Yards per route run is an intuitive figure from the good folks at Next Gen Stats that distills receiving production into one simple measurement. Unsurprisingly, the leaderboard is a who’s who of the NFL’s best pass catchers. That said, the top dog over the past two seasons (min. 500 routes run since 2023) might take some by surprise:
1) Nico Collins, Houston Texans: 3.2 yds/rt
T-2) A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: 3.0
T-2) Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: 3.0
4) Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins: 2.9
T-5) Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers: 2.8
T-5) Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: 2.8
T-7) George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: 2.7
T-7) CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys: 2.7
T-9) Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2.5
T-9) Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: 2.5
T-11) Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: 2.3
T-11) Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: 2.3
T-11) Malik Nabers, New York Giants: 2.3
In summation, Nico’s an elite receiver. The only thing holding him back is injuries. Speaking of which, Joe Mixon just landed on the reserve/non-football injury list due to a lingering foot issue, and on Wednesday, GM Nick Caserio wouldn’t even commit to the Pro Bowl RB playing this season. Yikes. How much tread does Nick Chubb still have on those well-worn tires?