Data shows Seahawks have very talented receivers

The available Reception Perception data paints a very rosy picture for the current wide receivers for the Seattle Seahawks.

Researching that Tyler Lockett article from Friday, led to a rabbit hole that simply needed to be explored. The Reception Perception data on Lockett was tremendous, but it left me curious about the rest of Seattle’s receivers.

What does the data say they’re good at? How do they compare to the rest of the NFL? Is this receiving group as good as we think it is? These are some of the questions I hoped to answer by digging through Matt Harmon’s data.

Unfortunately, we don’t have data on all of Seattle’s receivers. There’s never been a study done on Jermaine Kearse (at least none I could find), and most of the young receiving talent hasn’t played enough to generate any data.

Also, since Harmon only studies receivers in this manner, there’s also no data on Jimmy Graham. Seattle’s big TE is an elite pass-catcher, so his success rate vs. coverage (SRVC) data for different route types would be extremely interesting to look at.

The good news is that we do have data on Tyler Lockett, Paul Richardson, Doug Baldwin, and college data on rookie Kenny Lawler. Just for the fun of it, I threw in former Seahawks receiver Golden Tate as well. Also included is the NFL averages, so we have something to reference all this to.

If there was any doubt that Tyler Lockett is awesome, then you clearly haven’t been paying attention. Lockett is above average at getting open at every type of route. Seriously, this kid is going to be a major star.

Except for rare players like Lockett, most receivers have things they do well and things they do not. Doug Baldwin in one of the premier slot receivers in the NFL right now, so don’t get too down at the amount of orange in his row. His ability to win both on deep routes (post and corner) as well as on their shorter counterparts (curl and comeback) allows him to be a major threat to opposing defenses.

The data also supports Paul Richardson’s ability to carve out an important role for the Seahawks. Richardson’s success on nine routes and out routes give the Seahawks a skill set that is different that Baldwin’s. Add in that he is the fastest player on the roster, and it is easy to see him making a significant impact this season.

Take the Kenny Lawler data with a grain of salt since it is against college CBs and not NFL athletes. It shows us his skill set, but referencing it to the NFL average or other current receivers probably isn’t wise.

I’m curious to see how the Seahawks use Lawler. His size, ability to catch in traffic and success with slant routes should give the Seahawks a reliable target on third down. Plus, his college tape is  full of great looking corner routes, which is an underused part of Seattle’s offense.

The Golden Tate data speaks for itself, so I won’t go into many details there. Let’s just say that the Seahawks were probably smart not to pay him what it would have required to keep him.

Next: The importance on Jeremy Lane

Overall, there’s a lot of really good information here. This group os receivers is quite skilled, and it is easy to see how the position group has gone from a liability to a strength in just a couple of short seasons.

What is missing here is whether or not the Seahawks are using their receivers in a way that best takes advantage of their individual skills. That is a topic for another article. Stay tuned.