Why Seahawks Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett Belong Among NFL's Elite Duos
As one of the architects of the Cowboys' dynasty in the 1970s, Gil Brandt has forgotten more football than most people know. I greatly respect the Hall of Famer's opinion evaluating NFL talent and for the most part, I agree with his assessments.
However, his recent top 10 quarterback/receiver duo rankings had one glaring omission. Where in the heck are Seahawks stars Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett?
Just to be clear: Brandt has every right to his opinion and rankings such as this one will always be subjective in matter. It appears, at least to an extent, his list was constructed partially on the premise of projection, as he included Arizona's new pairing of Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins as well as Indianapolis' new tandem of Philip Rivers and T.Y. Hilton.
But even if Brandt tried to look into a crystal ball to forecast which quarterback and receiver duos would be most productive in 2020 and beyond, leaving Wilson and Lockett off the list is indefensible, just as the pair has been the last two seasons.
Back in 2018, Wilson posted a ridiculous perfect 158.3 passer rating targeting Lockett, connecting with the speedy receiver 57 times for 965 yards and 10 touchdowns. The tandem followed up with another impressive season, hooking up 82 times for 1,057 yards and eight scores in 2019.
From a yardage standpoint, Lockett has only produced 2,022 receiving yards over the past two seasons, which ranks 19th in the NFL during that span. But playing in a run-first offense, he did that damage with far fewer targets and receptions than anyone else in the top 20. In terms of efficiency, with Saints superstar Michael Thomas as the exception, he's been in a league of his own.
Out of 19 receivers with over 2,000 receiving yards over the past two seasons, Lockett is the only player with under 200 targets, as Wilson has thrown his direction just 180 times. The next lowest total belongs to Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin, who has been targeted 216 times in the same time period.
Impressively hauling in 139 receptions, Lockett posted a 77 percent catch rate on targets from Wilson, second behind only Thomas for receivers who finished in the top 40 in receiving yardage. He also made his catches count on the scoreboard, tying for second among all receivers with 18 receiving touchdowns.
The other four players in the top five, including Thomas and Hopkins, all received at least 226 targets. In other words, Lockett produced the same scoring totals on nearly 50 less targets, further showcasing his elite chemistry with Wilson.
Set to turn 28 in December, Lockett looks to be in the prime of his career and the arrival of DK Metcalf will make it much tougher for opponents to try to take him away with double teams in coverage. Adding veteran tight end Greg Olsen and receiver Phillip Dorsett to the mix will help create opportunities for him as well.
Considering the gaudy numbers Wilson and Lockett have put up - along with countless highlight reel connections in the process - there's no question the duo has been amongst the NFL's best and should remain in the conversation for years to come.
