Right now I wished to proceed the collection, NFL tight ends receiving stats. The Pittsburgh Steelers added MyCole Pruitt this offseason, who has a rapport with new OC Arthur Smith in each of his prior teaching stops in Atlanta and Tennessee.
The stats on this research are from the 2023 season, specializing in Pruitt and present Steelers for comparability. The purpose is to see how they stacked up towards their friends throughout the NFL and what that might imply for 2024.
Let’s dive in, beginning with on track catch share (whole receptions/variety of catchable targets) which highlights the standard of targets and connectivity, together with drop share (drops/catchable targets) to see who made probably the most of their anticipated catch conditions:
Right here we see Pruitt lands impressively on probably the most excellent plot level of the visible, tying for first with a number of gamers on the excessive high proper with a 100-percent on track catch fee and 0 % drop fee.
To be able to consider Pruitt’s 2023 season as a receiver although, I included all tight ends with a minimal of 5 catches, leaving 87 qualifying TEs. Pruitt had simply 9 catches on 12 targets final season, so whereas the info above is encouraging, it’s a lot simpler to attain on a smaller pattern measurement comparable to his.
Listed below are 2023 goal and catch numbers and ranks for additional context:
Pat Freiermuth: 46 targets (T-Twenty seventh), 32 catches (T-Twenty ninth).
Connor Heyward: 33 targets (T-Forty first), 23 catches (T-Forty second).
MyCole Pruitt: 12 targets (T-73rd), 9 catches (T-Seventieth).
Darnell Washington: 10 targets (77th), seven catches (T-78th).
Pruitt’s alternatives have been a lot nearer to a person like Washington, who many have been clamoring to get extra targets final season and shifting ahead. Washington had an identical zero drops in his low quantity receiving utilization his rookie yr, however had a a lot decrease and solely Steeler with a beneath the imply 85.7 on-target catch fee (T-69th).
Then, Freiermuth landed above the road in every. His 2.8 drop fee (twenty fourth) is nice given his increased utilization, although he was restricted to solely 12 video games. Barring one other damage, hopefully that high quality stays with an anticipated uptick in targets. A 91.2 on track catch fee tied for a decrease Forty second, and factors to an space of hopeful enchancment with the brand new QB state of affairs in 2024.
Heyward was in the midst of the pack in alternative. I count on alternatives to go down regardless of Smith’s utilization of a number of TEs, missing the perfect physique sort of most blocking TEs and well being of Freiermuth. The caveat may very well be versatility to play extra receiver alignments sans a real WR2. In 2023, Heyward had a 91.3 on track catch fee (Forty first, simply above Freiermuth), however the one below-average 7.7 drop fee of gamers in our sights (T-57th).
Subsequent, let’s take a look at yards per route run (YPRR=whole receiving yards/variety of routes run excluding RPO handoffs) and yards per goal (YPT=receiving yards per cross try by which the receiver is focused, together with incompletions) to get an concept of how the gamers have been utilized:
As soon as once more, we see a good plot level for Pruitt. Effectively above the imply in every, his 2.1 YPRR tied for a formidable third-best of the 87 qualifiers, together with 9.2 YPT touchdown ninth. So, Pruitt was within the high ten in each garnering extra alternatives downfield, but in addition essential to recall his low utilization in comparison with his friends.
The outcomes have been fairly completely different for Pittsburgh, all touchdown below-average. Freiermuth was the perfect of that group with a 1.2 YPRR (T-51st) and 6.7 YPT (T-56th). Sure, concentrating on TEs within the shorter vary of the sphere are excessive share performs, however I’m actually hoping these numbers go up with Smith and the brand new QB room.
Heyward was subsequent in YPRR at simply 0.9 (T-66th), and 5.1 YPT (78th). Then, Washington had a really low 0.5 YPRR (T-Eighty fifth), second-least amongst qualifiers, and a greater 6.1 yards per goal (Sixty fifth). General, they have been focused on quick space leak outs and flat routes, and hopefully Steelers TEs might be unleashed extra recurrently in Smith’s offense.
Let’s additional look at their utilization with common depth of goal (ADOT=common distance downfield that the focused throws traveled, excluding spikes and throwaways) and common depth of completion (ADOC) to zero in on alternatives extra within the receiver’s management:
Pruitt tops centered gamers in one other class, with a 6.2 ADOC that tied for twenty third. If pressured to decide on, that’s the extra excellent quantity for a receiver, in comparison with his beneath the imply 5.5 ADOT (T-56th). So, Pruitt cashed in on his deepest targets higher than the gamers in our sights, encouragingly.
Freiermuth lands proper on the imply in each knowledge factors. His 6.2 ADOT led all centered gamers and ranked forty ninth, together with a 5.2 ADOC (T-Thirty ninth). The opposite two Steelers TEs have been nicely beneath the imply in every.
Notably Washington, whose extraordinarily low 1.0 ADOT was third-least amongst qualifiers (Eighty fifth), and a 1.4 ADOC that ranked 84th (fourth-least). Compared, Heyward had a notably increased 5.0 ADOT (T-Sixty fifth), however with that got here much less connection sadly (2.7 ADOC, 77th).
Persevering with with extra essential components, listed below are first down percentages (share of receptions the place the receiver achieved a primary down) together with damaged/missed tackles per reception (BMT), a enjoyable and telling knowledge level. The purpose right here is to see who offered shifting the chains performs and which gamers additionally confirmed the power to make guys miss:
Whereas Pruitt’s 11.1 BMT quantity was below-average (T-Forty seventh), he had a fairly spectacular fifth-ranked 77.8 first down fee. The latter is sensible given his ADOT and ADOC within the earlier view, offering good high quality over high quality that included shifting the chains.
One other low utilization participant in Washington had an above the imply 57.1 first down fee (fortieth) regardless of surprisingly having no damaged/missed tackles given his giant stature. Freiermuth landed above the imply in every, barely with a 53.1 first down fee (fortieth), whereas he fared higher in BMT (15.6) that tied for thirtieth and led present Steelers. Heyward was beneath the imply in every once more, with an 8.7 BMT (57th) and poor 34.8 first down fee (78th).
Listed below are accomplished air yard percentages (CAY) together with yards after catch charges (YAC) to see context of how yardage got here:
Gamers with extra YAC than accomplished air yards land on the highest left, comparable to Washington and Heyward, whereas TEs on the underside proper noticed extra of their yardage come by way of the air.
Washington’s splits have been 83.6 YAC (third-most) in comparison with simply 16.4 CAY. Heyward had 62.9 in YAC (18th), in comparison with 37.1 CAY (Seventieth). Freiermuth had the very best 53.6 CAY of highlighted TEs (thirty eighth), in comparison with 46.4 in YAC (fiftieth). Pruitt lands nearly on the imply, with 50.9 CAY (forty fifth) and 49.1 in YAC (forty third), the perfect stability of 2024 Steelers.
I additionally wished to supply a complete worth view utilizing factors earned per route (The entire of a participant’s EPA duty on routes run utilizing the full factors system that distributes credit score amongst all gamers on the sphere for a given play. Totals are scaled as much as map to the typical factors scored or allowed on a staff degree, with the participant’s snap depend figuring out how a lot to regulate.
For receivers, this consists of accounting for offensive line play, off-target passes, dropped passes, and damaged tackles. Values are modulated utilizing a quality-of-competition multiplier primarily based on every opponent’s earlier yr of efficiency) and EPA per goal (the full change within the offense’s anticipated factors that got here on passes thrown to the participant):
On this extra whole view, Pruitt was the one present Pittsburgh TE to land above the imply in every knowledge level. He tied for twenty fifth in factors earned (just under Freiermuth), however was notably sturdy in EPA, rating ninth-best out of the 87 qualifying TEs. This emphasizes the standard over amount level that got here up all through the article, that Pruitt can hopefully present assuming he makes the staff and earns taking part in time.
To shut, here’s a desk of all of the ranks:
