• Tyreek Hill’s dominance extends to press coverage: Speed, speed and more speed. Hill burned defenses for 1,505 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns from 93 receptions versus press coverage.
• Nico Collins broke out in 2023: The third-year wideout earned a 92.4 PFF receiving grade against press coverage to rank second on this list.
• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF’s fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to get ready for your live draft!
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A growing theme in the NFL, especially compared to college football, is cornerbacks being asked to play in press coverage — right up in a receiver’s face at the line of scrimmage. A wideout’s ability to out-physical that defender is paramount, as it leads to clear separation and, thus, production.
Here, we are looking at the top 10 wide receivers in PFF receiving grade when facing press coverage in 2023.
Hill’s speed means a cornerback can’t get it wrong when pressing him close to the line of scrimmage. Any mistake is fatal for a defense, and Hill took advantage on his way to 1,505 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns from 93 receptions versus press coverage, averaging a league-leading 3.95 yards per route run.
Collins saw 85 targets against press coverage in 2023, turning them into 61 receptions for 1,128 yards. He was one of the most productive receivers on a per-snap basis last year, as his 3.47 yards per route run against press coverage trailed only Tyreek Hill.
Brown saw 113 targets against press coverage in 2023, leading to 84 receptions for 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns. His 2.84 yards per route run against press coverage last year ranked fourth at the position.
St. Brown’s 1,346 receiving yards against press coverage tied with Puka Nacua and trailed only Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb in the regular season and playoffs in 2023. He averaged 12.8 yards per catch, despite seeing an average target depth of just 8.2 yards.
Only 60 of Aiyuk’s 89 targets against press coverage in the 2023 regular season and playoffs were catchable. But he dropped just one, picking up 1,069 yards on 59 receptions.
Only Tyreek Hill recorded more yards against press coverage than Lamb in the regular season and playoffs last year, with the star Cowboys receiver racking up 110 receptions for 1,416 yards and eight touchdowns.
The star rookie receiver tied for third in the league with 1,346 receiving yards against press coverage in an impressive debut season in Los Angeles. His 10 drops against press coverage were more than any other player, but his 2.95 yards per route run ranked third.
One of two current Bears wide receivers to earn a 90.0-plus PFF receiving grade versus press coverage last season, DJ Moore averaged 2.56 yards per route run in 2023. His 29 receptions of 15-plus yards when facing press coverage also ranked eighth in the league.
Allen, now joining DJ Moore in Chicago, earned his spot here based on his work in his final season with the Chargers. He dropped just six of the 91 catchable targets he saw versus press coverage last season and averaged 2.63 yards per route run.
Metcalf rounds out the top 10 at the position, coming off a season in which he turned 79 targets against press coverage into 45 receptions for 825 yards and eight touchdowns. His 18.3 yards per reception in this category trailed only Nico Collins.
