{"id":22270,"date":"2017-06-18T10:00:32","date_gmt":"2017-06-18T14:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=22270"},"modified":"2017-06-17T23:22:06","modified_gmt":"2017-06-18T03:22:06","slug":"atlanta-falcons-receiving-corps-best-nfl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/06\/18\/atlanta-falcons-receiving-corps-best-nfl\/","title":{"rendered":"The Atlanta Falcons Receiving Corps is the Best in the NFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Atlanta Falcons<\/a> arguably have the best receiving corps in the NFL led by\u00a0Julio Jones<\/strong><\/a> and a supporting cast around him that possess speed, explosiveness and reliability. After displaying the most potent offense in franchise history in 2016, the Falcons knew they didn\u2019t have many holes to fill on that side of the ball entering the 2017 season. With that being said, they primarily spent the off-season bringing in new defensive talent.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, some teams like the New York Giants<\/a> spent the offseason focusing on bringing in new offensive talent, which includes veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall<\/strong><\/a>. With the arrival of Marshall, some people have immediately jumped to the conclusion that the Giants all of a sudden have the best receiving corps<\/a> in the NFL.<\/p>\n

After acquiring Marshall, the Giants receiving corps now consists of Marshall, Odell Beckham Jr.<\/strong><\/a>, Sterling Shepard<\/strong><\/a>, Roger Lewis<\/strong><\/a>, Tavarres King<\/strong><\/a> and Dwayne Harris<\/strong><\/a>. There is no doubt Marshall has had a great career, but the receiver turned 33 in the off-season and is coming off one of his least productive seasons. In Marshall\u2019s defense, the New York Jets<\/a> didn\u2019t have a set quarterback all year and the rotation of quarterbacks weren\u2019t top-of-the-line talent. However, Marshall certainly did not help his case by having his worst single-season catch percentage (46.1).<\/p>\n

Teaming Marshall up with the flashy duo of Beckham and Shepard is definitely going to be exciting<\/a> to watch. However, Marshall’s success will be dependent on the chemistry he builds with his new quarterback, Eli Manning<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Atlanta Falcons Receiving Corps is the Best in the NFL<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s why the Falcons top the Giants<\/h3>\n

In comparison, Jones (64.3) had the lowest catch percentage of any returning Falcon from a season ago. When Jones has the lowest catch percentage on your team (min. 10 targets), you\u2019re in pretty good shape. To make things better for the Falcons, the man who lines up opposite of Jones, Mohamed Sanu<\/strong><\/a>, has the lowest drop rate (2.8) in the NFL<\/a> since 2015. Despite having the lowest catch percentage on the Falcons, Jones is the NFL\u2019s all-time leader<\/a> in receiving yards per game (96.3).<\/p>\n

One cannot simply talk about the success of the Falcons air attack from a season ago without mentioning the unexpected dominance of Taylor Gabriel<\/strong><\/a>. Gabriel, another gem the Falcons picked up at the Cleveland Browns<\/a> expense, quickly became a fan favorite in Atlanta with his breakaway speed and explosive routes.<\/p>\n

Below is a list of all the returning Falcons who had at least ten targets<\/a> during the 2016 season and their catch percentage:<\/em><\/p>\n

Catch percentage: minimum ten targets<\/em><\/h3>\n