical in leading the Lions to a top-five offense in each of the last two seasons will remain in Detroit through at least the next two seasons. Decker is the only one over 30, and he plays a position where many players peak in their early 30s.

Detroit GM Brad Holmes has effectively locked open the team’s window for winning with a potent, proven top-5 offense for at least the next two seasons. Beyond the talent, the fact that everyone who has needed to be paid big money already has it on that side of the ball means the Lions won’t have to worry about contract disputes or dissatisfaction, in contrast to fellow NFC contenders like the Cowboys and Eagles.

Decker talked about how important that secure feeling can be.

“Moving forward, I can just focus on playing football, going through camp day-to-day. I don’t have to have any of that hanging over my head. It’s a pretty good feeling.”

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Former Ohio State star gets paid

Former Ohio State star gets paid #GoBucks

There is no shortage of former Ohio State football players in the NFL and like most Buckeye fans, we love to follow the alum during their next journey. The most recent NFL news dealing with a former Ohio State stud is in regard to former offensive tackle, Taylor Decker.

Decker is already the player on the longest tenured player on the Detroit Lions roster and his most recent extension should only allow him to grow that legacy. Decker and the Lions agreed to a three-year extension worth $60 million that includes $31.83 million in guarantees.

At only 29, he still has more than few years left to continue his dominance for Detroit. Buckeye fans will remember his tenure in Columbus as a three-year starter who earned All-American honors before being selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

Taylor Decker signs three-year extension with the Lions

Taylor Decker signs three-year extension with the Lions

Earlier today, Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes was on 97.1 The Ticket to talk about training camp, direction of the team and so much more. In the process of talking with Jim Costa and Jon Jansen on Costa and Jansen with Heather, Holmes revealed that Taylor Decker had signed a contract extension with Detroit.

In addition to Holmes announcing the extension, Jonathan Feinsod, announced the extension as well. Feinsod is Decker’s agent and it was announced as a 3-year contract extension worth $60 million dollars. There’s also about $32 million dollars guaranteed with this deal. He was scheduled to make $13.7 million dollars this season on the last year of his deal.

Last season, he played 1,042 offensive snaps for Detroit (per PFF) and he earned a 77.3 overall grade. That was his highest grade from PFF since 2020. Decker is the Lions longest-tenured player and it appears he’ll stay as that after this extension. On August 23rd, he’ll turn 31-years old and this contract will keep him under contract through the 2027 season.

Looking at the Lions radical roster overhaul from the 2020 finale to now

Looking at the Detroit Lions radical roster overhaul from the 2020 finale to now, where only 2 starters remain with the team and almost no defensive players are still in the NFL

When the 2020 season ended and Lions owner Sheila Hamp kicked off the franchise overhaul, the team was in a very bad place. Radical changes needed to happen to everything, from the front office to the coaching staff, right down to almost every player in the starting lineup.

It took a little time, but that humiliating end to the Bob Quinn/Matt Patricia regime (they were fired before the end of the 2020 season) is but a distant memory in Detroit. The Lions are coming off the best season in the Super Bowl era and first-ever NFC North division title in 2023.

To get an idea of just how far the franchise has come, it’s worth a look back down to the bottom of the barrel that was the 2020 campaign. That year finished with a 5-11 record and a point differential of -142, the worst for any Detroit team since the 2009 season that kicked off a prior, failed rebuild.

This was the starting lineup in the final game of the 2020 season, a 37-35 loss in Ford Field to the Minnesota Vikings. First, the offense and where they are now

2020 finale – offense

QB – Matthew Stafford (Rams)

RB – D’Andre Swift (Bears)

TE – T.J. Hockenson (Vikings)

LT – Taylor Decker (Lions)

LG – Jonah Jackson (Rams)

C – Frank Ragnow (Lions)

RG – Oday Aboushi (FA)

RT – Halapoulivaati Vaitai (FA)

WR – Marvin Jones (retired)

WR – Mohamed Sanu (retired)

WR – Jamal Agnew (FA)

Decker and Ragnow, the Lions’ first-round picks in 2016 and 2018, respectively, are the only offensive starters still in Detroit. Both are coming off exceptional 2023 campaigns.

Detroit traded away Stafford, Hockenson and Swift–all before the 2023 season. Jackson left as a free agent after the ’23 campaign, in which he was the Lions’ regular starting left guard. Vaitai was on injured reserve in 2023 and is presumed to be retired, while Aboushi was not on any roster last season.

Of the depth players who saw action in that 2020 finale on offense, only Dan Skipper remains with the Lions. The reserve OL left Detroit for two other teams in the stead but returned, too. In fact, no other Lion who appeared on offense in that game was with the team after the 2022 season.

Defense

Spoiler alert: None of the players here are left in Detroit. In fact, only two of the starters were still with the Lions in 2023–and neither started last year.

DL – Danny Shelton

DL – John Penisini

DL – Nick Williams

OLB – Romeo Okwara

OLB – Christian Jones

LB – Jahlani Tavai

LB – Reggie Ragland

CB – Darryl Roberts

CB – Amani Oruwariye

S – Duron Harmon

S – Tracy Walker

As of July 6th, only Tavai (Patriots) and Oruwariye (Jaguars) are on any NFL rosters, though Walker is a free agent still looking. Nearly all the other defensive players have retired.

Reserve LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin is still with Detroit, though he spent one season with the Houston Texans before returning to the Lions. Reserve safety C.J. Moore missed the 2023 season due to a gambling suspension and was released, but he’s now efforting a return on the Lions roster for 2024. Of the other reserves from that game, only Will Harris (now in New Orleans) was with the Lions after 2021.

It’s no wonder the 2021 season was a rough one for Detroit. Pretty much everything except the core offensive line had to go–and did. GM Brad Holmes, head coach Dan Campbell and their staff had almost nothing to work with on defense, and needed to move on from valuable offensive players like Stafford and Hockenson for the greater good.

The Detroit Lions offensive line is top-ranked unit going into 2024 season

The Detroit Lions offensive line is top-ranked unit going into 2024 season as more national outlets keep ranking the Lions No. 1

It should come to no surprise that the Detroit Lions have the top ranked offensive line going into the 2024 season. When looking at rankings compiled by both Sharp Football Analysis and Pro Football Focus (PFF), the Lions offensive line is at the top spot for both data sites.

Looking at Sharp Football, they’ve got the Lions ranked number one with the following reasoning behind it:

“The Lions signed 12-year veteran Kevin Zeitler in the offseason to replace Jonah Jackson on their offensive line. Zeitler is coming off his first Pro Bowl season and will join a unit that we ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker both ranked in the top 10 in ESPN’s pass block win rate while guard Graham Glasgow finished second in run block win rate.”

As for Pro Football Focus, they had this to say about the Lions offensive line:

“When healthy, the Lions’ offensive line was arguably the best unit in the NFL last season. Right tackle Penei Sewell was the league’s highest-graded offensive lineman, and Frank Ragnow earned the top spot among centers. Although the unit lost right guard Jonah Jackson in free agency, the Lions signed veteran guard Kevin Zeitler, who ranked 15th in PFF grade among guards in 2023.”

Additionally, the PFF article shows the offensive grades for the Lions offensive line. It shows the following:

LT: Taylor Decker — 81.1 (9th out of 81 offensive tackles ranked)

LG: Graham Glasgow — 74.9 (8th out of 79 offensive guards ranked)

C: Frank Ragnow — 88.8 (1st out of 36 centers ranked)

RG: Kevin Zeitler — 71.6 (15th out of 79 offensive guards ranked)

RT: Penei Sewell — 92.8 (1st out of 81 offensive tackles ranked)

Having the top ranked offensive tackle and center in the NFL shows up on tape every single week for the Lions. It’ll be interesting to see if the Lions can maintain this top spot all season long. With the addition of Kevin Zeitler and draft capital spent on the offensive line, it appears likely for the Detroit Lions to be dominant in the trenches once again.

Pro player comparisons for Chargers’ top draft picks

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar revealed his top players at each position and gave NFL comparisons for each player.

Comparing draft prospects to NFL players, both former and current, is an annual tradition.

It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll have the same kind of success at this level. Yet, the comparisons are made based on how similar the prospects’ game play, physical measurements, production, roles and traits are.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire revealed his top players at each position and gave NFL comparisons for each player.

Farrar compared Joe Alt to Lions’ Taylor Decker.

There aren’t a lot of wildly successful NFL offensive tackles over 6-foot-8, and Alt stands in at 6′ 8⅝” and 328 pounds. He’ll have to make sure he keeps his leverage together — if so, he can be a dominant pass- and run-blocker. Decker, selected by the Detroit Lions with the 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State, has some of the same issues at 6-foot-7, but can be a plus factor on the left side.

Like Decker, Alt is rare in size for the position, which can lead to leverage issues and overextending against bull rushers at times. This may occur at the next level. But while he works through it, Alt will mitigate it with sound technique with quick hands, feet, and body control.

The next player Farrar mentioned was Ladd McConkey, who drew the comparison to Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown.

McConkey might be the best route-runner in this class, and since he’s white, he’s been compared to everyone from Cooper Kupp to Julian Edelman. Those comps are easy to make, but when I studied McConkey’s tape, I was reminded of Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has become the Detroit Lions’ volume target since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of USC. Like St. Brown, McConkey has the potential to be an NFL team’s No. 1 receiver despite the fact that he doesn’t resemble one from a size/speed perspective. What both players have is a seamless ability to get open all over the field, and the tenaciousness to win contested balls that other, bigger receivers might struggle to catch.

I agree with Farrar with this comparison. While McConkey is faster, both players are refined route runners to make life difficult for defensive backs and consistently get open coupled with having the physicality and ball skills to catch anything thrown their way.

A player not mentioned in Farrar’s list, but who I have a good comparison is Junior Colson to Chiefs’ Willie Gay.

Both Colson and Gay are great-sized linebackers with easy movers in the open field to make a lot of plays against the run. They also have the range to drop into coverage and the strength and agility to thrive as blitzers.