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There have been many great Wide Receivers that have graced the NFL since the league first formed. Having to narrow the list down to 10 was a hard job, and also meant I had to cut out some worthy candidates such as Steve Largent, Steve Smith, Don Hutson and Andre Johnson.
Current players like Odell Beckham Jr and Antonio Brown could well end up on this list by the end of their careers if they keep up their current production levels. Here I take a look at some of the legends of the position. This is my top 10 WRs of all time.
#10 James Lofton
James Lofton was a Wide Receiver for the Packers, Raiders, Bills, Rams and Eagles. He was drafted by the Packers in 1978 and went on to score six TDs in his rookie season. In his best season with the Packers, Lofton recorded 1361 yards with seven TDs. He was voted to seven Pro Bowls and was the first player to record 14,000 receiving yards.
While his year on year stats don’t jump off the page as being extraordinary, it’s his YPC (Yards Per Catch) that landed him in this top 10 list.
Through his 233 career games, Lofton averaged 18.3 yards per catch which is remarkable. He was a stand out track and field athlete at college, excelling in the long jump and 200m.
This speed was crucial to his game as it gave him a big advantage over opposing CBs. His 14,004 yards came off of just 764 receptions, which is 267 receptions less than any other player to reach that yardage mark.
#9 Lance Alworth
Alworth graced the NFL between the years of 1962 and 1972, playing for the Chargers and the Cowboys.
He was one of the best athletes of that decade and put up mind-boggling numbers, considering how different the passing game was back then. Corner Backs could be a lot more physical with the receiver down the field, making it a lot harder to make catches.
This didn’t stop Alworth though, as he really showed his ability during the seasons of 65 and 66. He averaged a touchdown per game and totalled nearly 3000 yards over those two years.
Alworth finished his career with an astonishing average of 18.9 yards per catch from 542 receptions, racking up 85 TDs in the process.
Alworth was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.
#8 Isaac Bruce
Isaac Bruce achieved great success with the St. Louis Rams (now the LA Rams). Bruce went to the College of Memphis and was drafted by the Rams with pick 33, in the second round of the 1994 draft.
Through his 16 years in the NFL, Bruce tallied 1024 receptions for 15,208 yards, which has him in fifth place on the all-time list. His best season was his sophomore year where he caught 119 passes for 1781 yards and 13 TDs.
Bruce was voted to four Pro Bowls, in 1996, 99, 2000 and 2001. He was also a part of the Rams side which won SuperBowl 34, catching a 73-yard pass from Kurt Warner and taking it to the house.
The only reason I don’t have Bruce ranked higher is that his total of 91 touchdowns is less than most of the people ahead of him on this list.
#7 Tim Brown
During his time in college, Tim Brown was the first Wide Receiver to win the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the Raiders with the sixth overall pick of the 1988 draft. During his 17 years in the NFL, Brown was voted to nine Pro Bowls and had two first-team All-Pro honours.
He amassed 14,934 receiving yards which puts him at 7th in the all-time list. His best season was in 1996 where he caught a career-best 104 passes for 1408 yards.
He is also one of only 10 players to score 100 touchdowns in the NFL. In 2015, Brown was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
#6 Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson played just nine seasons in the NFL, but during that time he was highly productive.
‘Megatron’ was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the second overall pick in the 2007 draft. He was a physical specimen standing at 6’5, whilst also having the ability to run a 4.35-second 40-yard dash.
This made him of the biggest aerial threats that the NFL has ever seen. In his 135 games in the league, Megatron caught 731 passes for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns.
That works out as a touchdown every 8.8 receptions. He holds the NFL record for receiving yards in a single season, recording 1964 yards in the 2012 season.
In seven of his nine seasons, Johnson tallied more than 1000 receiving yards. If he hadn’t have chosen to retire before the 2016 season, Johnson would have gone on to break more NFL records and would be ranked a lot higher in this list.
#5 Marvin Harrison
Marvin Harrison was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 draft. The draft was stacked with WR prospects including Muhsin Muhammed, Terrell Owens and Keyshawn Johnson.
After a decent first three years in the league, Harrison and Peyton Manning struck up one of the best QB-WR relationships the NFL has ever seen.
Between the years of 1999 and 2006, with Manning throwing him the ball, Harrison recorded at least 10 touchdowns and 1100 yards in each season. In the 2002 season, he set a record for the most receptions in a single season with 143.
That record still stands today. This year, Jarvis Landry led the way with 112 receptions, which is still 31 catches short of Harrison's mark.
Harrison is currently ninth on the all-time list for receiving yards, whilst playing at least 28 games less than the players ahead of him.
#4 Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald has played his whole career in Arizona, after being drafted in the 2004 draft with the third overall pick.
The 34-year-old receiver is still the main weapon in the Cardinals passing game despite his age. In his 14 years in the NFL, Fitz has made it to 11 Pro Bowls, showing that consistency is one of his key assets.
Fitzgerald has only missed five regular-season games in the 14 seasons he’s been playing. He marked a career-high 1431 receiving yards in 2008 and in this past season he caught 109 passes, which was second highest in the league.
He is third on the all-time list for receiving yards with 15,545, only 400 yards behind the second placed player.
I am sure the whole Cardinals offense will be making sure he gets those yards to move up to No. 2.
#3 Terrell Owens
Owens enjoyed a lengthy career in the NFL, spanning 16 seasons and 219 games. He was drafted in the third round of the 1996 draft, where the 49ers took him with the 89th overall pick.
Owens went on to strike up a good rapport with QBs Steve Young and Jeff Garcia in his first few seasons. He was a highly skilled receiver who was one of the best of his generation.
However, Owens was a controversial figure during his time in the league due to his overexuberant touchdown celebrations and a spitting incident with DeAngelo Hall. Despite the issues with his temperament, Owens went on to have a highly successful career.
TO is second on the all-time list for receiving yardage with 15,934 yards. The longest touchdown of his career was for the Buffalo Bills.
He caught a 98-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This was one of 153 career TDs, ranking him third on the all-time list. Owens is also one of only 14 men to have caught 1000 passes in the NFL.
#2 Randy Moss
Randy Moss comes in at second on this list after a spectacular career in the NFL. Moss logged 982 receptions for 15,292 yards, at an average of 15.6 yards per catch.
Moss played for six teams during his 14-year career, but his most productive seasons came when he played in Minnesota, for the Vikings and then for the New England Patriots.
The Vikings drafted Moss with the 21st pick in the 1998 draft. It was expected that he would go earlier in the draft, with the Cowboys being touted as the most interested suitors.
Unfortunately for Moss, his off-field troubles caused teams to pass on him in the first round, meaning the Vikings could take him at 21.
He recorded two touchdowns in his first game in the league and then went on to score 17 in his debut season. His 17 TDs is a record for a player in his rookie year and that record still stands today.
After nine seasons in the NFL, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots where he set the league alight, with Tom Brady throwing to him.
They combined for 23 touchdowns in the regular season, which is the most TDs recorded in a single season.
He finished his career with one touchdown every 6.2 catches which is outstanding and beats everyone else on this list.
Moss was voted to six Pro-Bowls and four First-Team All-Pro teams. In 2018, Moss was deservedly voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
#1 Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice is by far and away the best Wide Receiver the NFL has ever seen. Rice holds multiple records that other Receivers cannot seem to get close to.
During his career, Rice played for the Oakland Raiders (2001-2004), the Seattle Seahawks (2004) and primarily the San Francisco 49ers. He suited up in San Fran between the years of 1985 and 2000.
The 49ers traded up one spot ahead of the Cowboys, to draft Rice with the 16th overall pick of the 1985 draft. His rookie year was a success despite having a few problems with drops. He accumulated 927 yards and an incredible 18.9 yards per catch.
His production went up in his sophomore year, tallying 15 TDs and 1570 yards. He kept up his impressive outings with the 49ers throughout his 15-year stint there, including catching 22 TDs in just 12 games during the 1987 season. As previously noted, Rice holds numerous records in the NFL.
These records include:
All-Time Receiving Yards leader – 22,895 yards
All- Time Reception leader – 1,549
All Time Touchdown Receptions – 197 TDs
During his illustrious career, Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times and in the process won three SuperBowl rings with the 49ers.
His Receiving yards total of 22,895 is nearly 7000 more than the next player, the aforementioned Terrell Owens, whilst his TD total is 41 more than the second-placed Moss.
With Rice leading the way in so many categories, it’s hard not to rank him top of this list.
Did your favourite player make the list? Let us know in the comments section below!
