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It's in the rule book for a reason. My logic is a defender can gain an advantage on a receiver if he can block him off his route. It is not uncommon to see defender step for step with a receiver and maybe bumping each other. I am not going to call that.
It should be called when the defender gains a significant advantage such as holding the receiver or bumping the receiver such that he is unable to complete his route.
In my years as a line judge, I remember calling it once in a game where the losing team was driving for what would be the winning TD with seconds left on the clock. The defender grabbed the receiver around the waist, of course, if the QB was looking at this receiver he wasn't going to throw to him now. So it goes, the pass was thrown to a receiver farther downfield for a completion and the penalty was declined.
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