Where did the 2019 New York Jets wide receiver group rank league-wide?

Michael Nania brings together a multitude of metrics to rank all 32 wide receiver groups in 2019. Where did the New York Jets rank? Back in March, I conducted a study that blended a bevy of different metrics to get a solid estimate of exactly where the New York Jets' offensive line ranked amongst the league's 32 units in 2019. I decided to apply that concept to the rest of the game's positions. Today, we look at the Jets' wide receiver group. Where did the unit led by Jamison Crowder, Robby Anderson, and Demaryius Thomas stack up? Here's how the rankings work - for each statistic, every team is scored on a scale of 0-to-10. The worst team receives a 0, the best team receives a 10, and the other 30 teams are scored relative to those two points. The final ranking is assembled according to each team's average score across all statistics. Let's dig into the metrics that went into the 2019 wide receiver rankings. Drops Statistics are the combined totals of all wide receivers to play for each team. Regular season only unless otherwise noted. Here is how the league's wide receiver groups stacked up by drop rate. The Jets checked in at 26th with a 9.4% drop rate (league average: 7.5%), flubbing 20 passes while hauling in 193. Depth was the primary issue here - Thomas, Vyncint Smith, Braxton Berrios, and Josh Bellamy combined for nine drops on 61 receptions, a terrible rate of 12.9%. Yards per target Yards per target is a good way to capture the explosiveness of a player (or group of players). It places a premium on game-breaking plays with less emphasis on consistency and chain-moving. Here is how the league stacked up. Adam Gase's Jets landed at 25th with an average of 7.73 yards per target, below the league average of 8.41. As a speedy deep threat, Anderson was the team's best producer in this category with a mark of 8.46. The main reason that the Jets landed so low is the fact that Crowder, a pure slot receiver, led the team with 118 targets (26 more than second-ranked Anderson). Crowder is good in his role, but slot men naturally pick up fewer yards than other receivers since the majority of their work is done underneath. Crowder averaged 7.07 yards per target, dragging down the overall numbers. Teams with well-rounded wide receiver groups generally do not see their slot receiver rack up over twice as many targets as all but one other player (Crowder more than doubled Thomas' third-ranked 55 targets). First down rate First down rate places more emphasis on efficiency and consistency than yards per target, with explosiveness thrown out the window. Here is how the league stacked up. The Jets ranked 28th with a rate of 35.9% (league average: 40.1%). None of the Jets' five wide receivers with 10-plus targets posted an above-average rate - Thomas led the way at 38.2%. Receiving PFF grade Pro Football Focus grades each skill position player's performance as a receiver. With context added in, we get a decent shot at capturing the true quality of a player's receiving impact. Players with schemed-up production receive grades that fall short of their box score numbers. On the other hand, players who make low-percentage catches and create after the catch are rewarded. These are just two simple examples of how context can change the way we look at a player's production. Of course, PFF's grades are far from perfect. They cannot be used to judge players on their own - just as any metric cannot. PFF's grades are just one more tool for us to consider. I took each wide receiver's receiving grade and weighted it based on playing time (passing game snaps). Here is how the league stacked up according to aggregate receiving grade by wide receivers. *playoff performances are included here - numbers for solely the regular season are not available This is the Jets' best category yet, falling at 18th. Crowder is to thank, who posted an excellent receiving grade of 73.3 to lead the wide receiver bunch. The team's best receiving grade went not to a wide receiver, but to Le'Veon Bell, who made his presence felt in the passing game with a 77.3 receiving grade. Run-blocking PFF grade Blocking is an important part of the wide receiver position that seldom gets the attention it deserves. We will not let that be the case here. Here is how the league's wide receiver groups stacked up according to PFF's run-blocking grade (recorded the same way as the receiving grades). The Jets' wide receivers fared atrociously in this area, edging out the Dolphins but grading well behind every other team. None of the nine wide receivers to play at least one snap for the Jets recorded a run-blocking grade at or above the positional average of 60.9. Crowder (41.3 grade) and Thomas (36.7) are the biggest offenders. If you were wondering, Breshad Perriman posted a 57.2 run-blocking grade that ranked at the 32nd percentile among qualifiers. His career average weighted for playing time is 59.2. Denzel Mims' aggressive blocking is going to be a sorely-needed upgrade for this rushing attack. Production per offensive play I wanted to include one volume-based metric. Efficiency is the name of the game, but it is important to take into account just how much of a focal point the wide receiver position was in each team's offense. Total receiving yards or first downs wouldn't be prudent, as some teams run more plays than others. To put all teams on the same plane, I adjusted each wide receiver group's receiving yardage and first down totals for their team's total of offensive plays - receiving yards per offensive play and first downs per offensive play. I combined each team's score in these two categories into one "Volume" score. This stat gives us a look at how large of a role that each wide receiver group played in its offense's success. It primarily showcases how much each team prioritized throwing to its wide receivers versus running the ball or throwing to tight ends and running backs, while still rewarding per-target/per-play efficiency. Here is how the league's wide receiver groups stacked up according to the combination of receiving yards per offensive play and receiving first downs per offensive play. The Jets rank 18th with a score of 6.0 here, their best performance in any of the six metrics. In yards per play, coach Shawn Jefferson's wide receivers averaged a mark of 2.52, ranking 16th and above the league average of 2.48. The group fared a little bit worse in first downs per play, ranking with 18th with an average of 0.1172 (league average: 0.1189). The group was featured more often than Gase and the staff likely preferred initially due to Chris Herndon's injury and a lethargic run game, but it still did have to compete for targets against Bell, who ranked seventh among running backs with 78 targets. Ranking in the middle of the pack shows that Gase and Sam Darnold were comfortable riding on the wide receiver group amidst the bevy of injuries and large deficits they faced throughout the year. It's a big credit to Crowder, who was thrust into the spotlight and did a solid job handling the heaviest workload of his career. Time will tell how the target distribution changes with Anderson out, Mims and Perriman in, and, hopefully, a healthy Herndon back in the fold. In addition, with offseason practice time shortened, it is possible the Jets could favor returning players who have experience in the offense. That would lead to even more targets for Crowder and Bell. Final rankings With all of the metrics mashed together, here is how the NFL's 32 wide receiver groups stacked up. The Jets' landing spot is far from pretty, to say the least. Based on the combination of these six metrics, the Jets' wide receiver group was the fourth-worst in the NFL. Fortunately, with the additions of Mims and Perriman, there is plenty of upside in place. Perriman is coming off of a month in which he ranked second among wide receivers in yards (506) and tied for first in touchdowns (5). Could he maintain a level of play even close to those peaks over an entire season, thus providing an upgrade over Anderson? Mims was one of the most productive receivers in college football over the last three seasons, ranking fourth in touchdowns (28) and receiving yards (2,901). Can he become the long-term WR1 the Jets have not had since Al Toon? All that is certain is this - if the Jets are going to compete for a championship anytime soon, Joe Douglas must do a substantially better job of supporting Darnold with offensive talent than Mike Maccagnan did.