The NFL’s 11 best slot receivers

With the three-receiver set the new default in the NFL, slot receivers are more important than ever. Here are the NFL’s 11 best.

9. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals

First overall pick Joe Burrow will have to ramp things up quickly without any offseason programs to date in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but he’s got a pretty decent receiver group in Cincinnati, especially if A.J. Green can stay healthy. Perhaps the biggest reason for excitement for Burrow should be Tyler Boyd, the 2016 second-round pick out of Pittsburgh who set career highs with 90 catches and 1,046 yards in 2019. And as a slot target, Boyd proved to be one of the NFL’s best for Ryan Finley and Andy Dalton. One wonders what he’ll be able to do with Burrow’s refined accuracy and velocity.

In 2019, Boyd caught 57 passes from the slot on 88 targets for 776 yards, two touchdowns, and a passer rating of 86.0 when targeted by two quartebacks who probably shouldn’t have been starters. Now, give him Burrow as a quarterback, and watch Boyd cook at a different level.