Ravens Mike Wallace and Steve Smith both ranked among the league’s best at creating separation

Per NFL.com’s Next Gen Stats

By Vasilis Lericos@VasilisBeatdown Jan 26, 2017, 9:00am EST

Matt Harmon of NFL.com recently published an evaluation of the Top-10 No. 2 WRs in Separation during the 2016 regular season. He defines a number two receiver as a wideout who received less than 100 targets when lined up out wide, but more than 100 targets total. To determine separation, Next Gen Stats measured the distance between the receivers and defenders on passes they were targeted on.

Basically, this is a ranking of how adept complimentary receivers were at getting open last season. Two Baltimore Ravens made the list..

5) Mike Wallace, Baltimore Ravens (2.73 separation at target)
Out wide separation: 2.79 (84.5 percent of targets)
Slot separation: 2.44 (15.5 percent of targets)
Air yards per target: 12.7
Another veteran castoff that found a home with a new team this year, Mike Wallace turned in a solid 1,000-yard season with the Ravens. It was his first since 2011 with the division-rival Steelers. Baltimore got their leading receiver for a two-year deal with just $4.5 million in guarantees. The 30-year old receiver averaged 2.73 yards on his targets and wasn't strictly a downfield threat, either. His 12.7 air yards per target trailed Breshad Perriman on his own team and was just over the league average (11) for receivers with 100-plus targets. With Steve Smith retiring at the end of 2016, Wallace is likely locked into a starting spot for Baltimore in 2017. The Ravens will hope Perriman ends up snaring the spot opposite him.

8) Steve Smith, Baltimore Ravens (2.65 separation at target)
Out wide separation: 2.41 (53 percent of targets)
Slot separation: 2.92 (19.8 percent of targets)
Air yards per target: 9.4
The now-retired Steve Smith joins his 2016 Baltimore teammate Mike Wallace on the Top 10 list. No. 89 showed he still had it in 2016 by catching 69.3 percent of his targets and averaging 57.1 yards per game. Smith took more slot routes as his career wore on, and averaged a healthy 2.92 yards of separation on those targets. That was quite a bit better than his 2.41 yards of separation on his looks from the outside, a figure that certainly would have been higher back in his prime years. However, one trait that always made Smith special for his size was his ability to bully defensive backs and win at the catch point. That never left him. Smith registered a 47.6 percent catch rate on his targets with less than a yard of separation, above the NFL average of 40 percent. Steve Smith walked away on his own terms and with something left in the tank, just as he wanted.

Placing two wide receivers in the top eight of this list can be interpreted two different ways. While a pair of top notch complimentary receivers may not be as beneficial as having a top flight number one wideout such as Antonio Brown, is is fair to wonder why Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense did not produce better overall results with Wallace and Smith Sr. On the other hand, these separation ranking could be viewed positively since Flacco did well to target his receivers when they were open and the play calling seemed to optimize Wallace and Smith Sr.’s skillsets.

Unfortunately, Steve Smith is not expected to return unless Steve Bisciotti and the Ravens brass can entice him to postpone retirement for the second time in as many years. The 2017 Ravens will sorely miss his yards after the catch, precise route running and competitive spirit. Replacing Senior is yet another major offseason priority.

Ravens Mike Wallace and Steve Smith both ranked among the league’s best at creating separation

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