A few years back, when I asked Doug Baldwin — one of the pre-eminent slot receivers of the last decade — about the importance of the position, he summed it up pretty well.

Jerry Rice is the only receiver who's records may not ever be broken. A player would have to have an all NFL pro bowl year every year for 16 years, then break them in his 17th season. When watching Jacksonville’s 2018 passing offense, two things are abundantly clear — Jaguars receivers had one heck of a time with consistent production with Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler throwing the ball all over the place, and the acquisition of Nick Foles was a necessity to give those receivers any chance of improvement. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a 2018 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A Clairton native who played at Pitt, Boyd has become one of the. Miami Dolphins Jarvis Landry traveled a total of 109.01 yards on his 50-yard touchdown in Week 7 against the Houston Texans. Bucky Brooks breaks down the play with Next Gen Stats. Subscribe to the. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a 2018 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A Clairton native who played at Pitt, Boyd has become one of.

“The slot receiver’s kind of the quarterback of the receivers,” he said in 2015. “More so because the slot receiver has more responsibilities in terms of reading coverages and different adjustments based on what coverages you’re seeing. It’s a lot more complicated. … You have to know a lot more. You have to stay within the confines and the framework of the offense — you have a lot of freedom because you have a little bit more space, but at the same time, your job is usually to get someone else open, or to get open on a crucial down where it’s one-on-one. You have to be versatile, and you have to understand how your route goes into the concept, based on the different coverages you can see.”

10. Adam Humphries 9. Golden Tate 8. Dante Pettis 7. Cooper Kupp 6. Jarvis Landry 5. Julian Edelman 4. Adam Thielen 3. JuJu Smith-Schuster 2. Antonio Brown 1. Tyreek Hill

It was an apt description in 2015, and though Baldwin has retired, the role of the slot receiver is quite similar to what it was then — and in 2019, one could argue that it’s even more important now. Three- and four-receiver sets are now the norm in the NFL, which means that teams will have double slot packages in which big and small receivers work together. And there’s no shame to the position — it’s not just for the Wes Welkers of the world anymore. Guys who can win outside just fine find themselves in the slot quite frequently, and you’ll find a few names that will rank highly on our upcoming list of outside receivers on this list as well.

Other Top 11 lists: Tight ends Centers Guards Offensive tackles Edge defenders Interior defensive linemen Linebackers Safeties Outside cornerbacks Slot defenders

So, here are the 11 best slot receivers in the NFL as we head into the 2019 season.

When watching Jacksonville’s 2018 passing offense, two things are abundantly clear — Jaguars receivers had one heck of a time with consistent production with Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler throwing the ball all over the place, and the acquisition of Nick Foles was a necessity to give those receivers any chance of improvement. Among those receivers, Westbrook may have the most potential, as he brought in 59 slot receptions on 83 targets for 646 yards and five touchdowns. Not bad for a second-year receiver who’s never had a lot of help from his quarterbacks at the NFL level.

Westbrook uses nimble feet and an impressive catch radius to make contested catches, and he has a good knack for getting open in zones. His drop rate was a problem at times, but with a credible quarterback at the helm, Westbrook could be a rising star in a big hurry.

Bleacher Report’s year-end player rankings placed Green Bay Packers receiver Randall Cobb as the 16th-best slot receiver in the NFL, behind the likes of Danny Amendola, Jamison Crowder, among others.

Best Slot Receivers Nfl 2018 Schedule

Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks was the top-rated slot receiver, according to Bleacher Report, while Minnesota’s Adam Thielen, Detroit’s Golden Tate, Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald and Miami’s Jarvis Landry finished the top five.

Here’s the write-up on Cobb from Bleacher Report:

Randall Cobb used to be one of the most dynamic slot receivers in the league because he could beat defenders with both quickness and his lower-body power. But injuries and age may have caught up to Cobb, as he no longer has that elite athleticism from the slot. He is still a savvy route-runner and a reliable pass-catcher, but he just doesn’t scare teams after the catch.

Cobb, like Jordy Nelson, produced far less in 2017 while receiving passes from Brett Hundley. His 9.9 yards per catch was the lowest mark of his career. Whether or not the Packers’ quarterback situation was added into the equation is unknown. Bleacher Report bases their scouting grades on route running, hands, yards after the catch and blocking.

Best Slot Receivers Nfl 2018 Rankings

Cobb caught 71.7 percent of his targets and averaged 6.6 yards after the catch in 2017.

Best Slot Receivers Nfl 2020

Cobb’s $12.6 million cap was the eighth-highest among wide receivers this season, according to Sportrac. If he’s still on the roster in 2018, Cobb would have a $12.7 million cap hit, whereas the No. 1-ranked slot receiver, Baldwin, would follow slightly behind at $12.1 million.

Keenan Allen, Ju Ju Smith-Schuster, Nelson Agholor, Sterling Shepard, Mohamed Sanu, Cooper Kupp, Amendola, Crowder, Tyler Lockett and Albert Wilson were the remaining receivers ranked ahead of Cobb.

Cobb, however, had a bigger cap hit than every player ranked ahead of him, including those in the top five, except for Fitzgerald, who counted $15.8 million against Arizona’s cap in 2017.

Depending on how one views Bleacher Report’s rankings, Cobb’s ability places him at a level similar to Cole Beasley of the Cowboys.

The situation around Cobb and Nelson looks to be new general manager Brian Gutekunst’s first offseason crucible. It’ll be interesting to see if the former UW-La Crosse linebacker has an eagle-eyed view of his personnel.