For the past few years I've been keeping a simple Notepad file with the names of each incoming rookie WR that gets accolades (or criticism) for their route running. I have expanded my technique this year and I'm going to share it with the Shark Pool.Over the past few seasons, past rookie success has come from their route running ability compared to their god-gifted talent.
Methodology
I'm not a football analyst. I do not watch college football apart from a few games per season. I do not watch film. I do not crunch numbers. I let the people who are paid to do those things, do those things...and then I read what they have to say.
A huge shout out to @Faust in this endeavor. I basically only read about incoming rookies here in the Shark Pool, and the articles he links are 95% of my source material. I also listen to a lot of pre-draft podcasts and will note those comments where appropriate.
Scoring system
This isn't rocket surgery. If an article lists a player as having skills at route running, I note it and give them a +1. If they are critical of a player's route running, I give them a -1. A few writers do both and I present these as neutral.
As I read about these players I copy and paste the writer's exact words in my file and simply tally up the score afterwards.
Drawbacks
Because I don't watch or even pay attention to the college football season, I don't start reading about players until after the national championship game. Prior to that I'm laser focused on NFL players and my myriad dynasty teams. I list this as a drawback for a couple reasons. (1) It ignores what pundits say weekly throughout the season, I guess this could be considered both good and bad because it doesn't taint my opinion in September. (2) In previous years if a player had a fantastic week at the Shrine Bowl or Senior Bowl, SO MANY articles are written touting their skills. I have smoothed that this year by only accepting a single article per day of practice during these events, and I'm fairly confident that most of the players I have listed in red below were artificially inflated in my system.
Caveats
This is probably the exact opposite of a scientific analysis. I'm perusing curated content on a specific site which doesn't mention everyone and certainly doesn't catch every article for every player, no matter how good Faust is.
I am not advocating that you bump my highest-scored player to the top of your dynasty drafts, but this is another tool in the arsenal of evaluation.
History
Players that I feel like I have identified and bumped up a bit higher than other analysts during the past few years (in order by score):
2019 - Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Riley Ridley
2020 - Jerry Jeudy, Van Jefferson, KJ Hill, Justin Jefferson
2021 - Rashod Bateman, Ja'marr Chase, Dwayne Eskeridge, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Davonta Smith, Elijah Moore, Kadarius Toney, Rondale Moore, Demeric Felton
The meat and potatoes
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND I WILL BE UPDATING THIS PAGE AS I READ ADDITIONAL ARTICLES.
I will eventually sort these players by tier in terms of their expected ADP, but for now it's simply alphabetical.
+11
Chris Olave
- + (extremely polished route-runner)
- + (nuanced route running)
- + (best route runner in this class)
- + (he checks four out of six boxes with the go, hitch, in and out routes)
- + (Displays an advanced route tree and polish at all three levels/great route-runner with polish)
- + (great technique in route running)
- + (silky-smooth route-runner)
- + (Crafty overall route runner)
- + (Excellent route-runner (arguably best in this class) )
- + (one of college football’s most refined route-runners. A true route technician)
- + (Olave's polish can be evidenced by his clever route running)
- +/- (Room for more manipulation as a route salesman - Zierlein)
David Bell
- + (His route running was immaculate)
- + (runs proficient routes)
- + (good route-runner/fairly good route tree)
- + (unconventional type of elusiveness/eerily similar to Cooper Kupp)
- + (rhythmic route-running and detailed footwork/Balance and agility for more complex route tree - Zierlein)
- + (thrives on winning with route detail and smart angles to garner separation)
- + (very good route runner and uses every phase of the route to his advantage/precise in his routes with great field awareness)
- +/- (mechanical route running/Could work on selling his routes with his entire body)
- + (sudden and decisive route-runner)
- + (runs sharp routes, brings polish as a route runner)
- + (Very good route-runner who understands how to tempo his routes)
- + (well-versed route tree/Nuanced route runner)
- + (Runs an expansive route tree very well)
- + (His route-running is smooth but features speed changes - Zierlein)
- + (exceptional at manipulating DBs with his deceptive and violent route running\Simply put, Dotson is a route technician)
Garrett Wilson
- + (explodes into his route, head and shoulder fakes, creates room outside)
- + (mastery of the finer points of route running/detailed route runner)
- + (Great route runner, in terms of running the route and route tempo)
- + (Creates plenty of separation on routes)
- + (great route-running ability/gets in and out quickly)
- + (he carries the class' second-best explosive rate (15-plus yard plays divided by targets) on staple routes)
- + (his route-running precision netted the most separation (each route is factored in) among the draft-eligible receivers)
- + (might be the best route runner and separator in this class)
- + (his route running is solid at all levels)
- + (very crisp at the the top of routes, creating a lot of separation - Jeremiah)
- - (Improved route-runner but inconsistent)
- - ("dancy" in his routes, struggles with physicality)
- - (very inefficient with routes over the first two levels/Route-running is raw and segmented - Zierlein)
- - (route-running flashiness is more of a fireworks show than a well-crafted approach/gets clunky at the top of his route)
Skyy Moore
- + (super-quick feet and freaky explosiveness into his route stem)
- + (uses every phase of his routes as a weapon against defenders)
- + (very flexible as a route runner/a violent route runner)
- + (constantly displays his quickness, balance and body control with his route running/a good route runner with reliable hands)
- + (A excellent route runner - who obviously is a student of the game
- + (very flexible as a route runner/a precise route runner)
- + (Ian Cummings gave Moore a nine out of ten on his scale for "agility and twitch" and "route running")
- - (doesn’t truly burst out of his route breaks)
- - (one-note route runner lacking acceleration out of break points and vertical juice to separate deep-Zierlein)
Kyle Phillips
- + (savvy route running)
- + (runs good routes)
- + (routes are crisp)
- + (good route-running, excellent route-running, smooth footwork, immediate separation)
- + (possibly the best route runner at Senior Bowl)
- + (excellent route-runner, extended route tree)
- + (his hip sink insulates his potential as a route runner)
- + (calculated route runner, every step has a purpose)
+2
John Metchie
- + (a very good route runner and understands how to use all phases of the route to his advantage)
- + (His route running is smooth, seamless, and rarely looks forced.)
- + (stellar route running)
- + ("His route running is sharp and controlled"-Shane Coughlin/"His route running is so crisp and sudden in short areas"-Josh Carney)
- + (improved route running)
- + (ran great routes)
- + (ran exceptional routes)
- + (ability to get out of breaks and separate quickly)
- + (great footwork as a route-runner)
- + (ran crisp routes)
- + (showcases good route-running ability)
- + (good route runner)
- + (has some polish as a route runner)
- - (noticeably raw as a route runner)
- - (he didn't look like he ran crisp routes)
- - (Not overly refined as a route runner)
- + (savvy route-running skills)
- + (third-highest open rate on staple routes and the No. 1 explosive play rate)
- + (Good overall route-runner/he shows polish and nuance with his route running)
- - (isn't a ready-made route-runner)
Calvin Austin III
- + (Firecracker off the line/Calculated route runner/unpredictable route running)
- + (ran solid routes, displayed diverse route tree)
- + (release gave him an immediate half-step on defenders)
- + (Above-average route-runner)
- + (Balanced, savvy route runner)
- +/- (He can execute routes inside or outside/will need to continue to polish his route running)
- - (Route work is too freestyle and unfocused-Lance Zierlein)
- + (demonstrated his speed and route running during Senior Bowl practices)
- + ("footwork, timing and burst as a route runner is outstanding."/could be one of the top two or three route runners in the draft-Eric Galko)
- + (ran terrific routes)
- + (elite agility as a runner/leans into and out of cuts with ease and stacks moves in rapid succession/flashes excellent twitch as a route runner/some traits that are conducive to successful route running)
- + (bevy of routes and his quick shift ability)
- + (Despite only one full year as a full-time receiver he runs good routes)
- - (wouldn’t classify him as a true technician)
- - (Average fluidity through route stems) - Zierlein
- + (clean and precise routes)
- + (good, savvy route runner/has run a diverse route tree)
Jalen Tolbert
- + (variety of release strategies, gets into route quickly)
- + (Routes are gliding and smooth/Stick-shift route runner with excellent change of speeds - Zierlein)
- - (lacking hip sink/overthinks routes)
- - (rounds out his cuts)
Drake London
- + (quality route runner)
- + (impressive route control for his size)
- + (His first step is explosive and covers ground)
- + (He is a nuanced route runner, and it’s impressive to see how quickly he can get in and out of breaks - Daniel Jeremiah)
- + stands out because of his winning combination at all three levels of the route)
- - (his one-speed route-running and lack of separation burst means a career full of contested catches)
- - (route running could use some polish)
- - (isn’t going to create much separation with his route-running/slow getting in and out of his breaks)
- - (route running is decent but he will need to improve)
- - (isn't a finished product as a route-runner)
- - (one-speed route-running and lack of separation burst means a career full of contested catches - Zierlein)
Treylon Burks
- + (varies his route tempo)
- - (will need to continue to refine his technique and route-running/inconsistent on shorter route breaks)
- - (not running routes as well as others)
- - (will round off some of his routes)
- - (has room for improvement with his route running)
- - (not an elusive route runner/route tree is going to be limited)
George Pickens
- +/- (Average route-runner at this point in time. Has ability to tap into but will need polish)
- - (His route running is suspect, will need to clean up his route running)
- - (needs to show quick-cutting ability for route-running, routes need more polish and physicality)
- - needs to show quick-cutting ability for route-running/routes need more polish - Zierlein
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