A receiver's job isn't just to run the assigned pattern, then catch a perfectly thrown ball. He must set up the defender with head and hip fakes. He must find the soft spot in a zone, or beat the jam at the line and still make it to a specific spot at a specific time. He must adjust his pattern to the coverage and know the quarterback will be expecting him to make that adjustment. And after he's done all that, he often has to adjust to the ball while it is in the air and make the catch.
Young receivers are often daunted by the transition from college to the NFL, where it can take years for a receiver to master the necessary details. And standing as the model for every receiver is the Colts' Marvin Harrison, who last season broke the NFL record for receptions in a season with two games still to play.
But there are a lot of different ways to compare receivers. Here are several of them, looking at every receiver who gained at least 240 yards last season.
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