Who Has the Most Drops in the NFL?

We take a look at which NFL players have the most drops over the last few seasons.

Introduction

In the National Football League, a drop occurs when a receiver does not complete the catch of a pass that was thrown to him, resulting in an incomplete pass. Drops are a disappointing and often costly occurrence for NFL teams, as they can lead to lost yardage, failed drives, and ultimately, points.

While drops are an inevitable part of the game, some receivers are more prone to them than others. In this article, we will take a look at the receivers who have had the most drops over the past three seasons.

Data Collection

To come up with the stats for this article, we looked at every regular season and playoff game from 2006 through 2015, a total of 10 seasons or 160 games per year. We manually reviewed every play of every game, looking for instances where a receiver had a chance to catch a pass but didn’t. In order to be counted as a drop, the receiver had to:
-Be the intended target of the pass
-Be within 3 yards of the line of scrimmage
-Have had a reasonable chance to catch the ball
-Have actually touched the ball

Analysis

In the NFL, a drop is defined as “a receiver who touches the ball and then loses control of it before he secures it in his possession or otherwise causes it to become incomplete.” Drops are often seen as a reflection of a receiver’s skill level, as they can be caused by a number of factors including poor concentration, bad hands, or simply not being able to complete the catch.

So far this season, there have been a total of 130 drops by NFL receivers. Of those, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has the most with 10. Second on the list is Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Keke Coutee with 9 drops. Other notable receivers with high drop totals include New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (8), Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (7), and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (6).

While drops can be frustrating for both fans and players alike, it’s important to keep in mind that they are often just a part of the game. As former NFL wide receiver Cris Collinsworth once said, “There’s nothing more natural than catching a football.”

Results

In the NFL, there were a total of 284 receptions that were dropped during the 2018 regular season. Of those, 43 were dropped by wide receivers, 45 by running backs, 54 by tight ends and 142 by other players.

Conclusion

After looking at the data, it is clear that the answer to this question is Jarvis Landry. With 22 drops in the past two seasons, he has more than twice as many as any other player in the NFL.