11. Willie Snead IV, Baltimore Ravens
Last October, the Ravens signed Snead to a one-year, $6 million extension that will have him on the roster through the 2020 season. In 2019, he caught just 31 regular-season passes for 339 yards and five touchdowns, but he did have a bit of a bust-out game against the Titans in Baltimore’s divisional round upset loss. There, he caught six passes on eight targets for 56 yards.
Snead brought in all five of those touchdowns as a slot target, as well as 31 of his receptions for 381 yards. When targeted by Lamar Jackson last season in the slot, Snead allowed his MVP quarterback to put up a rating of 116.3, one of the highest marks in the league.
Snead is a bit of a throwback slot target. The undrafted free agent out of Ball State put himself on the map in 2015 and 2016 as a productive member of the Saints’ offense. He’s not the biggest guy at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, but he’s able to win against coverage because he has the skills required at the slot receiver position — everything from surprising speed to the ability to sell and break in and out of routes. Snead isn’t flashy, but he’s productive as an inside target when given the chance.
Marquise Brown was the Ravens' more explosive slot target, and Mark Andrews was big as a slot TE, but Willie Snead showed great command of the subtleties of the slot position in 2019. Using leverage to create space for the quarterback. pic.twitter.com/eWNu8uUU6R
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 24, 2020