Sportradar rates Packers receivers as NFL's slowest

Whoever ends up taking control of the Green Bay Packers' roster when Mark Murphy makes his first general manager hire, he will have a stark reality staring him in the face when he looks at his wide receiver depth chart.

To put it plainly, the Packers' wide receivers are the slowest in the league.

That would be according to Sam Manchester, who in an article for the New York Times, takes a look at data provided by Sportradar, the company that “is used by teams to help make personnel decisions, scout opponents and even call plays. It also helps separate players who have 'game speed' from those who merely run fast at the NFL Combine.”

As Manchester writes:

If we look at every pass play in the N.F.L. this season through Week 16, and then average the top speed of each receiver across all of those plays, the Rams have the fastest group with an average of 13.32 m.p.h. The Raiders, at 11.96, are slower than every other team except for the Packers, who are more than a mile and a half per hour slower than the Rams at 11.74 m.p.h.

Manchester’s point of looking at “game speed” instead of 40-yard dash results is constructive, especially when comparing the top average speed of the Packers' wide receivers (where they rank dead last in the league) and their 40 times from their respective combines.

For the record, Davante Adams, who was just signed to a four-year extension worth $58 million, making him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league, ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the combine. Randall Cobb ran a 4.46. Geronimo Allison ran a 4.67. Jordy Nelson ran a 4.51 but has lost a step. Maybe two.

The Packers’ fastest receivers, Trevor Davis and Jeff Janis, both ran a 4.42. However, both played few snaps from scrimmage throughout the season.

As for game speed, from Sportradar’s data, here’s a look at every team’s average top speed at receiver:

Los Angeles Rams: 13.32 mph

Jacksonville Jaguars: 13.09

Cleveland Browns: 13.08

Buffalo Bills: 12.97

Los Angeles Chargers: 12.93

Chicago Bears: 12.90

New England Patriots: 12.84

Seattle Seahawks: 12.83

Indianapolis Colts: 12.83

Kansas City Chiefs: 12.71

Washington Redskins: 12.66

Dallas Cowboys: 12.64

San Francisco 49ers: 12.58

Tennessee Titans: 12.58

Pittsburgh Steelers: 12.56

Miami Dolphins: 12.52

Baltimore Ravens: 12.51

Minnesota Vikings: 12.50

Philadelphia Eagles: 12.50

Atlanta Falcons: 12.49

Arizona Cardinals: 12.48

Cincinnati Bengals: 12.47

New Orleans Saints: 12.46

Carolina Panthers: 12.40

Detroit Lions: 12.38

Houston Texans: 12.33

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 12.29

New York Jets:12.25

Denver Broncos: 12.24

New York Giants: 12.20

Oakland Raiders: 11.96

Green Bay Packers: 11.74