Chargers: Keenan Allen calls out other receivers after being disrespected
By Jason Reed
LA Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen is done being disrespected.
Fans of the LA Chargers know just how talented wide receiver Keenan Allen is. He has been the team’s WR1 the last three seasons and has played at an elite level in all three seasons. Fans also know that Allen is one of the most overlooked, and some would say disrespected, players in the entire league.
NFL Network began counting down their top 100 players for the 2020 season on Sunday night, releasing numbers 100 to 71. Charger fans likely did not expect to see Allen on the list quite yet after being ranked 38th last season.
At 7:20 p.m. PDT the shocking tweet was sent out: Keenan Allen ranked 77th among the league’s top 100 players. Allen took exception to this, responded personally, and was sure to call out a few wide receivers in the process.
Ok I’m tired of biten my tongue…@cheetah @MikeEvans13_ @chrisgoodwin… ( and the list goes on) ARE NOT a better reciever than me! Faster than me…every day of the week but separation..CHILD PLEASE! https://t.co/rBQwJZWkE3
— Keenan Allen (@Keenan13Allen) July 27, 2020
Allen proclaims that he is a better wide receiver than Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, all of which have not been named on the NFL Top 100 list yet but are more than likely going to make the list.
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Allen even followed up by saying that he was the best receiver in the AFC West, again beating out Tyreek Hill and the likes of Courtland Sutton. Sutton also has not been named on the list yet and will likely rank ahead of Allen.
Do the numbers back up Keenan Allen?
Over the last three seasons, Keenan Allen ranks third in the NFL in total receptions and fourth in total touchdowns. He does rank low on the list in touchdowns with only 18 over the last three years, but Evans only has 21 and Hill had one breakout year with 12 in 2018 but only had seven in each of the other two years.
What about in terms of pure talent? Allen often gets overlooked because he is not the fastest or the flashiest wide receiver in the league. However, anyone that has watched enough tape on Allen knows that his route-running is impeccable and while his 40-yard dash time is not great, he does have deceiving open-field speed.
He also has a better catch rate than the trio of Hill, Godwin and Evans as well. In fact, the only wide receiver in the league with a better catch rate over the last three seasons (with at least 300 combined targets) is Michael Thomas.
Oh, and that narrative that he is injury prone? Allen has not missed a single game over the last three seasons.
Next. PFF suggests the Chargers could trade Keenan Allen
As we said in our Twitter post yesterday (which might have added fuel to the fire as Allen retweeted it), he ranks among the league’s best in almost every important category and also ranks first in how often he gets disrespected by the media.