The question is out, mainly thanks to NFL’s Top 100 players list. But honestly, the question is always there, how good is Keenan Allen?
There are three ways (in my mind) to accept this challenge. One, stats from last season. Two, putting the stats of wide receivers in the AFC against Allen, in a three-year span. This will be those players currently in the AFC so he will go against some wide receivers that weren’t in the AFC for three years and some that have left the AFC after three years.
And three, the intangibles must be measured.
So let’s get to it.
Stats From 2019
Stats from NFLRankings.com 2019.
Targets
#1 Michael Thomas – 193
#7 Keenan Allen – 149
Receptions
#1 Michael Thomas – 156
#5 Keenan Allen – 104
Receiving Yards
#1 Michael Thomas – 1,795
#10 Keenan Allen – 1,199
Yards Per Catch
#1 Mike Williams – 20.4
#78 Keenan Allen – 11.5
Receiving Touchdowns
#1 Kenny Golladay – 11
#29 Keenan Allen – 6
Catch Rate
#1 James Conner – 89.5
First Wide Receiver On List
#6 Michael Thomas – 80.8
#60 Keenan Allen – 69.8
Dropped Passes
#1 Julian Edelman – 9
#T10 Keenan Allen – 5
Head-To-Head AFC #1 Wide Receivers
Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen, 7 seasons, Drafted Round 3 by San Diego Chargers, 28 years old
2017: 16 games, 102 receptions, 159 targets, 1,393 yards, 6TD, 8.8 y/t, 12.3 y/r
2018: 16 games, 97 receptions, 136 targets, 1,196 yards, 6 TD, 8.8 y/t, 12.3 y/r
2019: 16 games, 104 receptions, 149 targets, 1,199 yards, 6TD, 8y/t, 11.5y/r
Buffalo Bills
Stefon Diggs, 5 seasons, Drafted Round 5 by Minnesota Vikings, 26 years old
2017: 14 games, 64 receptions, 95 targets, 849 yards, 8TD, 8.9 y/t, 13.3 y/r
2018: 15 games, 102 receptions, 150 targets, 1,027 yards, 9TD, 6.8 y/t, 10 y/r
2019: 15 games, 63 receptions, 94 targets, 1,130 yards, 6TD, 12 y/t, 17.9 y/r
Miami Dolphins
DeVante Parker, 5 seasons, Drafted Round 1 by Miami Dolphins, 27 years old
2017: 13 games, 57 receptions, 96 targets, 670 yards, 1TD, 7 y/t, 11.8 y/r
2018: 11 games, 24 receptions, 47 targets, 309 yards, 1TD, 6.6 y/t, 12.9 y/r
2019: 16 games, 72 receptions, 128 targets, 1,202 yards, 9TD, 9.4 y/t, 16.7 y/r
New England Patriots
Julian Edelman, 11 seasons, Drafted Round 7 by New England Patriots, 34 years old
2017: No statistics
2018: 12 games, 74 receptions, 108 targets, 850 yards, 6TD, 7.9 y/t, 11.5 y/r
2019: 16 games, 100 receptions, 153 targets, 1,117 yards, 6TD, 7.3 y/t, 11.2 y/r
New York Jets
Jamison Crowder, 5 seasons, Drafted Round 4 by Washington, 27 years old
2017: 15 games, 66 receptions, 103 targets, 789 yards, 3TD, 7.7 y/r, 12 y/r
2018: 9 games, 29 receptions, 50 targets, 388 yards, 2TD, 7.8 y/t, 13.4 y/r
2019: (Jets) 16 games, 78 receptions, 122 targets, 833 yards, 6TD, 6.8y/t, 10.7y/r
Denver Broncos
Courtland Sutton, 2 seasons, Drafted Round 2 by Denver Broncos, 24 years old
2018: 16 games, 42 receptions, 84 targets, 704 yards, 4TD, 8.4y/t, 16.8 y/r
2019: 16 games, 72 receptions, 125 targets, 1,112 yards, 6TD, 8.9y/t, 15.4y/r
Kansas City Chiefs
Tyreek Hill, 4 seasons, Drafted Round 5 by Kansas City Chiefs, 26 years old
2017: 15 games, 75 receptions, 105 targets, 1,183 yards, 7 TD, 11.3y/t, 15.8y/r
2018: 16 games, 87 receptions, 137 targets, 1,479 yards, 12TD, 10.8y/t, 17y/r
2019: 12 games, 58 receptions, 89 targets, 860 yards, 7TD, 9.7y/t, 14.8y/r
Baltimore Ravens
Marquise Brown, 1 season, Drafted Round 1 by Baltimore Ravens, 23 years old
2019: 14 games, 46 receptions, 71 targets, 584 yards, 7TD, 8.2y/t, 12.7y/r
Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green, 9 seasons, Drafted Round 1 by Cincinnati Bengals, 32 years old
2017: 14 games, 75 receptions, 144 targets, 1,078 yards, 8TD, 7.5y/t, 14.4y/r
2018: 9 games, 46 receptions, 77 targets, 694 yards, 6TD, 9y/t, 15.1y/r
2019: No Statistics
Cleveland Browns
Odell Beckham Jr., 6 seasons, Drafted Round 1 by New York Giants, 27 years old
2017: 4 games, 25 receptions, 41 targets, 302 yards, 3TD, 7.4y/t, 12.1y/r
2018: 12 games, 77 receptions, 124 targets, 1,052 yards, 6TD, 8.5y/t, 13.7y/r
2019: (Browns) 16 games, 74 receptions, 133 targets, 1,035 yards, 4TD, 7.8y/t, 14y/r
Pittsburgh Steelers
JuJu Smith-Schuster, 3 seasons, Drafted Round 2 by Pittsburgh Steelers, 23 years old
2017: 14 games, 58 receptions, 79 targets, 917 yards, 7TD, 11.6y/t, 15.8y/r
2018: 16 games, 111 receptions, 166 targets, 1,426 yards, 7TD, 8.6y/t, 12.8y/r
2019: 12 games, 42 receptions, 71 targets, 552 yards, 3TD, 7.8y/t, 13.1y/r
Houston Texans
Brandin Cooks, 5 Seasons, Drafted Round 1 New Orleans Saints, 26 years old
2017: (NE) 16 games, 65 receptions, 114 targets, 1,082 yards, 7TD, 9.5y/t, 16.6y/r
2018: (LAR) 16 games, 80 receptions, 117 targets, 1,204 yards, 5TD, 10.3y/t, 15y/r
2019:(LAR) 14 games, 42 receptions, 72 targets, 583 yards, 2TD, 8.1y/t, 13.9y/r
Indianapolis Colts
T.Y. Hilton, 8 seasons, Drafted Round 3 by Indianapolis Colts, 30 years old
2017: 16 games, 57 receptions, 109 targets, 966 yards, 4TD, 8.9y/t, 16.9y/r
2018: 14 games, 76 receptions, 120 targets, 1,270 yards, 6TD, 10.6y/t, 16.7y/r
2019: 10 games, 45 receptions, 68 targets, 501 yards, 5TD, 7.4y/t, 11.1y/r
Jacksonville Jaguars
DJ Chark, 2 seasons, Drafted Round 2 by Jacksonville Jaguars, 23 years old
2018: 11 games, 14 receptions, 32 targets, 174 yards, 0TD, 5.4y/t, 12.4y/r
2019: 15 games, 73 receptions, 118 targets, 1,008 yards, 8TD, 8.5y/t,13.8y/r
Tennessee Titans
Corey Davis, 3 seasons, Drafted Round 1 by Tennessee Titans, 25 years old
2017: 11 games, 34 receptions, 65 targets, 375 yards, 0TD, 5.8y/t, 11y/r
2018: 16 games, 65 receptions, 112 targets, 891 yards, 4TD, 8y/t, 13.7y/r
2019: 15 games, 43 receptions, 69 targets, 601 yards, 2TD, 8.7y/t, 14y/r
| Player | Yards | Touchdowns | |
| 1 | Keenan Allen | 3,788 | 18 |
| 2 | Tyreek Hill | 3,522 | 26 |
| 3 | Stefon Diggs | 3,006 | 23 |
| 4 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 2,895 | 17 |
| 5 | Brandin Cooks | 2,869 | 14 |
| 6 | T.Y. Hilton | 2,737 | 15 |
| 7 | Odell Beckham Jr. | 2,389 | 13 |
| 8 | DeVante Parker | 2,181 | 11 |
| 9 | Jamison Crowder | 2,010 | 11 |
| 10 | Julian Edelman | 1,967 | 12 |
| 11 | Corey Davis | 1,897 | 6 |
| 12 | Courtland Sutton (2 seasons) | 1,816 | 10 |
| 13 | A.J. Green (2 seasons) | 1,772 | 14 |
| 14 | DJ Chark (2 seasons) | 1,182 | 8 |
| 15 | Marquise Brown (1 season) | 584 | 7 |
So What? And That’s A LOT Of Numbers!
Okay, the first thing you should notice is that Allen is astonishingly consistent. Which is something that should be taken into consideration, because if you are not on the field how can you be great?
Yet somehow, he was ranked 77th on the NFL’s Top 100 list?
Intangibles
- Like I noted before, Allen is remarkably consistent. Six touchdowns, eight yards per target, and 12 yards per reception was his rather consistent average in three years.
- CBS Sports ranked him the eight best wide receiver with the following stats:
Allen has a 68 percent catch rate over the past three seasons.
Allen’s catch rate is one of the best in the league among high-volume players.
Over the past three seasons, he averages 2.34 yards per route run.
- Compared to his fellow AFC wide receivers he is also amazingly resilient. He battled some injuries early in his career but hasn’t missed a game in three years.
- Yes, he had the luxury of playing with the same quarterback over that three-year stretch, but the quarterback wasn’t exactly the picture of consistency.
And let’s face it, Allen is one of the best, if not the best, route runner in the NFL.
Consistent, not only in his stats but his ability to stay on the field, a catch rate of 68 percent, and the top route runner?
Why is he only 77? You know what you think, even if you are not a Chargers fan you have to admit, 77 is pretty…pretty…low for a wide receiver of this talent.