For the past few years I've been keeping a simple Notepad file with the names of each incoming rookie WR that gets accolades (or criticism) for their route running. I have expanded my technique this year and I'm going to share it with the Shark Pool.
Methodology
I'm not a football analyst. I do not watch college football apart from a few games per season. I do not watch film. I do not crunch numbers. I let the people who are paid to do those things, do those things...and then I read what they have to say.
A huge shout out to @Faust in this endeavor. I basically only read about incoming rookies here in the Shark Pool, and the articles he links are 95% of my source material. I also listen to a lot of pre-draft podcasts and will note those comments where appropriate.
Scoring system
This isn't rocket surgery. If an article lists a player as having skills at route running, I note it and give them a +1. If they are critical of a player's route running, I give them a -1. A few writers do both and I present these as neutral.
As I read about these players I copy and paste the writer's exact words in my file and simply tally up the score afterwards.
Drawbacks
Because I don't watch or even pay attention to the college football season, I don't start reading about players until after the national championship game. Prior to that I'm laser focused on NFL players and my myriad dynasty teams. I list this as a drawback for a couple reasons. (1) It ignores what pundits say weekly throughout the season, I guess this could be considered both good and bad because it doesn't taint my opinion in September. (2) In previous years if a player had a fantastic week at the Shrine Bowl or Senior Bowl, SO MANY articles are written touting their skills. I have smoothed that this year by only accepting a single article per day of practice during these events, and I'm fairly confident that most of the players I have listed in red below were artificially inflated in my system.
Caveats
This is probably the exact opposite of a scientific analysis. I'm perusing curated content on a specific site which doesn't mention everyone and certainly doesn't catch every article for every player, no matter how good Faust is.
I am not advocating that you bump my highest-scored player to the top of your dynasty drafts, but this is another tool in the arsenal of evaluation.
History
Players that I feel like I have identified and bumped up a bit higher than other analysts during the past few years (in order by score):
2019 - Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Riley Ridley
2020 - Jerry Jeudy, Van Jefferson, KJ Hill, Justin Jefferson
2021 - Rashod Bateman, Ja'marr Chase, Dwayne Eskeridge, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Davonta Smith, Elijah Moore, Kadarius Toney, Rondale Moore, Demeric Felton
The meat and potatoes
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND I WILL BE UPDATING THIS PAGE AS I READ ADDITIONAL ARTICLES.
I will eventually sort these players by tier in terms of their expected ADP, but for now it's simply alphabetical.
+11
Chris Olave
- + (extremely polished route-runner)
- + (nuanced route running)
- + (best route runner in this class)
- + (he checks four out of six boxes with the go, hitch, in and out routes)
- + (Displays an advanced route tree and polish at all three levels/great route-runner with polish)
- + (great technique in route running)
- + (silky-smooth route-runner)
- + (Crafty overall route runner)
- + (Excellent route-runner (arguably best in this class) )
- + (one of college football’s most refined route-runners. A true route technician)
- + (Olave's polish can be evidenced by his clever route running)
- +/- (Room for more manipulation as a route salesman - Zierlein)
David Bell
- + (His route running was immaculate)
- + (runs proficient routes)
- + (good route-runner/fairly good route tree)
- + (unconventional type of elusiveness/eerily similar to Cooper Kupp)
- + (rhythmic route-running and detailed footwork/Balance and agility for more complex route tree - Zierlein)
- + (thrives on winning with route detail and smart angles to garner separation)
- + (very good route runner and uses every phase of the route to his advantage/precise in his routes with great field awareness)
- +/- (mechanical route running/Could work on selling his routes with his entire body)
- + (sudden and decisive route-runner)
- + (runs sharp routes, brings polish as a route runner)
- + (Very good route-runner who understands how to tempo his routes)
- + (well-versed route tree/Nuanced route runner)
- + (Runs an expansive route tree very well)
- + (His route-running is smooth but features speed changes - Zierlein)
- + (exceptional at manipulating DBs with his deceptive and violent route running\Simply put, Dotson is a route technician)
Garrett Wilson
- + (explodes into his route, head and shoulder fakes, creates room outside)
- + (mastery of the finer points of route running/detailed route runner)
- + (Great route runner, in terms of running the route and route tempo)
- + (Creates plenty of separation on routes)
- + (great route-running ability/gets in and out quickly)
- + (he carries the class' second-best explosive rate (15-plus yard plays divided by targets) on staple routes)
- + (his route-running precision netted the most separation (each route is factored in) among the draft-eligible receivers)
- + (might be the best route runner and separator in this class)
- + (his route running is solid at all levels)
- + (very crisp at the the top of routes, creating a lot of separation - Jeremiah)
- - (Improved route-runner but inconsistent)
- - ("dancy" in his routes, struggles with physicality)
- - (very inefficient with routes over the first two levels/Route-running is raw and segmented - Zierlein)
- - (route-running flashiness is more of a fireworks show than a well-crafted approach/gets clunky at the top of his route)
Skyy Moore
- + (super-quick feet and freaky explosiveness into his route stem)
- + (uses every phase of his routes as a weapon against defenders)
- + (very flexible as a route runner/a violent route runner)
- + (constantly displays his quickness, balance and body control with his route running/a good route runner with reliable hands)
- + (A excellent route runner - who obviously is a student of the game
- + (very flexible as a route runner/a precise route runner)
- + (Ian Cummings gave Moore a nine out of ten on his scale for "agility and twitch" and "route running")
- - (doesn’t truly burst out of his route breaks)
- - (one-note route runner lacking acceleration out of break points and vertical juice to separate deep-Zierlein)
Kyle Phillips
- + (savvy route running)
- + (runs good routes)
- + (routes are crisp)
- + (good route-running, excellent route-running, smooth footwork, immediate separation)
- + (possibly the best route runner at Senior Bowl)
- + (excellent route-runner, extended route tree)
- + (his hip sink insulates his potential as a route runner)
- + (calculated route runner, every step has a purpose)
+2
John Metchie
- + (a very good route runner and understands how to use all phases of the route to his advantage)
- + (His route running is smooth, seamless, and rarely looks forced.)
- + (stellar route running)
- + ("His route running is sharp and controlled"-Shane Coughlin/"His route running is so crisp and sudden in short areas"-Josh Carney)
- + (improved route running)
- + (ran great routes)
- + (ran exceptional routes)
- + (ability to get out of breaks and separate quickly)
- + (great footwork as a route-runner)
- + (ran crisp routes)
- + (showcases good route-running ability)
- + (good route runner)
- + (has some polish as a route runner)
- - (noticeably raw as a route runner)
- - (he didn't look like he ran crisp routes)
- - (Not overly refined as a route runner)
- + (savvy route-running skills)
- + (third-highest open rate on staple routes and the No. 1 explosive play rate)
- + (Good overall route-runner/he shows polish and nuance with his route running)
- - (isn't a ready-made route-runner)
Calvin Austin III
- + (Firecracker off the line/Calculated route runner/unpredictable route running)
- + (ran solid routes, displayed diverse route tree)
- + (release gave him an immediate half-step on defenders)
- + (Above-average route-runner)
- + (Balanced, savvy route runner)
- +/- (He can execute routes inside or outside/will need to continue to polish his route running)
- - (Route work is too freestyle and unfocused-Lance Zierlein)
- + (demonstrated his speed and route running during Senior Bowl practices)
- + ("footwork, timing and burst as a route runner is outstanding."/could be one of the top two or three route runners in the draft-Eric Galko)
- + (ran terrific routes)
- + (elite agility as a runner/leans into and out of cuts with ease and stacks moves in rapid succession/flashes excellent twitch as a route runner/some traits that are conducive to successful route running)
- + (bevy of routes and his quick shift ability)
- + (Despite only one full year as a full-time receiver he runs good routes)
- - (wouldn’t classify him as a true technician)
- - (Average fluidity through route stems) - Zierlein
- + (clean and precise routes)
- + (good, savvy route runner/has run a diverse route tree)
Jalen Tolbert
- + (variety of release strategies, gets into route quickly)
- + (Routes are gliding and smooth/Stick-shift route runner with excellent change of speeds - Zierlein)
- - (lacking hip sink/overthinks routes)
- - (rounds out his cuts)
Drake London
- + (quality route runner)
- + (impressive route control for his size)
- + (His first step is explosive and covers ground)
- + (He is a nuanced route runner, and it’s impressive to see how quickly he can get in and out of breaks - Daniel Jeremiah)
- + stands out because of his winning combination at all three levels of the route)
- - (his one-speed route-running and lack of separation burst means a career full of contested catches)
- - (route running could use some polish)
- - (isn’t going to create much separation with his route-running/slow getting in and out of his breaks)
- - (route running is decent but he will need to improve)
- - (isn't a finished product as a route-runner)
- - (one-speed route-running and lack of separation burst means a career full of contested catches - Zierlein)
Treylon Burks
- + (varies his route tempo)
- - (will need to continue to refine his technique and route-running/inconsistent on shorter route breaks)
- - (not running routes as well as others)
- - (will round off some of his routes)
- - (has room for improvement with his route running)
- - (not an elusive route runner/route tree is going to be limited)
George Pickens
- +/- (Average route-runner at this point in time. Has ability to tap into but will need polish)
- - (His route running is suspect, will need to clean up his route running)
- - (needs to show quick-cutting ability for route-running, routes need more polish and physicality)
- - needs to show quick-cutting ability for route-running/routes need more polish - Zierlein
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