A few years back, when I asked Doug Baldwin — one of the pre-eminent slot receivers of the last decade — about the importance of the position, he summed it up pretty well.
“The slot receiver’s kind of the quarterback of the receivers,” he said in 2015. “More so because the slot receiver has more responsibilities in terms of reading coverages and different adjustments based on what coverages you’re seeing. It’s a lot more complicated. … You have to know a lot more. You have to stay within the confines and the framework of the offense — you have a lot of freedom because you have a little bit more space, but at the same time, your job is usually to get someone else open, or to get open on a crucial down where it’s one-on-one. You have to be versatile, and you have to understand how your route goes into the concept, based on the different coverages you can see.”
Has a college football program ever produced the top two wide receivers selected in back-to-back drafts? Alabama's Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy fit that description this past April, and the. Edelman played quarterback at College of San Mateo and Kent State before being selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft and converted to receiver.
10. Adam Humphries | 9. Golden Tate | 8. Dante Pettis | 7. Cooper Kupp | 6. Jarvis Landry | 5. Julian Edelman | 4. Adam Thielen | 3. JuJu Smith-Schuster | 2. Antonio Brown | 1. Tyreek Hill
It was an apt description in 2015, and though Baldwin has retired, the role of the slot receiver is quite similar to what it was then — and in 2019, one could argue that it’s even more important now. Three- and four-receiver sets are now the norm in the NFL, which means that teams will have double slot packages in which big and small receivers work together. And there’s no shame to the position — it’s not just for the Wes Welkers of the world anymore. Guys who can win outside just fine find themselves in the slot quite frequently, and you’ll find a few names that will rank highly on our upcoming list of outside receivers on this list as well.
Other Top 11 lists: Tight ends | Centers | Guards | Offensive tackles | Edge defenders | Interior defensive linemen | Linebackers | Safeties | Outside cornerbacks | Slot defenders
So, here are the 11 best slot receivers in the NFL as we head into the 2019 season.
When watching Jacksonville’s 2018 passing offense, two things are abundantly clear — Jaguars receivers had one heck of a time with consistent production with Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler throwing the ball all over the place, and the acquisition of Nick Foles was a necessity to give those receivers any chance of improvement. Among those receivers, Westbrook may have the most potential, as he brought in 59 slot receptions on 83 targets for 646 yards and five touchdowns. Not bad for a second-year receiver who’s never had a lot of help from his quarterbacks at the NFL level.
Westbrook uses nimble feet and an impressive catch radius to make contested catches, and he has a good knack for getting open in zones. His drop rate was a problem at times, but with a credible quarterback at the helm, Westbrook could be a rising star in a big hurry.
We are now in Position 8 of 9 in our series examining the highest-paid position coaches in college football, and for just the second time we’ve found a position where the low end does not hit the $400,000 mark. (Running backs being the other.) In fact, at $350,000, we’ve now found the low end of the high end among FBS position coaches.
But, as we’ll explain below, there are reasons for that.
As always, salaries based on publicly-available information, primarily the USA Todaycoaching salary database.
1. Dameyune Craig, Texas A&M — $600,000
2. Cale Gundy, Oklahoma — $535,000
3. David Johnson, Tennessee — $505,000
4. Dennis Simmons, Oklahoma — $460,000
5. Jacob Peeler, Ole Miss — $425,000
6. Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State — $410,000
7. Darrin Chiaverini, Colorado — $400,000
7. Charlie Fisher, Arizona State — $400,000
9. Cortez Hankton, Georgia — $375,000
10. Kodi Burns, Auburn — $350,000
10. Drew Mehringer, Texas — $350,000
10. Justin Stepp, Arkansas — $350,000
2. Cale Gundy, Oklahoma — $535,000
3. David Johnson, Tennessee — $505,000
4. Dennis Simmons, Oklahoma — $460,000
5. Jacob Peeler, Ole Miss — $425,000
6. Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State — $410,000
7. Darrin Chiaverini, Colorado — $400,000
7. Charlie Fisher, Arizona State — $400,000
9. Cortez Hankton, Georgia — $375,000
10. Kodi Burns, Auburn — $350,000
10. Drew Mehringer, Texas — $350,000
10. Justin Stepp, Arkansas — $350,000
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Top College Football Slot Receivers Predictions
Notes of interest:
— Coordinators (or co-coordinators) not included in this list (because they’re coordinators or co-coordinators): Clemson’s Jeff Scott ($1 million), Michigan’s Josh Gattis ($900,000), Nebraska’s Troy Walters ($700,000), South Carolina’s Bryan McClendon ($675,000), Mississippi State’s Luke Getsy ($600,000), Florida’s Billy Gonzales ($577,000) and NC State’s George McDonald ($368,000).
— Brian Hartline made $105,000 as Ohio State’s interim wide receivers coach in 2018. Ryan Day has since named him the Buckeyes’ full-time wideouts coach, but his salary is not yet public. You can safely assume it’ll be above $105,000, though.
— Equally worth of mentioning: Alabama does not have a wide receivers coach as of this moment. For what it’s worth, Gattis made $525,000 while coaching the Crimson Tide’s wide receivers in 2018.
Top College Football Slot Receivers 2019
— Gundy serves as Lincoln Riley’s co-offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in addition to coaching Oklahoma’s inside receivers. The former Oklahoma quarterback and GA — who turns 47 in April — has been a Sooner for all but four years of his adult life.