The Maturation Of Kenny Stills....

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It’s often said that NFL players make the most growth between their first and second years in the league.

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This is what we saw happen with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Kenny Stills during his second season. Perhaps some of growth toward becoming a complete receiver last season was the result of being asked to do more as a sophomore, but the numbers and film show he was also in a better position to accomplish those tasks.

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This case can be made by simply saying to watch his film and see the different things he was doing as a sophomore as opposed to being a rookie, but perhaps the best way to illustrate this point is by looking at the additional routes he ran during his sophomore season.

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As a rookie, Stills made his living running go routes. In 2014, Stills made his living in a completely different fashion. He no longer ran straight down the field and used his athleticism as his primary weapon. He was asked to be more of a tactician and use his route-running ability to get open.

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This variety shows up the numbers. His most popular and effective route were hitches. He was targeted on 23 of these (29 percent) and caught 21 of the passes for 222 yards. These were followed by out routes (10 catches on 15 targets), go routes, and quick outs (five catches on seven targets). Stills was also targeted five times each on in routes (five catches), comebacks (four catches), and post routes (two catches).

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But even with the increased variety, Stills remained deadly on go routes last season. He made eight catches on 10 targets for 254 yards and scored three touchdowns on these plays. Brees’ 156.3 quarterback rating when throwing to Stills on go routes was his highest rating on any route by any receiver or tight end on the roster. Brees’ 112 rating when throwing to Stills was his highest rating with any wide receiver.

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