Image via Getty/Joe Robbins
The NFL is thirsting for superstars. Future Hall of Famers like Calvin Johnson and Peyton Manning recently called it quits, and franchise heroes Tom Brady and Larry Fitzgerald are pushing into the retirement age for their respective positions. Don’t conflate this with the idea that the league is somehow running out of talent; the faster NFL has been getting young athletes who have excelled at meeting its high demands. This isn’t quite a league of marketable, commercial-ready stars, but it is one of potential, especially in the wide receiver position. They’re the faces of a pass-happy, modern NFL.
The young fans who grew up watching Randy Moss’ weekly showcases or Steve Smith Sr.’s on-field passion are now Pro Bowlers and No. 1 receivers. Some of them are out here making acrobatic one-handed catches with a startling amount of ease. Others are out here breaking records. A few are even doing both. But whichever way you slice it, everyone on this list of the best wide receivers have played major parts in their teams’ successes. The inclusions here also include the short, yet pugnacious and the freakish combinations of size and speed. Regardless of the athletic ability, these guys get the job done mainly because there are very few answers to what they bring to the table (even though teams employ people specifically to find those answers).
The wideouts on this list ranges includes the obvious ones with league-topping statistics to those with a ceiling-less amount of potential (as is the case of Amari Cooper). Is it possible that any one of these receivers will fall off? Well, yes—that’s always a possibility. But no one here is on this year’s Madden cover, and fantasy owners are well aware it’s always safe to bet on these guys. So without further ado, here are some of defensive coordinators’ biggest nightmares and our favorite highlight reels.
Antonio Brown
106 Rec, 1,284 yards, 12 TDs
Ben Roethlisberger has had a steady stable of solid receivers in his 13 years as a Steeler, but none of them are as good as Antonio Brown. Neither Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, nor Mike Wallace ever broke the 1,400-yard mark for receiving yards in a season; Brown did it three times. In 2002, before Big Ben’s era, Plaxico Burress needed an extra 15 overtime minutes to break Pittsburgh’s game record for most receiving yards. Brown caught for 284 yards in regulation.
Although the receiving yards took a dip last year, it’s still foolish to sleep on him as a threat. His teammate Ryan Shazier called him one of the five toughest players he’s ever faced. “AB is not normal. AB is an alien,” Shazier said on The Players’ Tribune, talking about his superior route-running ability. “His breakdown is so smooth and so quick that it’s basically just one hard plant and boom—he’s changing direction at full speed.” Brown has been also catching touchdowns and fines for years—at least one of those stats should remain consistent this season.
Dez Bryant
50 Rec, 796 yards, 8 TDs
The one NFC East wide receiver who matches Odell Beckham Jr.’s mix of mercurial passion and on-field explosiveness is, of course, the Dallas Cowboys’ Dez Bryant. Injuries have damaged his production over the past two years, but it’s hard to forget how imposing he is man-on-man when he’s healthy. Bryant should get some more turf with Ezekiel Elliott’s pulling the defense’s attention in the backfield—but again, he needs to stay healthy.
Odell Beckham Jr.
101 Rec, 1,367 yards, 10 TDs
Odell Beckham’s Jr.’s catch was one of the only bright spots of the Giants’ mediocre 2014 season (for example, that highlight came in a losing effort against the Cowboys). After two more seasons of Eli Manning’s too frequent carelessness under center, fireworks mishaps, and middling running backs, Beckham Jr. has become one of New York’s most reliable stars. A dream concatenation of brilliant route running and hands, Beckham Jr. has managed to become the fastest receiver in history to achieve 3,500 receiving yards and 200 receptions, not to mention the list of other accomplishments that may deserve its own Wikipedia page soon. And he’s still just 24 years old—NFC East’s secondary is in for years of torment if he stays focused and healthy.
Jordy Nelson
97 Rec, 1,257 yards, 14 TDs
Jordy Nelson missed the entire 2015 season after tearing his ACL in the preseason and returned the next year as strong as ever, leading the league in touchdown receptions (14). Nelson’s combination of speed, strength, and rapport with the sureshot Aaron Rodgers results in the NFC North’s most dominant aerial attack on paper since Calvin Johnson retired. At 32, he’s the oldest on the list, but he’s also the most tried and tested.
Julio Jones
83 Rec, 1,409 yards, 6 TDs
Atlanta Falcons had the league’s most dominant offense, and Julio Jones was its superheroic centerpiece. There’s just not a lot of human beings in the world with the physical capacity to cover Jones, because 6-foot-3 men aren’t supposed to run under 4.40. His strength has been responsible for acts of cruelty, too, as one Packer who’s met Jones’ stiff arm can attest to. With a skill set that recalls Dante Culpepper-era Randy Moss, Jones has been sonning secondaries since he’s been in the league. Look for him to come out strong following that devastating Super Bowl loss.
Mike Evans
96 Rec, 1,321 yards, 12 TDs
There was a moment last season where Falcons cornerback Robert Alford had to reconcile how Mike Evans caught a touchdown off of him. He’d read the route perfectly and was still left looking like a dunce. In the seconds that followed, Alford waved his arms in disbelief, hopped a bit with frustration, and if you look closely enough, you might even see him pouting. Evans inspires this shock because he’s the worst kind of speedster: The type who knows he’s bigger than you and will use that to his advantage. He’s just the fourth player in NFL history to start his career with three-straight 1,000-yard seasons, and it’s likely he’ll improve alongside Jameis Winston heading into their next season together. Prepare to see more Alfords.
A.J. Green
66 Rec, 964 yards, 4 TDs
Bengals’ sudden lack of competency during the postseason has led fans to question if there’s a point in watching Andy Dalton and Co. strive to fail. There probably isn’t, but A.J. Green’s majestic catching ability is at least fun to watch. He was on pace to post career-high numbers last year before a hamstring injury cut his season short. But look at how he torched the Jets in the season opener to relearn why it’s always a bit of an issue when a ball is in the air hurling toward Green’s direction. Green is the greatest spectacle in Bengals’ Sisyphean dilemma.
T.Y. Hilton
91 Rec, 1,448 yards, 6 TDs
There’s really not that much good news to derive from missing the playoffs two straight years after investing so much into a quarterback like Andrew Luck. That said, if we had to reach, there is the fact that T.Y. Hilton was the league’s leader in receiving yards (1,448) last year. Standing at 5-foot-9, with a 40-yard-dash speed of 4.34, Hilton has managed to consistently confound defenders in his short time in the league. Hilton isn’t only great at ghosting his opponents, though: Former Texans cornerback Charles James II found out the hard way that Hilton’s also got hands. Hilton has put up excellent numbers in the playoffs, which would be a greater talking point if the Colts could actually make it to the playoffs.
Doug Baldwin
94 Rec, 1,128 yards, 7 TDs
A combination of elusiveness and grit, Doug Baldwin has the type of underdog bop that makes him easy to root for (if he’s not playing against your team on gameday, of course). Although he’s been productive for the Seahawks for quite some time, last year saw him turn in some classic performances. His 13-catch, 171-yard effort in December against the Cardinals is the easy standout. Baldwin is good enough to make you forget Lynch was a thing in Seattle. (We kid. “Don’t sleep on Baldwin” is what we’re trying to say here.)
Amari Cooper
83 Rec, 1,153 yards, 5 TDs
The Raiders bleak fortunes over the past millennium have turned around after pulling out excellent 2014 and 2015 draft picks in defensive end Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, respectively. Kicking off his career with two 1,000-yard seasons and a reputation for excellent route running, Cooper has been a key ingredient to what’s been the most exciting Oakland offense in years. Derek Carr will hopefully be back in MVP-contender form after his season-ending injury, and maybe the Raiders will get Marshawn Lynch in some semblance of his top form at the age of 31 to keep defenses on their toes. Those are two elements that can help push Cooper to another level.