For a player entering only his fifth year playing wide receiver, Cam Meredith looks like a natural.



In 2013, Illinois State head coach Brock Spack made a prescient decision in converting Meredith from a spectating backup quarterback to the team’s top wide receiver for his final two collegiate seasons. It’s the reason why Meredith’s still playing football today.



After making the Bears as an undrafted free agent rookie in 2015, Meredith earned snaps and helped spark an 18-17 comeback on the road in Kansas City. In 2016, he became the team’s most productive receiver despite starting only 10 games. In 2017, he could emerge as the team’s go-to guy in the passing game.



Evaluating wide receiver play is more nuanced than noting whether or not a target converted into a completion and for how many yards. What did the wide receiver do to get himself into a position to catch the football? That’s the essential question and there are many facets to answering it.



NFL defensive backs are physical and intuitive. They pick up on nonverbal cues, like a wide receiver’s stance and his body position heading into a break, to navigate them to the football. Thus, the most successful wide receivers master every aspect of their craft — from their release off the line, to efficiently running their route to get proper depth, to setting defenders up to break leverage and gain separation, to corralling the football with their hands and gaining yards after the catch. Meredith has demonstrated impressive technique in all of these areas, which led to his success last season.



‌‌‌



If...