also: overhang defender · apex player · flat player
The defender aligned outside the box toward a slot receiver. The defense names him; the offense reads him.
A defender, usually an outside linebacker or a safety, who aligns off the edge of the box and outside of it, toward a slot receiver. He is close enough to be part of the run fit and wide enough to carry or funnel a receiver, which is the whole point and also the whole problem: he is asked to be in two places and cannot be.
overhang defender, apex playeroutside linebacker, nickel, force playerThe word arrives with spread offenses. A defense facing two tight ends and a wing has no overhang to speak of, which is why the term is rare in youth football and constant above it.