Which teams will cause the most problems for the New York Jets secondary?
13. New England Patriots
Italicized players were added in the 2020 offseason.
- 2019 ranking: 28th
- Projected starters: Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, Julian Edelman
- Notable depth: Marqise Lee (FA – JAX), Damiere Byrd (FA – ARI), Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski
The Patriots did little to address a wide receiver group that was so bad it essentially pushed Tom Brady out of town. They did not draft a wide receiver with any of their 10 picks, while their only additions of note in free agency were Marqise Lee and Damiere Byrd. Those two players have combined for just 385 yards over the last two seasons.
Edelman posted a career-best 1,117 yards in 2019, but the Patriots need a lot more from Sanu and Harry, who each averaged a horrendous 4.4 yards per target last year.
12. Las Vegas Raiders
- 2019 ranking: 22nd
- Projected starters: Tyrell Williams, Henry Ruggs (first-round pick), Hunter Renfrow
- Notable depth: Nelson Agholor (FA – PHI), Bryan Edwards (third-round pick), Zay Jones
Las Vegas surprised many (although some in the draft community were aboard this train) with their selection of Ruggs over Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb at No. 12 overall.
Ruggs, who ran a 4.27 forty, will form an explosive duo with Williams, who was the only player in football to average 10.0+ yards per target in each of the last three seasons.
Renfrow had a solid rookie season in the slot, ranking at the 71st percentile among 77 qualified wide receivers with an average of 1.78 yards per route run out of the slot.
11. San Francisco 49ers
- 2019 ranking: 14th
- Projected starters: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk (first-round pick)
- Notable depth: Kendrick Bourne, Dante Pettis, Travis Benjamin (FA – LAC)
- Notable loss: Emmanuel Sanders (FA – NO)
Samuel may miss part of the season as he is expected to miss three-to-four months from mid-June due to shoulder surgery. He averaged 71.9 yards per game over his final eight regular season contests.
Aiyuk will immediately be thrust into the spotlight, especially if Samuel misses time. With Sanders off to New Orleans, the 49ers are thin on depth.
10. Indianapolis Colts
- 2019 ranking: 28th
- Projected starters: T.Y. Hilton, Michael Pittman Jr. (second-round pick), Parris Campbell
- Notable depth: Zach Pascal, Marcus Johnson
The Colts suffered through subpar wide receiver play with Hilton on the sidelines for six games in 2019. They need him healthy, but they also need him to return to peak form – Hilton averaged career-lows of 50.1 yards per game and 7.4 yards per target in 2019, his age-30 season. Switching from the conservative Jacoby Brissett (29th in deep pass frequency) to the aggressive Philip Rivers (12th) will give Hilton every opportunity to recapture his magic as a deep threat.
9. Miami Dolphins
- 2019 ranking: 19th
- Projected starters: DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Albert Wilson
- Notable depth: Allen Hurns, Isaiah Ford, Jakeem Grant
No team’s wide receivers averaged more first downs per offensive play than the Dolphins in 2019 (0.155 with 158 on 1,022 plays).
DeVante Parker enjoyed a breakout season that landed him at fifth in receiving yards (1,202). Undrafted free agent rookie Preston Williams showcased upside with 53.5 yards per game. Allen Hurns bounced back from a scary injury to post an impressive average of 8.9 yards per target, providing Miami with a big-play threat.
It’s a deep group, headlined by a newfound star.
8. Denver Broncos
- 2019 ranking: 12th
- Projected starters: Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy (first-round pick), K.J. Hamler (second-round pick)
- Notable depth: DaeSean Hamilton, Tim Patrick, Diontae Spencer
The Broncos got the third-fewest receiving yards out of their wide receivers in 2019 (1,679), so they went out and drafted Jeudy in the first round and followed it up with Hamler in the second.
Sutton had an excellent season in 2019, ranking 19th in the league and third among 24-and-under players with 1,112 receiving yards.
A sneaky skill of this unit – run-blocking. Denver’s wide receiver group posted the best PFF run-blocking grade of any team by a wide margin, with Sutton (11th), Hamilton (17th), and Patrick (18th) all ranking in the top-20 out of 137 qualifiers. Sutton was graded as the best run-blocker among No. 1 wide receivers (WRs who led team in targets).
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