NFLFilms:Cosell Talks: The Slot Factor

[cowboyjoe]

Cosell Talks: The Slot Factor
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2012/04/02/c...content_stream
by Greg Cosell


Keshawn Martin. DeQuan Menzie. Jarius Wright. Brandon Boykin. Devon Wylie.

These are five names you do not hear every day as we approach the 2012 NFL Draft. Three slot receivers (Martin, Wright and Wylie) and two slot corners (Menzie and Boykin). It’s always tricky to predict where players will be selected, but it’s a fair assumption that none of the five will come off the board before the third round.

Still, these five players call attention to a larger issue that I’ve been thinking about for quite awhile. We all know the NFL has evolved into a passing league, with three-wide receiver personnel (and occasionally four-wide) on the field the majority of the time. I don’t know the specific numbers, but based on my extensive NFL film study, I believe that a fair estimate would be 55-60 percent of the plays league-wide.