The Smoothest Players in the NFL Right Now

Image via Complex Original

Team: Bengals

Position: WR

2014 stats: 69 receptions, 1,041 receiving yards, 6 TDs

What makes him smooth: His size and speed allow him to make incredibly difficult catches in almost any situation

In his fourth season with Cincinnati, Green actually missed three full games and the majority of two others due to a lingering toe issue. So, you'd think that his 2014 NFL season would be a bust. But despite missing games and playing through a painful injury for much of the year, Green still managed to catch almost everything thrown his way—including 11 passes for caught for 224 yards during a Week 14 game against the Steelers. Can you even imagine what he'll be able to do next season when he's back to full strength?

Team: Eagles

Position: RB

2014 stats: 312 rushing attempts, 1,319 rushing yards, 5 TDs

What makes him smooth: His rushing, receiving, and blocking abilities make him a triple-threat in Philadelphia's potent offense

The speedy, elusive McCoy actually had a bit of a down year this season. After rushing for more than 1,600 yards in 2013, he only rushed for a little more than 1,300 yards in 2014. But that was still good for third overall in the league and, once again, he proved that he's dangerous with the ball in his hands by making more than a few defenders whiff on tackles. If the Eagles are going to break through to the playoffs in 2015, they're going to need McCoy to do what he does best—make the defense miss and score a lot of touchdowns when they do.

Team: Steelers

Position: WR

2014 stats: 129 receptions, 1,698 receiving yards, 13 TDs

What makes him smooth: His quickness allows him to get open on almost every play and take the ball to the end zone once it's in his hands

Cornerbacks around the NFL must have nightmares about Brown on a nightly basis. At just 5’10” and 185 pounds, he's definitely not the biggest receiver in the world. But he runs his routes to perfection and he rarely drops passes. It's why Brown was able to catch 10 or more passes four times this year and how he ended up leading the league in total receiving yards. He's not going to out-jump many defenders, but he will run circles around them if they try to stick him on the field.

Team: Giants

Position: WR

2014 stats: 91 receptions, 1,305 receiving yards, 12 TDs

What makes him smooth: His hands are built to catch anything that comes his way

Remember when OBJ missed the first four games of the 2014 season with a hamstring injury? Of course not, because he put on such a show when he finally returned to the Giants' lineup that he erased those games from everyone's memory. He went for more than 100 yards receiving in seven of his 12 games. He recorded 10 or more passes in four games. And he made one spectacular catch against the Cowboys in November that'll go down in NFL history. What more could you ask for from a rookie?

Team: Chiefs

Position: RB

2014 stats: 206 rushing attempts, 1,033 rushing yards, 9 TDs

What makes him smooth: His breakaway speed allows him to turn short gains into long touchdown runs in the blink of an eye

There are a lot of really fast running backs in the NFL. But the problem is that not all of them know how to identify holes at the line of scrimmage and hit them hard enough to turn them into touchdowns. Charles knows how to do it, though, and he's shown it time and time again by turning what appeared to be three or four yard gains into 60 and 70-yard scampers down the sidelines. He's an excellent receiver, too, which gives Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith another option in the passing game. It has made Charles a fantasy football legend and gave Kansas City one of the best running backs in the game over the last few seasons.

Team: Seahawks

Position: QB

2014 stats: 3,475 passing yards, 849 rushing yards, 26 passing and rushing TDs

What makes him smooth: His ability to both run and pass the football makes it difficult for opposing teams to predict where he’s going to go next

Wilson was the 16th-best rusher in the entire NFL last year with more than 800 yards rushing. He actually rushed for more yards than guys like Giovani Bernard, Steven Jackson, and Chris Johnson. But believe it or not, he doesn't run anywhere near as often as he could if he made it a point to try and pick up a ton of rushing yards. He likes to throw the ball and avoid the contact that comes along with running it. But he's also gotten really good at exploiting teams when they don't defend his running lanes, which made it nearly impossible to stop him at certain points during the 2014 season.

Team: Broncos

Position: WR

2014 stats: 101 receptions, 1,404 receiving yards, 9 TDs

What makes him smooth: His explosive first step makes him one of Peyton Manning's favorite downfield targets

When the Broncos signed Sanders last year, his new teammate Demaryius Thomas paid him the ultimate compliment when he referred to Sanders as "too fast" and said "he's quick and fast at the same time." Thomas turned out to be right—a lot—this season. Although Manning struggled to throw the deep ball late in the year, which limited Sanders' production at times, the two connected for a number of long passes that allowed Denver to stretch the field and opened up lanes for Thomas. And while Sanders did take one really hard hit against the Rams that resulted in a concussion, defenders more often than not have trouble getting their hands on him once he catches the ball.

Team: Packers

Position: WR

2014 stats: 98 receptions, 1,519 receiving yards, 13 TDs

What makes him smooth: His deceptive speed, precise route running, and strength at the line of scrimmage give him an advantage over most NFL cornerbacks

Nelson doesn't do any one specific thing exceptionally well. But he does have a really unique skill set that includes speed, size, and sticky hands, coupled with a strength that comes from growing up on a farm. This has allowed Nelson to surprise a lot of people in recent years. This season, he set a new Packers' record for receiving yards in a single season. As long as Aaron Rodgers is calling the shots in Green Bay, there are going to be a lot more balls thrown Nelson's way in the future.

Team: Chiefs

Position: LB

2014 stats: 68 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 22 sacks

What makes him smooth: His unpredictable moves at the line of scrimmage give him a distinct advantage over offensive linemen

Justin Houston very nearly broke Michael Strahan's single-season sack record in the final game of the 2014 season. Heading into the game, Houston had 18 sacks, which put him 4.5 sacks behind Strahan. But he recorded four sacks that game and, as usual, recorded them in a variety of ways. Sometimes, Houston uses spin moves to break down his defenders. Other times, he lulls them to sleep before blowing past them. More often than not, Houston uses his speed and strength to run right through defenders to get to quarterbacks. But regardless of which method he chooses, Houston always manages to look smooth when the QB is going down.

Team: Falcons

Position: WR

2014 stats: 104 receptions, 1,593 receiving yards, 6 TDs

What makes him smooth: His ability to line up anywhere on the field and run almost any route makes him very difficult to cover

In early December, Jones put on a clinic against the Packers. He went deep against them. He worked out of the slot. He actually did so many different things against them that, by the end of the game, he was injured. But before he was sidelined, Jones set the Falcons' single-season receiving yards record by making 11 catches for 259 yards. It was quite a show and a sign of things to come for the Falcons.

Team: Steelers

Position: RB

2014 stats: 290 rushing attempts, 1,361 rushing yards, 8 TDs

What makes him smooth: His versatility as both a rusher and a receiver allows Pittsburgh to utilize him in many different ways

There aren't many running backs that can be mentioned in the same breath as NFL legend Walter Peyton. But back in December, Bell managed to record more than 200 yards from the line of scrimmage in three consecutive games, which is something that only Peyton has accomplished in the past. It's why Bell's quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues to sing his praises. "He is a special talent," Big Ben said at the time. "He's one of the best all-around backs in the game." It's hard to argue with that after seeing what he's been able to do.

Team: Colts

Position: WR

2014 stats: 82 receptions, 1,345 receiving yards, 7 TDs

What makes him smooth: His incredible speed makes up for his lack of size and leaves a lot of defenders in his dust

When you've got a guy like Andrew Luck playing quarterback for your team, you need someone like Hilton on the outside. He's got blow-by speed, can stretch the field, and, most importantly, can catch the ball and finish plays by scoring touchdowns. It's no wonder Luck looks Hilton’s way so often and trusts him to come down with deep catches.

Team: Buccaneers

Position: WR

2014 stats: 68 receptions, 1,051 receiving yards, 12 TDs

What makes him smooth: His size doesn't prevent him from running down the field quickly and putting himself into the right position to make difficult catches 

At 6’5” and 235 pounds, Evans isn't built like most of the NFL's speedy receivers. But during his rookie campaign in the league, he showed that he could run right by defenders if they’re not careful. He also made quite a few difficult catches this season and proved that defenders are going to need to do more than just bump or hand-check him in the future if they want to shut him down. It's unclear who Tampa Bay's quarterback is going to be next season (is it you, Jameis Winston?), but whoever it is will be one lucky guy.

Team: Bills

Position: WR

2014 stats: 65 receptions, 982 receiving yards, 6 TDs

What makes him smooth: His unique build gives him an advantage over both cornerbacks and linebackers, which makes it difficult to cover him

Even though his fellow rookie receivers, Odell Beckham Jr. and Mike Evans, overshadowed Watkins this season, he still showed glimpses of greatness. His 6’ 1”, 210-pound frame allowed him to overpower quite a few cornerbacks on the field. But he also demonstrated his speed on several occasions (just ask Jets fans about it!) and showed that, with the right quarterback, he could be a superstar in the NFL. Let's just hope Rex Ryan keeps the ball going Watkins' way next season.

Team: Broncos

Position: WR

2014 stats: 11 receptions, 1,619 receiving yards, 11 TDs

What makes him smooth: His large frame, exceptional route running, and reliable hands make him one of the most trustworthy receivers in the league

If you had Thomas on your fantasy football team this season, there's a good chance you also won your league. Thomas caught just about everything thrown his way and gave defenders little-to-no chance to stop him. Thomas is not just big and fast, he's also really good at running routes. He was almost always in the right place when Peyton Manning threw him the ball. It resulted in him catching a lot of passes and putting up a lot of fantasy football points.