Ranking the top 15 Wide Receivers since 2000

Mike Evans, Wes Welker, Cooper Kupp, Steffon Diggs, Justin Jefferson, and A.J. Brown. All of these players have at one point or another been game-changers for their teams. For the most part, they haven’t quite played long enough for us to anoint them in the top 15, but they’re all worthy of a shoutout. Terrell Owens and Marvin Harrison were a few years early to make the list.

Perhaps most famous for running a 4.71 40-yard dash, Boldin is no man’s freak athlete. What he lacked in speed, he made up for in route-running, intelligence, and physicality rarely seen from a wide receiver.

Wayne was instrumental in the Colts’ era of success, consistently reeling in 80+ receptions per year. Never the most explosive receiver, his speed was as much of thought as of body, but he was still able to pull away from defenders when needed.

Marshall was never able to settle in one place for very long, which has perhaps knocked him in the eyes of some fans. His play was otherworldly, however, putting up multiple 1,500-yard years. He stood an imposing 6’5”, 232 lbs giving him the ability to win at the catch-point and dismiss any defenders playing press-man against him.

Injury curtailed the end of his career, meaning his statistics aren’t quite as impressive as some others on this list, yet he was still able to put up six 1,000+ yard years. His 6’4” frame gave him a huge advantage in jump-ball scenarios, something he was very happy to exploit.

2022 saw Hill top 1,700 yards receiving, this year he is on pace to comfortably top that. Hill was instrumental in the Chiefs winning their first Super Bowl of the Patrick Mahomes era and now terrorizes defenses as part of the Dolphins’ track meet offense.

If this was a list of the top trash talkers, Smith would be comfortably number one. Never one to hold his tongue, Smith could walk the walk to back up his brash on-field persona. He mostly played on some bad Panthers teams during his career, meaning even more attention than usual was paid to him, yet he put up crazy numbers anyway.

Call him Johnson, call him Ochocinco, it doesn’t matter, he’s still going to beat you. A three-time All-Pro, he would argue he should be in the Hall of Fame. We’re not sure we completely agree, but he’s certainly not a million miles off.

‘Nuk’ was one of the most dominant receivers of his era, and even now, despite his age, is still putting up good numbers in Tennessee. During his time in Houston, there were times when he was simply un-coverable.

One of the best route-runners the NFL has ever seen, Adams knows how to get open. His career started slowly in comparison to some others on this list, but when he worked everything out, he was, and still is, unstoppable. His 18-TD season in 2020 was a thing of football beauty.

Johnson’s athletic testing should give you a good idea of the physical specimen he was. Standing at 6’3” and 229 lbs, he ran a 4.41 40-yard dash and recorded a 39” vertical leap. He was a freak in a league full of freaks. He mostly played on Texans teams with no real playoff aspirations, so perhaps that has led to him being forgotten slightly.

For many NFL fans, Julio Jones is the best wide receiver they have watched in their lifetimes. He could outrun everyone on the field one play and the next he could out-muscle opposing DBs, a truly unstoppable force. His career is nearing its end but he’s still got a decent shot at a Super Bowl with the Eagles this season.

From 2013-2018, Brown’s lowest receiving yard total was 1,284. 1,284 yards is a great season, and that was the worst season he had. It puts into perspective quite how good he was at his peak. Things went wrong for Brown later in his career but it doesn’t diminish his talents.

Fitzgerald is second all-time in receiving yards in NFL history. An incredible stat line for a player who caught touchdowns from 16 different quarterbacks during his career, including players like Drew Stanton, Kevin Kolb, and John Navarre. He made it work even in impossible circumstances.

Moss just about sneaks into our rankings despite being drafted in the 90s. For many, he’s the best wide receiver in NFL history, and it’s not an argument anyone should dismiss. His 2007 season included 23 receiving TDs, which remains an NFL record. He ran a 4.24 40-yard dash despite his 6’4”, 210 lbs frame, truly a remarkable athlete.

Speaking of remarkable athletes, enter Megatron. Calvin Johnson ran a 4.35 40 at 6’5” 237 lbs and it showed. For a good portion of the early 2010s, the Detroit Lions’ entire offense was Matt Stafford escaping pressure and launching it to Johnson in triple-coverage, and it worked. This included his incredible 1,964-yard 2012 season. For us, he’s the best of the millennium so far.