YAC

[bileever]

After watching the Chiefs, and playing the 49ers and Rams, it seemed to me that it would be great if the Seahawks could improve their YAC numbers next year. This season, we were 22nd in the league, not the worst, but still a 1,000 yards behind the Chiefs.

NFL Team Leaders - Yards after Catch | NBCSports

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It's both scheme and personnel that result in YACs. One of the most demoralizing things is to have Cooper Kupp or Deebo Samuel catch a short pass and make a big play out of it. Those Ram and 49er schemes are so good at putting players in space where they have room to rumble. I hope Shane Waldron is working on that in his mad scientist lab this off-season.

Our best YAC guy this year, as always, was Tyler Lockett (for all you Lockett haters who thinks he makes too many business decisions--I think he just plays smart). DK, for a big guy, doesn't seem to break many tackles. He was 4th on the team, after Lockett, Fant and Walker.

The top guys tend to be RBs--Austin Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey were 1 and 2. Travis Kelce was number 3. The top WRs were Justin Jefferson (4), AJ Brown (6), Chris Godwin (8), Amon-Ra St. Brown (9), Jaylon Waddle (10) Devante Adams (11) and Deebo Samuel (12). Our top guy was number 64. I guess there was some hope that Dee Eskridge could be that type of guy, but that hasn't panned out.

Here are the complete player stats:

https://www.footballdb.com/statistics/nfl/player-stats/receiving?sort=recyac

 

[jammerhawk]

The ghost otherwise known as Dee Eskridge is invisible and after two full seasons has done diddly.

Expecting that leopard to change it's spots is seemingly fanciful thinking. He is just a player that cannot stay healthy. He's been on IR for both seasons and has been available for 20 of 33 regular season games.

Something will need to really change for him for Eskridge to be anything more than a wasted draft pick.

 

[BASF]

The ghost otherwise known as Dee Eskridge is invisible and after two full seasons has done diddly.

Expecting that leopard to change it's spots is seemingly fanciful thinking. He is just a player that cannot stay healthy. He's been on IR for both seasons and has been available for 20 of 33 regular season games.

Something will need to really change for him for Eskridge to be anything more than a wasted draft pick.

Does insulting him make you feel better about yourself?

 

[jammerhawk]

Not at all, and I'm not insulting him just speaking my thoughts and factual reality about his relevance to the team or his worth up to present as a draft pick. I'd love it if he did show up and play to his draft pick value this season but 125 receiving yards in two seasons of injury plagued performance reason for doubt him.

Instead of him the team could have had OC- Creed Humphrey who has been a Pro Bowl Quality OLineman in his two seasons in the league. That constant reminder makes the lack of performance by Eskridge more disappointing.

 

[BASF]

Calling him ghost is insulting.

 

[hawkfan68]

The ghost otherwise known as Dee Eskridge is invisible and after two full seasons has done diddly.

Expecting that leopard to change it's spots is seemingly fanciful thinking. He is just a player that cannot stay healthy. He's been on IR for both seasons and has been available for 20 of 33 regular season games.

Something will need to really change for him for Eskridge to be anything more than a wasted draft pick.

Your speculation that they would have chosen Creed Humphrey if they hadn't selected Eskridge is a huge stretch. Maybe they were unimpressed by Creed as a 2nd round pick. After all 32 teams didn't pick Tom Brady until the 6th round in his respective NFL draft.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

WAY too easy to play the "we should have drafted x player" card. Just about every team in the league has regrets over not taking a guy. Very easy after the fact.

In retrospect, sure it sucks they didn't take Creed. Or they took Penny instead of Chubb. Shoot, T.J. Watt went #30, that's a lot of teams that are probably pi**ed they passed on the guy. They've had their misses no doubt. But so has every other team. Yes, that's the same draft the Hawks took Mcdowell at 35 (puke)

 

[jammerhawk]

For sure it is the case that there can be a lot of coulda, woulda, shoulda over draft picks and certainly speculation as whether the team would have even considered any specific player, but OC was a position of need when Eskridge was drafted and there were other choices for apparently quick and shifty smallish WRs.

To present all I'm saying is that Eskridge seems to be a miss as far as being successful draft pick.

 

[KinesProf]

Unfortunately there's multiple aspects needed to being a productive yac guy. One of them, and though it has been a small sample size, is having that juice with the ball in your hands - and Dee has appeared to have that, but with very few examples.

The other is being built to withstand that contact. And physically, Dee seems to have that thick build for it; but he just can't seem to get a run of health. And I don't know what to say, as it isn't like a concussion, toe, and broken hand are particularly indicative of someone who can't survive the league. Hopefully he can get a good run of health and at least make business decisions near the sidelines.

Golden was one of the best I've seen in recent times, while Percy was like a Ferrari that was always in the shop.

Dissly is another guy who is a very tough dude to tackle, but with durability issues.

I am really not sure how to properly identify good yac prospects who you can trust to stay healthy. As even Deebo, Christian, and Kupp take a beating.

 

[AgentDib]

In my view the better number if you want to dig into playstyle is YAC per reception. Lockett is #109 in that ranking, with more total YAC than most because he catches more passes than most. All of the TEs and the RBs were well ahead of him as you'd expect.

That really highlights your point though, which is that we were missing that twitchy slot/flank receiver on our roster this year who was a danger in space. This draft is loaded with talented but small slot receivers and I usually end up with one when doing a mock draft; Hyatt and Addison end of the first/top of the second, Downs and Flowers early day 2, Dell, Scott and Reed late day 2 or early day 3.

One interesting sleeper candidate late is WR Derius Davis from TCU. He's been projected as a UDFA throughout the process so far but he received an invite to the combine. He should do well there as he was a track star in high school with a top 5 national 400 meter time. At TCU he was mainly a special teams player and the primary punt returner, but he also was in on gadget plays on offense such as those jet sweeps we wanted to give Eskridge. TCU went out of their way to try to get the ball in his hands in the open field and his high potential as a punt returner gives him extra value.

 

[Jville]

I'm all in on twitchy return men.

All in on addressing Special Teams yards after the catch.

 

[JPatera76]

I'm all in on twitchy return men.

All in on addressing Special Teams yards after the catch.

Godwin Igwebuike, I love this dude on KR/PR duties. When he's out there I feel we get some good field positioning and he's QUICK. Much more refreshing than Dallas imo.

 

[Ozzy]

Your speculation that they would have chosen Creed Humphrey if they hadn't selected Eskridge is a huge stretch. Maybe they were unimpressed by Creed as a 2nd round pick. After all 32 teams didn't pick Tom Brady until the 6th round in his respective NFL draft.

He was highly rated centers just tend to go later. A lot of draft pundits killed Seattle for it when it happened so criticism of the staff is warranted. I was shocked they didn’t take Creed when he was there.

 

[seatownlowdown]

too bad dee eskridge is a bust. smfh

 

[nanomoz]

WAY too easy to play the "we should have drafted x player" card. Just about every team in the league has regrets over not taking a guy. Very easy after the fact.

In retrospect, sure it sucks they didn't take Creed. Or they took Penny instead of Chubb. Shoot, T.J. Watt went #30, that's a lot of teams that are probably pi**ed they passed on the guy. They've had their misses no doubt. But so has every other team. Yes, that's the same draft the Hawks took Mcdowell at 35 (puke)

This is all true.

But it helps to acknowledge that Creed Humphrey is a particularly resonant case because he ticked so many boxes in terms of athleticism, demeanor, toughness, and the fact that the center position has been a wasteland outside of a couple of solid Justin Britt years since they traded Unger. Humphrey seemed like the most "Seahawky" guy in that draft if they meant it when they said they wanted to get more tough/physical.

And Britt's success probably didn't connect as much with the fanbase since he floundered at two other positions before he landed at center.

 

[seatownlowdown]

WAY too easy to play the "we should have drafted x player" card. Just about every team in the league has regrets over not taking a guy. Very easy after the fact.

my "20/20 is hindsight guy" that we missed on was randy moss. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1998/draft.htm we still had joey galloway in 1998 and 1999 too. moss/galloway would have been sick

 

[Shane Falco]

Rashaad Penny over Nick Chubb?

 

[Somos doces]

Rashaad Penny over Nick Chubb?

Rick Mirer over Garrison Hearst, Marvin Jones, Willie Roaf, Lincoln Kennedy, Detroit native Jerome Bettis, Sean Dawkins, Robert Smith (not of The Cure), Darrien Gordon, Thomas Smith, media darling Michael Strahan, Natrone Means business, future Seahawk Chad Brown, Michael Barrow, Qadry Ismail, Lamar Thomas, Ray Buchanan, Jason Elam, Will Shields, General Manager John Lynch, Lorenzo Neal, Mark Brunell, Chris Gray, Frank Wychek, Brock Marion, Troy Brown, Elvis Grbac, AND Trent Green?!!!

Wait, what does this have to do with yards after catch?

 

[Shane Falco]

Rick Mirer over Garrison Hearst, Marvin Jones, Willie Roaf, Lincoln Kennedy, Detroit native Jerome Bettis, Sean Dawkins, Robert Smith (not of The Cure), Darrien Gordon, Thomas Smith, media darling Michael Strahan, Natrone Means business, future Seahawk Chad Brown, Michael Barrow, Qadry Ismail, Lamar Thomas, Ray Buchanan, Jason Elam, Will Shields, General Manager John Lynch, Lorenzo Neal, Mark Brunell, Chris Gray, Frank Wychek, Brock Marion, Troy Brown, Elvis Grbac, AND Trent Green?!!!

Wait, what does this have to do with yards after catch?

200 players over Tom Brady?

 

[Somos doces]

200 players over Tom Brady?

Technically 198, but yes. Again, though: In what way are NFL drafts from the past relevant to the Seahawks of the present needing to improve their yards after catch?