A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense, WR gets its name from the player being split out "wide" (near the sidelines), farthest away from the rest of the offensive formation.

A forward pass-catching specialist, the wide receiver is one of the fastest players on the field alongside cornerbacks and running backs. One on either extreme of the offensive line is typical, but several may be employed on the same play.

Through 2022 only four wide receivers, Jerry Rice (in 1987 and 1993), Michael Thomas (in 2019), Cooper Kupp (in 2021), and Justin Jefferson (in 2022), have won Offensive Player of the Year.  In every other year it was awarded to either a quarterback or running back. No wide receiver has ever won MVP. Jerry Rice is the leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns on the all-time list for receivers, along with being a 3-time SB champion and 10-time All-Pro selections.

Role 

The wide receiver's principal role is to catch forward passes from the quarterback. On passing plays, the receiver attempts to avoid, outmaneuver, or simply outrun the cornerbacks or safeties typically defending him.  If the receiver becomes open on his pass route, the quarterback may throw a pass to him.  The receiver needs to successfully catch the ball without it touching the ground (known as a completion) and then run with the ball as far downfield as possible, hopefully reaching the end zone to score a touchdown.

Especially fast receivers are typically perceived as "deep threats," while those with good hands and perhaps shifty moves may be regarded as "possession receivers" prized for running crossing routes across the middle of the field, and, ideally, converting third-down situations. Taller receivers with a height advantage over typically shorter defenders tend to play further to the outside and run deep more often, while shorter ones tend to play inside and run more routes underneath the top of the defense.

A wide receiver may block his or another defender, depending on the type of play being run. On standard running plays they will block their assigned defender for the running back. Particularly in the case of draws and other trick plays, he may run a pass route with the intent of drawing defenders away from the intended action. Well-rounded receivers are noted for skill in both roles; Hines Ward in particular received praise for his  blocking abilities while also becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers all-time leading receiver and one of 13 in NFL history through 2009 with at least 1,000 receptions.

Occasionally wide receivers are used to run the ball, usually in plays seeking to surprise the defense, as in an end-around or reverse. All-time NFL receiving yardage leader Jerry Rice also rushed the ball 87 times for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns in his 20 NFL seasons.

In even rarer cases, receivers may pass the ball as part of an outright trick play. Like a running back, a receiver may legally pass the ball so long as they receive it behind the line of scrimmage, in the form of a handoff or backward lateral. This sort of trick play is often employed with a receiver who has past experience playing quarterback at a lower level, such as high school, or sometimes, college. Antwaan Randle El, a four-year quarterback at Indiana University, threw a touchdown pass at the wide receiver position in Super Bowl XL playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Seattle Seahawks.

Wide receivers often also serve on special teams as kick or punt returners, as gunners on coverage teams, or as part of the hands team during onside kicks. Devin Hester, from the Chicago Bears, touted as one of the greatest kick and punt returners of all time, was listed as a wide receiver (after his first season, during which he was listed as a cornerback).  Five-time All-Pro and ten-time Pro Bowler Matthew Slater is a gunner for the New England Patriots also listed as a wide receiver, however much he has only one reception in his career.

In the NFL, wide receivers use the numbers 0–49 and 80–89.

A "route tree" system typically used in high school and college employs numbers zero through nine, with zero being a "go route" and a nine being a "hitch route" or vice versa. In high school they are normally a part of the play call, but are usually disguised in higher levels of plays.

History 

The wide receiver grew out of a position known as the end. Originally, the ends played on the offensive line, immediately next to the tackles, in a position now referred to as the tight end. By the rules governing the forward pass, ends (positioned at the end of the line of scrimmage) and backs (positioned behind the line of scrimmage) are eligible receivers. Most early football teams used the ends sparingly as receivers, as their starting position next to the offensive tackles at the end of the offensive formation often left them in heavy traffic with many defenders around. By the 1930s, some teams were experimenting with spreading the field by moving one end far out near the sideline, drawing the defense away from running plays and leaving them more open on passing ones. These "split ends" became the prototype for what has evolved into being called today the wide receiver. Don Hutson, who played college football at Alabama and professionally with the Green Bay Packers, was the first player to exploit the potential of the split end position.

As the passing game evolved, a second de facto wide receiver was added by employing a running back in a pass-catching role rather than splitting out the "blind-side" end, who was typically retained as a blocker to protect the left side of right-handed quarterbacks.  The end stayed at the end of the offensive line in what today is a tight end position, while the running back - who would line up a yard or so off the offensive line and some distance from the end in a "flank" position - became known as a "flanker".

Lining up behind the line of scrimmage gave the flanker two principal advantages. First, a flanker has more "space" between themselves and their opposing defensive cornerback, who can not as easily "jam" them at the line of scrimmage; second, flankers are eligible for motion plays, which allow them to move laterally before and during the snap. Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch is one of the earliest players to successfully exploit the potential of the flanker position as a member of the Los Angeles Rams during the 1950s.

While some teams did experiment with more than two wide receivers as a gimmick or trick play, most teams used the pro set (of a flanker, split end, half back, full back, tight end, and quarterback) as the standard group of ball-handling personnel.  An early innovator, coach Sid Gillman used 3+ wide receiver sets as early as the 1960s.  In sets that have three, four, or five wide receivers, extra receivers are typically called slot receivers, as they play in the "slot" (open space) between the furthest receiver and the offensive line, typically lining up off the line of scrimmage like a flanker.

The first use of a slot receiver is often credited to Al Davis, a Gillman assistant who took the concept with him as a coach of the 1960s Oakland Raiders.  Other members of the Gillman coaching tree, including Don Coryell and John Madden, brought these progressive offensive ideas along with them into the 1970s and early 1980s, but it was not until the 1990s that teams began to reliably use three or more wide receivers, notably the "run and shoot" offense popularized by the Houston Cougars of the NCAA and the Houston Oilers of the NFL, and the "K Gun" offense used by the Buffalo Bills.  Charlie Joiner, a member of the "Air Coryell" San Diego Chargers teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s, was the first "slot receiver" to be his team's primary receiver.

Wide receivers generally hit their peak between the ages of 23 and 30, with about 80 percent of peak seasons falling within that range according to one study.

Types
The designation for a receiver separated from the main offensive formation varies depending on how far they are removed from it and whether they begin on or off the line of scrimmage.  The three principal designations are "wide receiver"/"split end", "flanker", and "slot back":

 Split end (X or SE): A receiver positioned farthest from center on their side of the field which takes their stance on the line of scrimmage, necessary to meet the rule requiring seven players to be lined up on it at the snap. In a punt formation, the split end is known as a gunner.
 Flanker/Flanker back (Z or FL or 6 back): Frequently the team's featured receiver, the flanker lines up a yard or so behind the line of scrimmage, generally on the same side of the formation as a tight end.  It is typically the farthest player from the center on its side of the field, and use the initial buffer between their starting position off the line and a defender to avoid immediate "jamming" (legal defensive contact within five yards of the line of scrimmage).  Being a member of the "backfield", the flanker can go into lateral or backward motion before the snap to potentially position themselves for a changing role on the play or simply to confound a defense, and is usually the one to do so.
 Slotback or slot receiver (Y, SB or SR): A receiver lining up in the offensive back field, horizontally positioned between the offensive tackle and the split end or between the tight end and the flanker. Canadian and arena football allow a slotback to take a running start at the line; American football allows the slot receiver to move backward or laterally like a flanker, but not at the same time as any other member of the backfield. They are usually larger players as they need to make catches over the middle. In American football, slot receivers are typically used in flexbone or other triple option offenses, while Canadian football uses three of them in almost all formations (in addition to two split ends and a single running back).

References

External links

American football positions
Canadian football terminology
와이드 리시버(wide receiver)는 미식축구와 캐나다식 축구의 공격 포지션중 하나이다. 특정 포지션만이 포워드 패스를 받을 수 있다. 오펜시브 라인의 끝에 위치한 두 명의 선수들은 백필드(오펜시브 라인 뒤)에 있는 선수들과 마찬가지로 적격 리시버이다. 이 두 명의 리시버들은 공격수로서 사이드라인 근처에서 플레이를 시작하므로 "와이드(wide)" 리시버로 불린다. 그림의 오른쪽에서 볼 수 있듯 한명의 와이드 리시버는 스크리미지 라인에서 최소 1야드 이상 떨어진 백필드에서 플레이를 시작할 수 있다. 오른쪽에 있는 와이드 리시버는 백필드에서 플레이를 시작하고 있다. 이러한 배치는 또다른 적격 리시버인 타이트 엔드가 오른쪽 방향에 배치될 수 있도록 해준다. 타이트 엔드가 놓인 방향을 "strong side"라 부르는데, 그림에서는 필드의 오른쪽이 해당된다.

미식축구와 캐나다식 축구에서 와이드 리시버 포지션은 패스를 받아내는 데 특화되어있다. 와이드 리시버(wideout이나 단순히 receiver로 언급되기도 함)는 게임 내에서 가장 빠르고 민첩한 선수들이며 자주 높은 주목을 받는다.

역할

와이드 리시버의 가장 중요한 역할을 쿼터백으로부터 포워드 패스를 받는 일이다. 패싱 플레이에서 리시버는 피하거나, 허를 찌르거나, 단순히 더 빨리 달려서 자신의 패스 루트 안에 있는 수비수를(통상 코터백 또는 세이프티) 따돌려야 한다. 리시버가 오픈(패스가 가는 방향에 장애물이 없을 경우)되게 되면, 와이드 리시버는 쿼터백의 타겟이 된다. 패스가 자신의 방향으로 한번 던져지면 리시버의 목표는 볼을 잡은 뒤 다운필드로 달려나가는 것이 된다. 다른 리시버들이 패스를 떨어뜨리지 않고, 필드 중앙을 가로 지르는 패스 루트를 달리며, 서드 다운 상황을 주로 수행하는 “possession receiver”로 인식되는 반면 몇몇 리시버들은 전력질주 속도를 활용한 “deep threat”으로 인식된다. 리시버의 역할을 수행하는 데 큰 신장과 가벼운 체중은 많은 도움이 된다.

팀이 hurry-up offense(경기 종료가 얼마 남지 않은 상황에서의 서두르는 노 허들 플레이)를 해야 할 경우 와이드 리시버와 패싱 게임은 특히 중요해진다. 리시버들은 플레이 종료와 함께 시간이 멈추는 아웃 오브 바운즈를 위해 사이드라인 근처에 위치한다. (인컴플리트 패스도 시간을 멈춘다.)

런닝 플레이에서 와이드 리시버는 상황맥락에 따라 2개의 잠재적인 역할을 한다. 특히 드로 플레이(draw play – 패싱을 가장한 런닝 플레이)시에는 수비수의 주위를 다른 곳으로 돌리기 위해 패스 루트를 달린다. 다른 한편 리시버는 런닝백을 위해 블록을 해야 한다. 균형잡힌 리시버들은 패스 캐칭 능력과 함께 디펜시브 백을 블록하는 능력으로 주목 받는다.

때때로 와이드 리시버들은, 통상 리버스 플레이(와이드 리시버가 러닝백으로부터 볼을 건네받은 뒤 달리는 전술)의 몇몇 전술에서 볼을 가지고 달리는 데 활용되기도 한다. 이 전술은 수비수들이 일반적으로 리시버들을 런닝 플레이에 있어 직접 볼을 가지고 달릴 것이라고는 예상하지 않기 때문에 유용하다. 리시버들은 거의 볼 케리어로 활용되지 않지만 리시버를 활용해 볼을 달리게 하는 전술은 매우 성공적일 수 있다. 예를 들어 모든 NFL의 리시빙 기록을 가지고 있는 와이드 리시버 Jerry Rice는 20년간 NFL에서 뛰면서 통산 87번의 런닝 시도와 645야드 전진, 10번의 런닝 터치다운 기록을 가지고 있다.  

더욱 드문 경우기도 하지만, 리시버들은 trick play의 일종으로 패스를 할 수도 있다. 이런 플레이는 매우 드문 빈도로 행해지지만 특히 예전 쿼터백 경력이 있는 몇몇 리시버들은 패서로서의 능력도 보여준다. 또한 와이드 리시버들은 스페셜 팀에 있어 킥오프와 펀트의 러터너로서 활약하기도 하고, onside kick(역전을 위해 짧게 차는 킥오프)에 있어서는 “hands team(onside kick을 전문적으로 잡는 팀)”의 일원으로 뛰기도 한다.   

마지막으로 잘못된 패스에 있어 리시버들은 인터셉션을 피하기 위해 자주 수비 역할을 해야한다. 패스가 인터셉션되면 볼 케리어가 볼을 가지고 먼 거리를 전진하거나 터치다운을 하는 것을 막기 위해 스피드를 이용해 볼 케리어를 따라잡고 태클을 해야한다.

종류
일반적인 팬층과 대부분의 해설자들이 이러한 선수들을 통칭 “wide receiver”라고 명명하고 있지만, 리시버의 포지션에 따라 특별한 이름이 존재한다.

스플릿 엔드 (Split end / X 또는 SE): 스크리미지 라인에 위치한 리시버로서 스냅시에 최소 7명의 선수가 스크리미지 라인에 있어야 한다는 규칙을 충족시키기 위해 필요한 리시버다. 유효하게 쓰이려면 이 선수는 타이트 엔드의 반대쪽에 위치해야 한다. 스플릿 엔드는 자신의 방향에 있어 센터로부터 가장 멀리 떨어져 있다. 

플랭커 (Flanker/ Z 또는 FL): 스크리미지 라인 뒤에 위치하는 리시버이다. 보통 팀의 주전 리시버이며 스크리미지 라인 5야드 내에서는 허용되는 접촉인 jamming을 피하기 위해 자신과 수비수 사이에 거리를 둔다. 플랭커는 일반적으로 타이트 엔드와 같은 쪽에 배치된다. 스필릿 엔드처럼 플랭커는 자신의 방향에서 센터로부터 가장 멀리 떨어져 있다. 플랭커는 스크리미지 라인의 약간 뒤쪽에 배치된다는 것을 제외하면 스플릿 엔드와 유사하게 배치된다. 

슬롯 리시버 (Slot Receiver / Y 또는 SL): 스플릿 엔드와 플랭커에 추가하여 붙여지는 덜 보편적 이름이다. 슬롯 리시버는 라인맨과 스플릿 엔드/플랭커의 중간에 위치한다. 플랭커와 함께 배치될 경우 슬롯 리시버는 스크리미지 라인에 서게되고, 스플렛 엔드와 배치될 경우 슬롯 리시버는 스크리미지 라인에서 벗어나게 된다. 플랭커 포지션처럼, jamming을 피하기 위해 주전 리시버가 스플릿 엔드와 함께 슬롯 포지션에서 출장하기도 한다.
 
슬롯백 (Slot back): 오펜시브 백 필드(스크리미지 라인의 뒤 러닝백 자리)에 포진되는 리시버이다. 캐나다식 축구나 실내 미식축구에선 리시버가 그 자리에서 달릴 수 있도록 허용해 준다. 슬롯백은 통상 중앙에서 볼을 잡아야 하므로 체격이 큰 선수들이다. 미식축구에서 슬롯백은 flexbone formation 이나 Triple Option공격(모두 러닝백을 둘이상 두는 전술)에서만 활용되는 반면 캐나다식 축구에서는 거의 모든 포메이션에서 출장한다.   

미식축구 포지션
미식축구 용어