2 days Ago By Braden Ramsey
NFL players are some of the most athletic people in the world. For wide receivers in particular, speed stands out as a tremendous attribute. But for every Xavier Worthy and Tyreek Hill – who frequently leave defenders in a trail of dust – there’s a Cooper Kupp and Anquan Boldin, who succeed despite lacking high-end speed.
The point? You don’t have to be insanely fast to become a star receiver in the NFL. Speed may help, but it’s far from the most important skill in someone’s repertoire. Rob Gronkowski described how young athletes who may not be the most fleet of foot can accomplish their dreams of reaching the league on the most recent episode of the Dudes on Dudes podcast.
The proof is in the pudding. For his career, Kupp has averaged 74.8 receiving yards per game on 8.
35 targets per contest. Over his professional tenure, Hill has averaged 79.1 yards per game on 8.
57 targets per contest. There are other factors – namely the average depth of the target – that contribute to these numbers. However, it’s a coach’s job to get the most out of a player’s skillset.
Julian Edelman on succeeding in NFL without top-tier speed Worthy (4.22 40-yard dash) and Hill (4.29) are in the upper 1% of NFL players when it comes to sprint speed.
Kupp (4.62) is – and Boldin (4.71) was – on the lower end.
Gronkowski’s former teammate, Julian Edelman (4.52) offers a solid middle ground. No, Edelman’s averages (49.
8 yards per game on 6.86 targets per contest) aren’t as high as Kupp’s or Hill’s. However, Tom Brady did not have a more trusted playoff weapon than Edelman, whose 118 postseason grabs rank third all-time.
When the biggest champion in league history needed someone to get open, Edelman was there. Needless to say, the advice Edelman offered was from personal experience. There may be no better player to talk about this topic than Edelman.
Height and weight wise, he (5-foot-10, 198 lbs.) is almost identical to the average American male (5-foot-9, 199.8 lbs.
). His dedication to his craft allowed him to dominate (at times) in a sport full of juggernauts. At the end of the day, you can’t ask for much more than that.
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