6. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Allen has been known as one of the NFL’s premiere route-runners almost from the moment he started in the league in 2013 as a third-round pick out of Cal. Allen caught a career-high 104 passes in 2019, and 54 of those, on 71 targets, came in the slot. Allen gained 587 yards and scored three touchdowns from the slot and allowed Philip Rivers to amass a quarterback rating of 92.0 when targeting him inside. That’s pretty efficient when you consider that Rivers threw 11 interceptions to just nine touchdowns overall when throwing to his slot targets.
Everything that makes Allen a great overall receiver comes into play in the slot. He can body defenders out and establish position with his physical nature, he can blow coverage away with quick, refined timing cuts, and few receivers have a better understanding of spacing across the field.
Keenan Allen, Professional Receiver. The cut, the jump, and a toe-tap that would make Cris Carter take notice. pic.twitter.com/SsvBz1mHqU
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 24, 2020
The Chargers’ future at quarterback is to be determined with veteran Tyrod Taylor as the starter for now, and first-round pick Justin Herbert very much under construction, but Allen will unquestionably be a stalwart in that passing game.