Skip is king in modern NFL, which means that wide receivers are more important than ever. More and more often, teams are getting more and more breakaways on the field, to the point that it is not even new to say that the third enlargement of a team is almost a full-time beginner.
It is in this environment that we continue our divisional classification. In the space below, we will dig out the broad receptors for each division, summarize which group is the best, which is the worst, and all the rankings in between.
8. AFC East
Just like it did in our running back, tight and quarterback rankings, AFC East is last here. This division is not … filled with talents of skill position.
Stefon Diggs is a top 10 guy at the limit. DeVante Parker finally had the breakout season, so many were predicting for him for so long. Beyond that, there isn’t much to write here. Brown is a strong, deep threat and Beasley is a solid man, but they are clearly best suited as role players. Edelman is 34 and the guy who made him a star now plays for the Bucs. Harry showed almost nothing last season. Crowder recorded an average of 6.8 anemic yards per target last season. Wilson equaled his career high with 62 targets last season, but also established a career low in receiving yards.
7. AFC South
There’s a lot of depth in this division, but a lot of injury-related question marks and no real superstar talent yet.
All Texans receiving the body pose a risk of walking injury, but Fuller and Cooks, in particular, found it difficult to stay on the ground. They have each shown an ability to raise the game level of their quarterback, which is a good bonus. Cobb is a good slot guy, but not much more than that. Chark had a second breakout season and showed great chemistry with Gardner Minshew, which should give us great hopes for the next two years. Westbrook was only effective occasionally, and Cole was little more than a player most of the time. Laviska Shenault is expected to resume a role in Jacksonville as soon as possible.
Hilton is another major injury risk, and we have yet to see how successful he is with an unnamed quarterback Andrew Luck. Philip Rivers is an upgrade from Jacoby Brissett, but not necessarily a perfect schematic fit with Hilton. Campbell gets a second shot in a rookie season, by and large, and Pittman is the type of big-bodied target that Rivers has been willing to target downstream over the years. Brown is a star in the making; now we just need to see him support what he did last year in a real # 1 role. I have high hopes.
6. NFC North
There are three star receivers in this division, at Robinson, Golladay and Adams. Robinson continues to pitch numbers in the top 10 despite the worst quarterback game imaginable. Golladay essentially matched his second-year production last season, despite playing half the year without Matthew Stafford. And Adams is one of the top five eliminators.
After that, Thielen has the talent to reach the level of these guys, but hasn’t done it for a few years. Jones is a level or two below these guys, but a good guy from the deep threat and the red zone. Jefferson was my next favorite guy in the draft after the top two consensus hopes, but he’s also a slot machine player joining an attack where No. 1 (Thielen) is also a slot machine player. The other receivers in this division are hardly worth mentioning.
5. AFC North
If we knew that AJ Green was going to be healthy and the same AJ Green that he always was, this division could have been even higher on the list. As it stands, however, the group is a bit heavy. Green has a top five cap, but you can’t count on it. The same goes for Beckham, who has faced injuries and an irregular quarterfinal in recent years. Smith-Schuster appeared to have received a ticket to join this group, but was then disappointed with last season. (Other receivers have done much better despite a horrific quarterback.)
But Boyd is a good No. 2 guy too. Landry too, who was finally allowed to stretch the pitch a little bit last season, released as he was from the offenses of Adam Gase and Hue Jackson. Johnson has flashed a ton of talent despite the aforementioned terrible QB game in Pittsburgh, and could emerge as a solid option alongside JuJu. The Ravens have huge hopes for Hollywood Brown, and rightly so, but the receiving body is missing a little more than that, even if you include rookie Devin Duvernay. Higgins should be able to break into Cincy’s attack as a third option this year, before eventually becoming Joe Burrow’s first target somewhere on the line.
4. AFC West
I wanted to get this division even higher on the list, but ultimately I couldn’t justify it. However, there is much to love in what is quickly becoming a division based on attacking speed.
The Chiefs have the fastest receivers in the league, with Hill and Hardman leading the way. Watkins practically runs in quicksand compared to these two, and he’s, you know, always fast. Ruggs is perhaps the fastest guy in the league now. Williams showed last year that he was not equipped to be a # 1 guy, but he is a good, deep threat that could provide space for guys like Renfrow and Darren Waller to work underneath.
The Broncos trio should be good for the years to come. We may not get much out of Jeudy and Hamler this season because they are rookies and the offseason is weird, but these three guys are conceptually well suited and should help Drew Lock build a floor. Allen is one of the most consistent players in the league and Williams was finally able to harness some of his talents last year, but the Chargers are in desperate need of depth in this position.
3. NFC East
We had the discussion at Slack yesterday and came to the conclusion that it is quite possible that the Cowboys already have the top three receivers in the division. They definitely have the best two from Cooper and Gallup, and Lamb could actually be the best player of the three. These guys alone were enough to blow up NFC East at a few places on the list, but despite the fact that they don’t have as much star power, the rest of the division is also pretty solid.
I really like the trio of seers from the Giants. Slayton had one of the best seasons for rookie newbies at the end of the round in NFL history. Only three guys drafted in round five or later had more receiving yards in their rookie year. Tate and Shepard are not high cap guys, but they are strong short to intermediate options for Daniel Jones. Alshon fails to stay healthy but is a good red zone weapon when he is. The same goes for Jackson, but a sub-deep threat to the red zone. McLaurin reminds me of a young Keenan Allen. The guy is a fantastic road runner and always open. The Sims showed something towards the end of last season, but we need to see if it’s anything other than a flash in the pan.
2. NFC West
Samuel’s injury is a major disappointment. It was going to break out this year. The 49ers have no one else of their caliber, but Aiyuk is perfect for their attack, Bourne is systemically reliable and Hurd has a ton of versatility. The Hopkins trade was an absolute wreck. Ridiculous. Kirk is a good candidate for Kyler Murray and is expected to return to work underground this year. Fitz could catch 100 passes in his sleep, probably.
Woods is one of the most underrated players in the league and one of the top 10 players. Kupp is about as good as Woods. Reynolds looked good as a # 3 guy when Kupp was injured a few years ago, and should play that role well this year. Lockett is one of those guys that I would just like to see with a big volume, but the Seahawks refuse to commit an offense that does not date from 1992. Metcalf discreetly targeted Lockett last season and diversified his route over the season. along. It’s a monster.
1. NFC South
This division is hilarious. The top two receivers in the league right now are both here: Thomas and Julio. Evans and Godwin are each in the top 10, with the talent to be in the top five. Moore is probably somewhere in the back half of the top 20, and Ridley and Sanders aren’t far behind. Anderson and Samuel have a ton of talent but haven’t fully implemented it yet. Tyler Johnson would have made a round or two earlier in the draft if he didn’t have as many injury issues.
