Tag: yards after catch

Raiders TE Brock Bowers Yards After Catch numbers already on pace for elite company

Rookie tight end Brock Bowers leads all tight ends in the NFL in Yards After Catch (YAC) and is on pace for All Pro level numbers.

It’s becoming clear just what makes Brock Bowers so special as a player. And it starts with his ability to get yards after the catch.

The rookie tight end’s ability to get every extra yard imaginable and a few yards you didn’t think were possible almost defies logic and reason.

Raiders offensive coordinator set about trying to explain just how Bowers does it.

“Some guys like…he’s a natural football player,” Luke Getsy said of Bowers’ YAC abilities. “What I mean by that is he understands spacing, he understands his awareness of what’s all going on around him. I think all that’s real. So, when he catches the ball and he knows he has space, there’s no wasted movement. There’s no figuring out, there’s no bubble around him. It’s catch, drop step, get vertical, and go. So, you’re seeing him catch check downs and you’re seeing him turn them into explosives. And so all that awareness of space and the people around you is something special that not everybody has. But he has it and that on top of understanding where he’s supposed to be conceptually and the toughness prt of it. That part is probably the most important.”

The rookie 13th overall pick leads all NFL tight ends over the first six weeks of the season with 206 yards after catch. That’s tenth in the league at any position. With 384 yards receiving, that means well over half his yards have come after the catch.

His numbers put him on pace for 584 yards after the catch on the season. The list of tight ends to have better numbers than that over the past five years is short.

2022 *Travis Kelce — 648
2019 *George Kittle — 602
2023 **David Njoku — 599
2020 *Travis Kelce — 587

*All Pro season
** Pro Bowl season

This is nothing new for Bowers. Twice in his three years at Georgia he led all FCS tight ends in Yards After Catch. But it’s one thing to do it on the collegiate level, it’s another to treat NFL defenders the same way.

Derek Carr believes Saints have the talent to improve YAC numbers

The Saints struggled racking up YAC last season, but Derek Carr believes they have players who are a threat to score from anywhere:

“We all know guys in the NFL who if they touch the ball, they can score. We have guys like that.”

That’s how Derek Carr described the New Orleans Saints’  weapons when asked about increasing the amount of yards after catch the team produces. It’s hard to look at the roster and disagree. Rashid Shaheed is the first player who comes to mind. His experience as a return specialist translates well to this aspect of the game.

Chris Olave is another player who is actively looking to improve his yards after catch. That is a representation of his mindset changing. Mindset is something Carr said Coach Williams emphasizes.

The idea is Klint Kubiak will put players in the open field with the ball in their hand more than last year. That didn’t feel like a premium under Pete Carmichael. The heavy emphasis on play action is meant to get the entire defense looking the wrong way.

Deceiving the front seven will allow for more time, and deceiving the secondary will provide more room for players to work after the catch.

Last season, Carr averaged 4.5 yards after the catch per completion. That was good for 30th in the league. Part of that is on him and his ball placement, part of that is on the mindset after the catch and part of that is on the scheme maximizing the ability for yards after the catch. Now it’s time to put it all together.

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Chiefs WR Rashee Rice ranks second in yards after catch, according to PFF

#Chiefs rookie Rashee Rice is on a prolific pace after the catch, according to Pro Football Focus.

Rashee Rice has been one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ most reliable pass catchers in 2023, and without his exceptional efforts on gameday, the team’s offense would be without a consistent receiver for Patrick Mahomes to target.

The rookie’s ability to gain yards after making receptions has made him a fan-favorite in Kansas City through his first 15 games in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, only Tyreek Hill has more yards after the catch this season than Rice.

While Rice hasn’t been able to singlehandedly fix the Chiefs’ issues at the receiver position, his steady presence has helped Mahomes and Andy Reid keep Kansas City in a position to compete for a spot in the AFC playoffs.

Expect Rice to continue his run of excellence against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 as the Chiefs seek to punch their ticket to the postseason against their bitter conference rival at Arrowhead Stadium.

Rashee Rice leads NFL in one key metric ahead of Chiefs’ preseason finale

Rashee Rice currently leads the NFL in one key metric heading into the #Chiefs’ preseason finale against the #Browns on Sunday.

Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice has all the makings of an elite pass-catching prospect and has looked great in the Kansas City Chiefs’ first preseason games. Though he faces long odds to beat out veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore for a top spot on the team’s depth chart, he enters the Chiefs’ preseason finale as the NFL’s leader in yards after the catch, according to Pro Football Focus.

His 84 yards after the catch are an impressive testament to his ability to make defenders miss and find space on his routes in Andy Reid’s complex offensive system. Though his preseason statistics won’t count toward his official rookie year statistics, Rice has set himself up for success ahead of Kansas City’s Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions in September.

Watch for Rice to continue showcasing his elite elusiveness against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday in the Chiefs’ 2023 preseason finale at Arrowhead Stadium.

WATCH: Rashee Rice shows off elite juke move after catch at Chiefs practice

Rashee Rice showed off some impressive wiggle after a catch at the #Chiefs’ Friday practice session.

Rashee Rice is one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ most highly anticipated rookies and has made his presence felt early and often at the team’s training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri. He showcased his elite talent after the catch on Friday, juking a defender nearly out of his shoes after recording a reception on a pass from backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Plays like this have become routine for Rice as he has started blending in with the Chiefs’ top-tier receiving corps at Missouri Western State University this week. Kansas City will rely on him to develop into a trusted target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes as a rookie, and moves like these are sure to endear him to the reigning MVP who values his receivers’ abilities to gain yards after the catch.

Watch for Rice to continue getting looks with Kansas City’s first and second-team offenses as Andy Reid and the Chiefs coaching staff figure out where he should sit on the team’s depth chart ahead of the regular season.

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Terry McLaurin leads all WRs in yards after catch; trails only Alvin Kamara in NFL

When it comes to making plays with the ball in his hands, no WR in the NFL is better than Terry McLaurin at this moment.

Any fan of the Washington Football Team knows how special WR Terry McLaurin is, and it seems that the NFL as a whole is starting to get the picture as well.

Through the quarter-mark of the 2020 NFL season, McLaurin now leads all receivers when it comes to yards after the catch, and he ranks second in the entire league, trailing only RB Alvin Kamara from the New Orleans Saints.

With 208 yards after the catch, McLaurin now has 387 total receiving yards this season, which ranks fifth in the NFL. It’s also important to note that among the top-five receivers in that category, he is the only player without a Pro-Bowl level quarterback throwing him the ball. If Dwayne Haskins can continue to progress and settle into his role as a franchise QB, it will be absolutely incredible to see what McLaurin can do.

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