Football Route Tree: Routes 0–9 Explained

Football Route Tree

Routes 0 through 9, explained with a diagram

The route tree is the shared language of the passing game. One number tells a receiver his stem, his depth and which way he breaks. Here's the standard tree, what each route does, and which coverages each one attacks.

The Football Route Tree

Every route starts with the same stem straight up the field. The number tells the receiver where to break. In the most common system, odd numbers break outside toward the sideline, even numbers break inside toward the middle, 9 is a straight go and 0 is a hitch.

Odd: breaks outsideEven: breaks inside0 and 9: hitch and go

Drawn for a receiver on the left side of the formation. Flip it for a receiver on the right. Depths are typical, not fixed.

The Routes Route By Route

Depths are common teaching ranges. NFL routes usually run deeper than high school routes, and coaches adjust depth to the quarterback's drop and the receiver's speed.

	Route	Break	Typical depth	Best against
0	Hitch	Stop, turn back to QB	5–6 yds	Soft, off coverage
1	Flat	Outside to sideline	0–3 yds	Zone that vacates the flat
2	Slant	45° inside after 1–3 steps	3–6 yds	Off man, inside windows
3	Comeback	Back toward sideline	12–15 yds, back to ~12	Corners bailing deep
4	Curl	Turn inside, back to QB	10–15 yds	Zone, sitting in a window
5	Out	90° to sideline	10–15 yds (quick out ~5)	Off coverage, inside leverage
6	Dig / In	90° inside	12–15 yds	Zone behind the linebackers
7	Corner	45° to back pylon	10–12 yd stem	Cover 2, inside leverage
8	Post	45° to goalposts	10–12 yd stem	Open middle (Cover 2, Cover 4)
9	Go / Fly	Straight vertical	Full field	Press man, a slower defender

Route numbering varies by team and system. Some playbooks swap the numbers for the comeback and curl, or use 0 for a go. Check your own system's tree. References: Eyes Up Football, Route Tree Guide; Bleacher Report, NFL 101: The Route Tree.

How Routes Combine

Routes Become Concepts

Single routes rarely work alone. Offenses pair them to put one defender in conflict. That's a concept.

Smash: a hitch (0) under a corner (7). The cornerback can't cover both.
Curl-Flat: a curl (4) and a flat (1) stretch the flat defender horizontally.
Four Verticals: four go routes (9) stress every deep defender at once.
Post-Dig: a post (8) over a dig (6) attacks the middle at two levels.

Which concept works depends on the coverage. See the football coverage diagrams for what each coverage leaves open.

Show The Route Tree On Real Film

Players learn routes faster when they see the diagram and the real rep side by side. Here's how coaches use ProPlayVision to do it.

Diagram it first

Build the formation on a blank field with Formation Creator and draw the tree.

Find it on film

Pull clips of each route from your games or practice.

Draw on the field

Trace the route on the clip. The 3D perspective engine keeps depth and angle accurate on the turf.

Show the break point

Freeze at the break and mark the depth with the first-down style line so players see the exact yard.

Route Tree Questions

What is a route tree in football?

A route tree is a numbered set of basic pass routes that all start from the same stem. The number tells the receiver which way to break and roughly how deep.

Why do odd routes go outside and even routes go inside?

It's a convention that makes play calls easy to remember. Many systems use it, but not all, so always check your own playbook.

What is the 9 route?

In most systems the 9 is a go or fly route: a straight vertical sprint down the field.

Do the Madden route numbers match?

Madden uses route names rather than a numbered tree, but the routes themselves are the same: hitch, slant, curl, out, dig, corner, post and go. See the Madden telestrator for drawing them on gameplay.