Eric D. Williams, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Keenan Allen the best WR in the NFL? Bigger sample size needed

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Keenan Allen recently said he's the top dog when it comes to receivers in the NFL.

"I am the best in the league, no question," Allen said on FS1's The Undisputed. "I can do what those guys can do -- what they do, I'm doing it -- no question about it."

Allen is coming of his best season as a pro, finishing with 102 catches for 1,393 receiving yards and six touchdowns for the Los Angeles Chargers. He earned his first Pro Bowl invitation for his effort.

In listing his top five receivers in the NFL Allen placed himself at the top of the list, followed by Antonio Brown Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins.

So is Allen really the best receiver in the NFL? Let's break it down and take a closer look.

Route running: It's hard to argue against Allen being the best route runner in the league. Allen has elite, short-area quickness that allows him to create separation at the top of the route, whether he's in the slot or on the perimeter.

According Next Gen Stats, over half of Allen's receptions came on passes where he created at least 3 yards of separation. That's impressive.

"I get open against any coverage," Allen said. "I don't see anybody covering, or no two people covering me."

For me, Brown also has to be in the conversation because he consistently creates separation, particularly with his ability to get off press coverage. I also like Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks.

Hands: Hard to go with anyone other than Larry Fitzgerald here. In the last three years, according to ESPN Stats & Information, Fitzgerald has 325 receptions for 3,394 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns, and just six drops. Brown also is impressive with just eight drops over the past three seasons. Allen had six drops just in 2017.

Run after catch: According to ESPN Stats & Information, Detroit Lions receiver Golden Tate leads the league in yards after the catch over the last three seasons with 1,764. Miami Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry (1,719) is second, followed by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in a surprise third (1,580).

Last season, Tate led all receivers with 629 yards after the catch. Allen was third with 513 yards. Both Tate and Allen are similar in that they are like running backs once they catch the ball out in open space and consistently make defenders miss. Beckham also belongs in the conversation, but I'll take Tate here.

Production: There's a reason Brown has been first-team, All-Pro the last four seasons and in the conversation as an NFL MVP: He puts up numbers.

Brown leads the league in receptions (343) and touchdown catches (31) over the last three seasons, and is second in the NFL to Julio Jones (4,724) in receiving yards (4,651). Enough said.

Tight catches: I'm going to defer to the experts here. Mark Harmon at Next Gen Stats has already put in the work.

According to Harmon, Stefon Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings, Marvin Jones of the Lions and Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys were the top three in the NFL in making catches in tight windows.

Harmon defines tight windows as a throw in which the intended receiver had less than a yard of separation from the defender. Brown is seventh on the list. Allen did not make the top 10.

The verdict: While Allen put together an amazing year in 2017 and has some dominant traits needed to claim the top spot in the NFL, we need to see more. So Brown remains the G.O.A.T in my opinion, with Jones second, DeAndre Hopkins third, Fitzgerald fourth, Cincinnati Bengals A.J. Green fifth and Allen knocking the on the door.

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