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The NFL is a league predicated on offense, with many great pass catchers. However, narrowing it down to the top ten wide receivers can be very difficult, but I figured I’d give it a shot. I am ranking the players based on if a new NFL season started today, and I would get that player for one full season.
1. Justin Jefferson
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The best receiver in the NFL right now is Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, who has already broken many records. Earlier this season against the Eagles, Jefferson eclipsed 5,000 career yards, becoming the fastest player in NFL history to reach this mark in 52 games. Jefferson broke Odell Beckham Jr.’s previous record of 54. Last season, he set single-season records for the Vikings franchise receptions and receiving yards, with 128 and 1,809.
Some notable players Jefferson passed in these categories are Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Jefferson also won the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2022. This season he has been limited to just 4.5 games because of a hamstring injury. In the four healthy games he played, he had 33 receptions for 543 yards and three touchdowns. A 2,000-yard season was definitely on the table, and that is why it was so unfortunate to see him go down. You will see why he's the best receiver in the NFL with the contract extension he's going to receive this upcoming off-season.
2. Ja’Marr Chase
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The second-best receiver in the NFL right now for me is Ja’Marr Chase, who was Jefferson’s college teammate. Chase doesn't have amazing numbers right now for a player his caliber (69 catches, 821 yards, and five touchdowns), but a lot of that had to do with Joe Burrow playing hurt early in the season. In the Bengals' first four games this year, Chase was averaging just 10.25 targets a game, and that simply was not enough. The team started out 1-3 in those first four games. Then, in week five, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan finally decided it was time to get his best player the ball. In the team's week five win Chase commanded 19 targets, hauling in 15 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Including that game, the Bengals have won four out of five games, and in those contests, Chase is averaging 11.6 targets per game, 107.4 yards, and has five touchdowns in the stretch. His nickname is 7/11, and that’s because he’s always open.
3. Davante Adams
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At number three on my list, I have Davante Adams, and his resume speaks for itself. Adams, known for his great releases off the line of scrimmage, is a six-time pro bowler and a three-time all-pro. Many thought that all of Adams’ success had to do with playing for the Packers and being quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers. Obviously, this had a lot to do with it, however, Adams proved a lot of people wrong with his season in 2022.
In his first year with the Raiders, Adams had 100 catches, 1516 yards, and 14 touchdowns, as he earned his third career all-pro selection. This year he's not off to a great start, and I think that has more to do with his team's play calling and quarterback play. In four of the Raiders' last six games, he has been targeted less than eight times, which is flat-out unacceptable and is potentially one of the reasons they fired head coach and OC Josh McDaniels.
4. Tyreek Hill
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Coming in at number four is Tyreek Hill, and he has a very good chance of surpassing 2,000 yards this season. Hill is a four-time all-pro selection and a seven-time pro bowler. Following a 31-17 win over the Patriots, Hill became the fastest player to hit 1,000 receiving yards in a season in just eight games. Hill is most known for his speed, and he is one of the fastest players that I've ever seen on a football field.
Hill is the toughest player at his position to gameplan for, and he totally changes the way that defenses play, sometimes I see two safeties 25 yards downfield. Many people will probably wonder why he isn’t at least in the top three. My reasoning is that I don't think he has as good of hands as the other three guys I have already mentioned, he is more of a body catcher. Also, he has played for two of the greatest offensive minds in the game in Andy Reid and Mike McDaniel.
5. Cooper Kupp
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A triple crown winner and Super Bowl MVP just two years ago at number five? Yes, that goes to show how deep the position is right now. For those of you who don’t know, the triple crown for a receiver is when you lead the NFL in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Kupp did this in 2021 when he had 145 receptions, 1,947 yards, and 16 touchdowns. He was the fourth receiver to accomplish this since 1967. The other three were Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe, and Steve Smith Sr. In that same 2021 season, Kupp also had a dominant postseason run to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. In the Rams' four playoff games, Kupp had 33 catches for 478 yards and six touchdowns. He was extra special in the Super Bowl, scoring two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown with 1:30 remaining, cementing his legacy forever.
6. Stefon Diggs
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Stefon Diggs is somebody who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He has had five straight 1,000-yard seasons and is on the verge of his sixth. I believe that he is the reason that Josh Allen has become a top-five quarterback in the NFL. In Allen’s first two seasons, while Diggs was still in Minnesota, he had a completion percentage below 60%. Then, in 2020 when the Bills went out and acquired Diggs, he finished second in the MVP voting and got his team to the conference championship game.
Diggs isn’t the fastest or the quickest guy, but he is always open. Something I believe he does better than most receivers in the league on deep passes downfield is that he puts his hands out late to make the catch, tricking the defender whose eyes typically aren’t on the ball. This prevents the defender from being able to put their hands out and break up the pass. I would not be mad if you have Diggs in your own top five.
7. Ceedee Lamb
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Next, is Ceedee Lamb, who is a do-it-all all-receiver for America’s team and he still isn’t appreciated enough. What I like most about Lamb is that he can play in the slot, and outside, and occasionally he lines up in the backfield to get matched up with linebackers. The knock against Lamb, and what prevents him from being in my top five, is that he doesn’t score enough touchdowns.
Lamb still does not have a double-digit touchdown season. Lamb recently became the first player in NFL history to have at least 10 receptions and 150 yards in three straight games. He also has never missed a game in his 3.5 years in the league, it takes a special player to wear 88 on your back and play for the Dallas Cowboys, and he is just that.
8. AJ Brown
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AJ Brown is having a career year in 2023, and he has many Titan fans scratching their heads for trading him back in 2022. Brown is a physical specimen, much like his college teammate DK Metcalf. At 227 pounds Brown ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the combine and is a nightmare to bring down in the open field.
From weeks three through eight this season Brown surpassed 125 yards receiving in each game, breaking Calvin Johnson’s record in 2012 and Pat Sudstill’s in 1966. The biggest takeaway for me with Brown is what he has done for Jalen Hurts, similar to what I mentioned earlier about Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen. In 2021, Hurts had just a 61% completion percentage with sixteen touchdowns and nine interceptions in fifteen starts. Since acquiring Brown, he finished second in the MVP voting and took his team to the Super Bowl, and it looks like winning the MVP award and the Super Bowl is very much on the table this year.
9. Keenan Allen
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It feels too low because of how valuable he is to his team, but my number nine receiver is Keenan Allen, someone who is super underappreciated across the NFL. The twelve-year veteran just surpassed 10,000 yards for his career in the Chargers week nine win over the Jets. Allen had a game earlier this season against the Vikings where he had 18 catches for 215 yards.
In his team's most recent game, he once again went nuclear with 175 yards on 11 receptions, and two touchdowns, while also battling through a shoulder injury in the second half. Allen is 31 years old, is fourth in the NFL in receiving yards, and is second in the league in receptions. He plays most of his snaps from the slot and is a quarterback’s best friend, particularly against zone coverage, just ask Phillip Rivers and Justin Herbert. Even at his age, Allen is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
10. Deandre Hopkins
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Rounding out my top ten is Deandre Hopkins, he is a perennial all-pro and has the best hands in the NFL. He is not in the best situation right now in Tennessee, which is one of the most run-heavy teams in the league. Hopkins is definitely on the back nine of his career, but he is still a player that opposing defensive coordinators need to game plan for and draws double teams which makes everyone around him better on offense. Two weeks ago, Hopkins had four catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns in the first career start of Will Levis. Levis already looks like he has a better chance at success than Mac Jones, which is where all this receiver talk circles back to the Patriots.
The Patriots were rumored to be in on Hopkins this past offseason, however, they cheaped out. Throughout the offseason, much was made about Belichick’s relationship with Hopkins and their dialogue with each other after games in the past. However, no matter how much Bill likes somebody, the truth of the matter is if you’re good and you cost money, then he wants nothing to do with you. Prior to the season, Belichick signed Joe Cardona to a four-year contract extension worth $6.3 million. This made Cardona the league's highest-paid long snapper. They also signed special teamer Chris Board to a two-year contract worth up to $6.7 million.
The Titans signed Hopkins to a two-year deal worth $26 million, which is very reasonable for a player of his caliber. He is someone who could have made life much easier for Mac Jones, like Stefon Diggs did for Josh Allen, and AJ Brown for Jalen Hurts as I mentioned earlier. Instead, Belichick let Jakobi Meyers go in free agency (Mac Jones’ favorite target) and replaced him with JuJu Smith-Schuster who has 149 yards this year in eight games. And of course, this is following a year where he hired a defensive coordinator to call plays. In no way am I saying that if Belichick surrounded Mac Jones better that he would be an MVP candidate, however, they would not be sitting in the situation they are now at 2-8.
In 2023, NFL teams are averaging just 21.8 points per game, which would be the lowest total since 2017, and the second lowest since 2009. In today’s day in age where everything is catered toward the offense, especially with the excessive pass interference, roughing the passer, and defensive holding calls, why could this be? Well, it is not a wide receiver problem in this league, therefore I feel that quarterback play is at an all-time low, and offensive play calling is very subpar.
Players who did not make my list in the top ten who deserve honorable mention: Amon’Ra St. Brown, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, and Brandon Aiyuk.
Have an opposing viewpoint to this opinion? Let us know. All views are welcome. Send your thoughts to our Editorial Staff – Editor Dylan Hicks dhicks@student.dean.edu or Dean Daily Faculty Advisor, Professor John Rooke jrooke@dean.edu
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