It’s a golden age of passing in the NFL and if your team is going to compete in today’s game they need plenty of talent and depth at the wide receiver position.
Here are the top 10 wide receivers in the league going into 2020.
10. Kenny Golladay
Some analysts say that it takes three years for most wide receivers to really catch on in the NFL. Golladay is now the new poster boy for that idea. He had a magnificent breakout campaign for the Lions in 2019, posting career highs with 1,190 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s become one of the league’s most underrated playmakers and a tremendous red zone threat for Matthew Stafford. His contested catch rate this past season was particularly impressive.
9. Chris Godwin
Like Golladay, Godwin’s growth in his first three seasons has been exponential, improving on his rookie year’s 525 receiving yards with 842 in his second and 1,333 in his third. Now, with quarterback Jameis Winston exiting the franchise and superstar Tom Brady running the Bruce Arians offense, Godwin should continue to boost his production every season.
8. Mike Evans
Considering he’s had to work with an erratic and frequently inaccurate quarterback, Evans’ numbers are nothing short of remarkable. Since coming into the league, he’s averaged over 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns per year. Old man Tom Brady can’t match Jameis Winston’s athleticism or pure arm strength, but his precision might mean Evans’ best days are ahead of him. That should be a scary thought for the rest of the NFC South.
7. Stefon Diggs
The Bills landing Diggs for a first-round pick and an additional fifth and sixth-rounder in 2020 should be considered as big of an offseason win as it gets. Diggs is a dynamic route runner – perhaps the best in the NFL – and adds badly-needed experience and pedigree to Buffalo’s wide receiver room. However, it’s fair to say that Josh Allen still has issues with his accuracy and if Diggs was not satisfied with Kirk Cousins’ on-field performance, odds are he won’t feel any better about Allen’s.
6. Amari Cooper
Folks who don’t think Cooper was worth the five-year, $100 million deal he just signed with the Cowboys don’t know what they’re talking about. Since getting traded from the Raiders, Cooper’s production has been undeniable. During his season and a half in Dallas, he’s already totaled 1,914 yards and 14 touchdowns. His catch rate last season (74.3%) was absurd given his average depth of target. Cooper’s stock is only going up.
5. Odell Beckham Jr.
In his first three seasons, Beckham tore up the league, totaling 4,122 yards and 35 touchdowns. In his next three, he accumulated only 2,389 yards and 13 touchdowns. It’s hard to say whether Beckham will ever return to his pre-2017 form, but for the Browns’ investment it’s worth it to see if the talented receiver can re-establish himself as an elite wideout. If he can return to even three quarters of the playmaker he used to be, he’ll be worth every penny.
4. DeAndre Hopkins
What on earth was Bill O’Brien thinking when he traded Hopkins to the Cardinals? Over the last three seasons alone, he’s totaled 315 catches, 4,115 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns. Hopkins’ once-mediocre catch rate has also dramatically improved since 2018. Kyler Murray hit the jackpot, here. If Arizona adds another weapon in the draft to give Hopkins some breathing room, watch out.
3. Michael Thomas
An argument can be made that Michael Thomas is the most consistent wide receiver in football today. Since he was drafted, Thomas has played 48 of 49 potential games – missing only one in his rookie year – and he has steadily improved his production in every season since entering the league. He’s led the NFL in catches the last two years and his 1,725 yards receiving in 2019 were the most since Julio Jones and Antonio Brown’s 1,871 and 1,834 in 2015, respectively.
2. Tyreek Hill
There a ton of ridiculous athletes playing the wide receiver position right now. Hill has them all beat when it comes to game speed, though. Even though Hill missed four games due to injury in 2019, he still managed to post 58 catches, 860 yards and seven touchdowns. The stats don’t do his game justice, though. Hill’s ability to take the top off any defense at any time is unrivaled. With the most gifted passer in football on his side, there is practically no ceiling for what he can do.
1. Julio Jones
The fact that Jones turned in perhaps his worst season statistically in the past six years in 2019 speaks to how dominant he’s been since Atlanta gave up five picks to draft him. For Jones, a “down year” consisted of 99 catches, 1,394 yards and six touchdowns. Even past 30 years old, he is a marvel of efficiency. Last season, he led the league in scrimmage yards per touch (13.8). Until somebody shows they’re better, Julio remains No 1.
