Wide receivers and tight ends are judged on every single target they get during the course of an NFL season. But the basic counting stats seen as the industry standard don't take all the factors that go into a pass play in the NFL, like where the quarterback puts the ball and what kind of defense is being played on that player.
That's why NFL.com's Nick Shook compared all NFL pass-catchers on their "expected catch rate" with their actual catch rate and found the greatest differences between the two. Shook found that both tight end George Kittle and now-former 49ers wideout Emmanuel Sanders were elite at making catches they weren't supposed to in 2019.