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I love the Olympics. I’ve been lucky enough to attend events at a few different games and there’s just something magical about them. Big events like track and field, gymnastics, and soccer are amazing. But I’ve enjoyed going to see sports like handball, badminton, judo, and even ping pong as well.
Paris 2024 has had some incredible performances across the games, but the Track and Field races have been especially memorable. Quincy Hall’s gutsy 400 win, Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone setting another World Record in the 400-meter Hurdles, and one of the closest finals ever in the men's 100-meter dash. It’s been inspiring to see everyone competing for a medal.
As part of our physical metrics preview series, and in honor of these athletes, I wanted to award some Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals to a few NFL players. Welcome to the first annual NFL Physical Metrics Championship. We will be handing out medals for the top three finishers in three of our physical metric categories: get-off distance, deep route speed, and closing speed.
Get-Off Distance
A few weeks ago I wrote an article on the top college returners in get-off distance. Check it out for a few potential future Olympians. But the 2023 medalists are as follows:
Gold - Myles Garrett (46.3%)
Garrett has long been considered one of the top defenders in all of football. Last year he was the defensive MVP, made the All-Pro first team last season, and was the top defender listed in the NFL top 100 list. He now adds the Get-Off Distance gold medal to his accolades! Garrett led all Edge defenders in the NFL last year with an Elite get-off percentage (90th percentile or higher) of 46.3%. It’s unfair that someone who has that type of get-off is also such a good defender against the run. Garrett really can do it all, and you can see all his havoc events from last season below.
Silver - Trey Hendrickson (40.6%)
Last season was one of the best of Trey Hendrickson’s career. He led the NFL in pressure %. He also finished with 17.5 sacks, which was 2nd in the NFL and the most of his career. He was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and now can add the Silver Medal in the Physical Metrics Championships to his record year.
Bronze - Nick Bosa (39.8%)
I wonder if the Bosa brothers and the Watt brothers have any sort of rivalry. JJ and TJ have both had incredible careers. TJ led the NFL in sacks last season, and JJ had a great career terrorizing opposing QB’s for the Texans. After JJ retired, Joey and Nick have moved to the forefront of the competition for everyone’s favorite brothers. In 2022 Nick Bosa had the season that Myles Garrett had in 2023. Defensive MVP, All Pro, etc, etc. This last season, his production slipped some, but he still finished 2nd in pressure %, and rounds out our medalists for get-off distance.
Deep Route Speed
Gold - Jalin Hyatt (21.09 mph)
Whenever I hear the name Jalin Hyatt I get transported back to his record-setting game against Alabama in 2022. 6 Catches, 5 TD’s, 207 yards, and 1 very sad-looking Nick Saban on the opposite sideline. His speed was a match made in heaven for Josh Heupel and the Volunteers' offense. He “only” ran a 4.4 at the Combine and was passed on until the Giants picked him up in the third round. During his Rookie year, he had 0 TDs and only 373 yds on 23 catches. But he does get to add the title of Gold Medal winner for Deep Route Speed to his resume.
Silver - Rashid Shaheed (21.04 mph)
The result of this race isn’t quite as close as the photo finish from the men’s 100-meter final, but Hyatt only just edged out Rashid Shaheed for the title. As you can see below, Shaheed’s most frequent routes (as seen by the thickness of the lines going to the “fruit” at the end of the tree), are his deep routes: Go’s and Post’s. Those are his only two routes over 10%. The Saints are clearly using his incredible speed to go deep and stretch defenses vertically.
Bronze - Nico Collins (20.80 mph)
Obviously CJ Stroud was the number 1 catalyst for the Texan's rise last season, but Nico Collins is maybe Number 1b. Collins nearly tripled his yards last year over his previous best season and jumped from 2 TD’s to 8. Collins’ speed was on display all over the field, but especially on post routes. He had the highest percentage of post routes run in the NFL. Along with that, CJ Stroud had the best deep target completion percentage in the NFL as well. The Texans took major advantage of that combination last season, and Collins ran his way to the Bronze Medal.
Honorable mention
You may be wondering where Tyreek Hill is, and his top deep route speed didn’t make the cut. But, his Elite deep route speed % was 1st in the NFL last year. He still is the most consistent deep route speed receiver in the NFL.
Closing Speed
Gold - Pat Surtain II (20.78 mph)
I know we’re talking about closing speed, but Patrick Surtain II might have the perfect snap distribution visualization I’ve ever seen for a corner.
Press Coverage ✓
Off Coverage ✓
Right Side ✓
Left Side ✓
Outside Corner ✓
OK, moving on. Patrick Surtain brings home the Gold in closing speed for the Denver Broncos. He also would bring home silver in the average closing speed if that were a competition. His ability to play all over the field, and do everything is shown by his snap distribution above, and his closing speed.
Silver - Alontae Taylor (20.73 mph)
Alontae Taylor earns the silver medal for his closing speed at 20.73 mph, just barely behind Surtain II. Unlike Surtain, Taylor plays the majority of his snaps in the slot. His top closing speed play however came with him playing out wide against the Green Bay Packers. Taylor was beaten while pressing Dontayvion Wicks. As Wicks ran an over, Taylor chased him down to make the tackle right after the completion. He needed every bit of that 20.73 mph to catch up after missing out on the jam.
Bronze - Jerry Jacobs (20.43 mph)
After going undrafted in 2021, Jacobs turned into a starting cornerback for the Lions. This offseason he signed with the Rams and hopes to be able to stay healthy for a full season (something he hasn’t done in any of his three seasons). Jacobs takes home the bronze with a 20.43 mph top closing speed. He also hits the Elite category on 27% of his closing speeds, 2nd only behind AJ Terrell. If Jacobs can stay healthy this season, expect to see a lot of him for the Rams.
Matt Edwards
Head of American Football Analysis
matt.edwards@statsbomb.com
@thecoachedwards on X (Formerly Twitter)
