Like every year, dynasty league participants across the country will assuredly be in search of wide receivers to elevate their team to the playoffs, or maybe even the Super Bowl. If your team is among the many still looking for play-makers on the flanks, then you’re in luck, because the 2021 NFL Draft is right around the corner. While there are plenty of talented draft-eligible wide receivers, some football fans seem to be confused about the X (split end), Y (slot), and Z (flanker) spots, and what position suits each wide receiver best.
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Talent evaluators across various social media platforms have also been scouring the college football landscape to pair wide receiver prospects with wide-receiver-needy teams in their mock drafts. However, there are several mocks I come across on a weekly basis that have made it very obvious that we must first breakdown the differences between the skill-set of a prototypical X, Y, and Z receiver.
Without further ado, allow me to take you through what many teams look for out of each of the three wide receiver positions while introducing you all to some of my favorite players at each spot.
Split End/X
The X receiver is usually the furthest receiver from the center, and positioned at the line of scrimmage. Given the fact that X receivers are on the line, they are susceptible to being pressed there by the cornerback. This means they better be able to beat the jam with either brute strength or elite quickness in their releases at the snap. A true X receiver should also be able to be effective in the short, intermediate and deep passing game. Players like DeAndre Hopkins, a healthy Odell Beckham Jr., and Mike Evans all win in different ways, but they would all be classified as X receivers, and here are a few others (outside of LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase who we’ll cover another time) who could see a great deal of success in Year 1.
DeVonta Smith
NFL Comparison: Rod Smith
DeVonta Smith has an uncanny ability to win at the line of scrimmage due in large part to his quickness. His releases force cornerbacks to open their hips, which allows him to gain separations on a consistent basis, despite his wiry frame. Smith is capable of winning at every level of the field. He can beat defenders short thanks to his suddenness and initial burst, he’s got the toughness to get open on intermediate routes, and he’s got more than enough long speed to beat defenders deep. Smith and Ja’Marr Chase are 1A and 1B in the 2021 draft class but, given the fact that Chase has been out an entire year of football and Smith hasn’t, Smith has the slight edge in my opinion.
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Trevon Grimes
NFL Comparison: Chris Henry
During my time as a high school sports writer, I covered Trevon Grimes when he was just a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. The five-star recruit’s final high school football season was cut short after sustaining a torn ACL in a 25-24 loss to Bishop Gorman. After a stint at Ohio State, the 6-foot-4, 217-pound wide receiver transferred to the University of Florida where he returned to his high school form. Grimes has the ability to beat his man with athleticism, as well as with size and body positioning. He loves to play above the rim and he’ll give any quarterback he’s paired with the confidence to throw it up and take advantage of his catch radius on any given down.
Kyle Pitts
NFL Comparison: Plaxico Burress
While many see Kyle Pitts as a tight end (and understandably so), I like him as an X wide receiver. At 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, he could be extremely dominant in the red zone. Between the 20s, he’d be a force to be reckoned with as a stalk blocker in the run game as well, which makes him an ideal fit for a team like the Baltimore Ravens. Pitts is the ultimate mismatch on the outside thanks to his size-speed combination. Much like his fellow Gator Trevon Grimes, Pitts has an incredible catch radius coupled with the ability to climb the ladder and come down with contested catches more often than not. His physicality on the outside and underrated athleticism is why I agree with Emory Hunt and his opinion that Plaxico Burress and Pitts’ playing styles do mirror one another.
Slot/Y/F
The slot receiver is aligned off the line of scrimmage and is usually located between an outside receiver and the tight end. Slot receivers, also referred to as Y or F, are viewed by many as the smartest and most instinctive pass-catchers on the field. They must be able to see the game through the eyes of their quarterback and read defenders’ leverage on the fly on option routes. While many believe slot receivers to be quick and shifty (and many of them are), they can also be big physical guys who generate mismatches. When looking for slot receivers, think of guys who embody the aforementioned traits and compare favorably to Jarvis Landry, Chris Godwin, or Adam Thielen.
Rondale Moore
NFL Comparison: Tyler Lockett
Rondale Moore possesses extreme quickness in and out of his cuts and will give his next team some position flexibility. He can catch passes out of the backfield and has the ability to return kicks on special teams. Moore is constantly on the same page as his quarterback, which goes a long way towards helping to keep his signal caller upright in the pocket. There are a ton of slot receivers who are more quick than fast, but Moore also has outstanding long speed as he’s been clocked at 4.33 in the 40-yard dash. Moore is one of the more explosive wide receivers in the 2021 draft and he has the tools to make an instant impact wherever he may land.
Demetric Felton
NFL Comparison: Randall Cobb
Demetric Felton may very well be my favorite offensive player in this entire draft. He’s played running back at a high level during his time at UCLA, and he showed everyone how capable he was as a route runner during the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. If you’re in a dynasty league and you’re in search of a matchup nightmare who is capable of contributing as a receiver or in the run game, Felton could be the missing piece to your dynasty roster. At the receiver position, he gains separation quickly and, for a player who hasn’t had a ton of time reading leverage, he’s clearly got a firm grasp of what to look for, and he’ll only continue to improve in this area. As a running back, he can run inside and outside the tackles and obviously catch the ball extremely well out of the backfield.
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Rashod Bateman
NFL Comparison: Allen Robinson
Like Allen Robinson, Rashod Bateman has taken his fair share of snaps in the slot and, to be frank, I really like him there. As a big slot, Bateman can quickly get into his routes and wouldn’t have to worry about preventing defenders from getting into his chest plate. I’ve seen him read leverage on the fly and catch defenders flat-footed for explosive plays. I also like his ability to move between all three wide receiver spots on any given play. Prior to studying Bateman, I was not initially impressed with his athleticism, but the more I watched the 6-foot-2, 208-pound receiver, the more I was convinced that he’s got more than enough athleticism to be a solid outside receiver and a very good Y/F. It will be interesting to see where his next team will opt to play him in 2021.
Flanker/Z
Much like the X receiver, the Z receiver is the other outside receiver who traditionally lines up on the same side as the tight end, but that’s where the similarities between the two spots end. The Z receiver is located off the ball and can be sent in motion, unlike the split end. Many NFL offenses rely upon their Z receiver to stretch the defense vertically. Z receivers must also be able to run the entire route tree and get open quickly as they face less resistance at the line of scrimmage compared to X receivers. If your team is in need of a flanker, think of guys in the mold of Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, and Terry McLaurin.
Jaylen Waddle
NFL Comparison: Joey Galloway
Some will want to place Jaylen Waddle in the slot simply because of his size, but it’ll behoove those with this line of thinking to take a closer look at his skill set. At 5-foot-10, 183 pounds, Waddle has run as fast as 4.27 in the 40-yard dash. Thanks to his speed, Waddle has the ability to strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenders, which forces many of them to play off-man coverage to prevent the big play. Alongside Kadarius Toney, and a few others, he’s one of the best run-after-catch (RAC) receivers in the 2021 draft class. Waddle, like DeVonta Smith, has the ability to get open quickly. Despite his perceived lack of size, he is capable of winning the 50-50 ball when called upon to do so.
D’Wayne Eskridge
NFL Comparison: T.Y. Hilton
If you’re questioning whether D’Wayne Eskridge is worth, at minimum, a second-round pick because you’re worried about the strength of competition in the MAC, you just might be doing this talent evaluation thing all wrong. While Eskridge’s numbers at Western Michigan won’t blow you away, his performance against the best cornerbacks in the country at the Senior Bowl certainly should’ve. At the Senior Bowl, Eskridge proved to be a very savvy route runner as he separated from cornerbacks with ease, whether they pressed or played off of him. He clearly understands the nuances of route running, such has turning his head at the stem of his route to get the corner to react, and how to stay in the cornerback’s blind spot when he’s bailing. Building on those little tricks of the trade will certainly benefit him at the next level. Eskridge reportedly ran a laser timed 4.33 in the 40-yard dash back in 2018 and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s gotten faster since then.
Jaelon Darden
NFL Comparison: Peter Warrick
Jaleon Darden is one of the more electric players in the entire country who not many people are discussing. Despite less-than-stellar quarterback play at North Texas, Darden posted 1,190 yards and 19 touchdowns on 74 receptions during 2020 season. He surpassed Johnny Quinn as the school’s all-time leader in yards and became North Texas’ all-time receptions leader. Darden is the shiftiest player in the entire country and he’s steadily becoming more nuanced with his route running. While it’s true that Peter Warrick did not pan out in the NFL, here’s where I believe Darden is a little different. Warrick and Darden are similar in terms of shiftiness, but Darden appears to be a good bit faster than Warrick in the open field. Whether he gets an opportunity to play on the outside remains to be seen, but an ideal situation for him as a rookie would be one that allows him to play freely on the outside without thinking too much about leverage and whether he should snap off his route, or continue running.
(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Brandon Howard is a contributor to The Athletic. He has written for Dolphins Wire USA Today, Sports Talk Florida, Palm Beach Post and the Sun Sentinel. Brandon uses his practical experience as a former college football player to convey his knowledge of the sport to football fans, fantasy players and sports bettors. Follow Brandon on Twitter @bhoward_81
