Does WR Speed Really Kill?

[AkronsWitness]

Saw this post on Twitter and it made me think a little bit. Nearly all of the fastest combine WRs for the last 15+ years have become absolute busts or non factors in the NFL. For as much of a spectacle the NFL/social media/combine make about 4.2 forty times it really has yet to mean anything productive in the NFL. Is speed overvalued? Why do teams value WR speed so highly when it has proven to not amount to anything?

Edited February 28, 2020 by AkronsWitness

[warsawian]

Thats because those are mostly track guys that play WR and not the other way around. 

However, Ruggs is the real deal and ask NFL defenders covering Tyreek Hill if speed kills.  Only reason his name isn't on that list is because he wasn't invited to the combine. 

If you look at the 4.3 guys, you will see a list of more football vs track guys and that list is more productive. 

[drew39k]

The problem with rating wr speed off 40 times is that your fastest players are often fairly slight.  So while they may run great in shorts  tossing pads on and having a DB jam them can really neutralize their speed in game.

You won't see teams go away from it though, because if you hit on a super fast guy, the upside is huge. Look at players like Tyreke Hill and what he brings to the table in KC. Or what CJ2K did in Tennessee, Hester in Chicago. Speed can get your team easy points.

[Chargers]

-insert Dante Stallworth joke here -

[AkronsWitness]

4 minutes ago, drew39k said:

The problem with rating wr speed off 40 times is that your fastest players are often fairly slight.  So while they may run great in shorts  tossing pads on and having a DB jam them can really neutralize their speed in game.

You won't see teams go away from it though, because if you hit on a super fast guy, the upside is huge. Look at players like Tyreke Hill and what he brings to the table in KC. Or what CJ2K did in Tennessee, Hester in Chicago. Speed can get your team easy points.

I get the Tyreke Hill mention, but Im starting to think he is more of a 1 of 1 type of player that the league is chasing, but they are chasing something that isnt there and thats where you get your John Ross at #9 draft selections.

Edited February 28, 2020 by AkronsWitness

[Ragnarok]

Because teams forget that you need more than just speed.

[Soko]

It has to be a football player with speed, not just an athlete with speed. Hill gets credit for beating anyone he wants deep, but there’s more to it than just running by defenders.

And I think you can isolate any single trait (especially physical ones) and day the majority fail. Receivers with tons of muscle mass/strength, ones that are 6’5+, ones that run a 4.2, ones that have 40+ inch verticals, ones with a 130+ broad jump, ones that have 10+ inch hands - without having the actual info, I’d wager that the majority fail. It doesn’t mean those skills/traits aren’t useful, it’s just that they’re not enough to make a good football player.

Edited February 28, 2020 by Yin-Yang

[Shanedorf]

 

 

 

For the small ultra-fast WRs, lots of busts or low AVs among the fastest players - ( see top graph on left side )
For the Big WRs, the ones with the highest speed score ( adjusted for weight) have a very high AV ( see lower graph, right side )

[jrry32]

As others have said, you can't just have speed. You need to have the traits around it. You have to be able to track and catch the ball. You have to understand the nuances of route running. You have to be able to stay healthy. What separates Henry Ruggs from your typical freakishly fast guy is that he's actually a skilled player. He's like DeSean or Tyreek or Brandin Cooks. He's a WR who happens to be freakishly fast, not a freakishly fast guy who happens to play WR.

[BayRaider]

You need power and speed. And a complete skillset. Tyrell Hill is built like a compact tank, and understands routes very well. And he ran a 4.24.

Ruggs and Hill have many similarities. Ruggs is very well rounded, good route runner, and aggressive catching the football. I think he needs to put on more upper-body muscle mass but besides that, I think Ruggs is gonna be a star.

[FalconFan13]

I like a guy with some insane speed but i'll take a guy who can run the complete route tree with smoothness and blindingly quick cuts all day over a guy with straight line speed.   I think you can get much more wide open with your routes than just out speeding someone.

[kingseanjohn]

The Chiefs love it. We took Hardman last year who ran a 4.33 at the combine, plus all the other speed on the team. But the major difference is that they are football players first, not track guys trying to play football.

[goldfishwars]

You can win with speed, but playing receiver is a SKILLED position. 

[HTTRDynasty]

Yeah, Terry McLaurin ran a 4.35, but his route running is far more deadly than his straight line speed.  Although, he's much more dangerous than a player like KJ Hill will be, partly because of his superior speed.

[Chrissooner49er]

The three most important things (remember: 9ers fan, so also Jerry Rice fan) for a WR: High work ethic, good route running, good hands.