Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network shared some old scouting notes from New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick, dating back to Jeremiah’s time as a scout with the Baltimore Ravens. The notes, dated from 1991, provide tremendous insight into how the coach views the offensive positions:
Given the proximity to the draft – and the fact that Tom Brady had just decided to leave New England for Tampa Bay – many focused on the quarterback section of this scouting sheet to try and ascertain what Belichick might do about the quarterback position.
But take a look at the wide receiver notes, and see how many of those still hold up today. Winning at the line of scrimmage; hands; route-running; discipline; ability after the catch, and more. Speed? Well that enters the equation “only…in relation to players’ ability to escape the [line of scrimmage]. Good leap and timing are more important than speed.”
Keep those traits in mind when you work through this list of the game’s best boundary wideouts.
Best Wide Receiver Duo
There are many potential choices for the best receiver pair in the game today. You could make a case for what the Dallas Cowboys are building in the NFC East, with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. Oh, and adding CeeDee Lamb to the mix certainly does not hurt. The New Orleans Saints have another great pair now, between Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. You could also make a case for Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill in Kansas City, or even Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry in Cleveland. I, for one, am very excited to see what Justin Jefferson does as a rookie with Adam Thielen alongside him.
But it is hard to bet against what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have in place this upcoming season. Yes they added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, but shift your eyes towards the boundaries and you’ll find a pair of tremendous receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. They combined for 153 receptions, 2,490 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and they did that with a quarterback throwing 30 interceptions. With Brady now under center, those numbers could skyrocket.
Honorable Mentions
When I was given my assignments for this Top 100 project, there were two lists that I knew would be next to impossible to put together. Quarterbacks was the first that came to mind, since everyone has a quarterback take. I mean, everyone. But I also knew that whittling a list down to the Top 11 boundary WRs was going to be a tall task. I’d rather spend a day at the dentist atop a skyscraper. That sounds silly but I get queasy on a stepladder so…
Conservatively, you could make a case for around two dozen players to be included on a list like this. In a passing league dominated by 11 personnel, you are going to generate a ton of choices for inclusion. How can you take off a player like Terry McLaurin, who put up impressive numbers as a rookie, and as basically the main option, in a struggling offense? Or Kenny Golladay, who looks to be the next in a long line of tremendous Detroit WRs? Stefon Diggs is an incredible route-runner and an elite-level downfield target, how can he not make such a list? A.J. Green usually shows up in these pieces, but missing all of 2019 made him ineligible. What about other younger players such as A.J. Brown, who was tremendous last season for the Tennessee Titans, or Courtland Sutton with the Denver Broncos? Every single one of those wide receivers is worthy of inclusion. T.Y. Hilton? Emmanuel Sanders? DeVante Parker, who seems to be living up to the expectations coming out of college? Parker posted 72 receptions for 1,202 yards last year and nine touchdowns, and had a heck of a game against Stephon Gilmore in Week 17.
You know, the Defensive Player of the Year and a new member of the “Madden 99” club?
And yet, here they are, on the outside looking in.
That just speaks to the level of talent at this position in the NFL today.
This list was tough to put together. If your favorite player or your team’s best receiver did not make the cut, I apologize. Dock me ten thousand internet points and pray for my soul.
And now, the Top 11.
11. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns
Insert the “Elmo in flames” gif here, because things are spicy right out of the gate.
Outside of the 2017 season, when he was battling injuries, you could pretty much pencil Odell Beckham Jr. in for over 100 targets, over 75 receptions and over 1,000 receiving yards and be pretty confident that you’d hit on those bets. Even last year, Beckham came close to hitting all of those numbers, falling one reception shy of that 75 number.
But watching him in the Cleveland Browns offense in 2019, there were issues. He was good, but it was not the same level of dominance we have grown accustomed to seeing from him in years past. To that point, last season Baker Mayfield threw seven interceptions on passes in his direction, and Mayfield had a passer rating of just 70.5 when targeting Beckham. That was the lowest QB passer rating when targeted of Beckham’s career.
Of course, some of that is on the quarterback, and perhaps even more on the coach. There are reasons that Freddie Kitchens was fired and that Mayfield is under some pressure as 2020 beckons. I mean, are you putting this INT on Beckham’s plate:
Sure, he slows up a bit but Mayfield both overthrows him, and throws this into coverage. Not exactly on the WR.
But what about this interception:
Beckham is open on the dig route and Mayfield delivers a catchable ball, but the pass goes through the receiver’s hands and is intercepted. This is something to watch in 2020. Beckham was charged with seven drops this past season, his most since 2016.
If there is reason for optimism, it comes in the form of Kevin Stefanski. You can see how in the 2020 version of Cleveland’s offense, Beckham will fill the downfield threat role held by Stefon Diggs in the 2019 Minnesota Vikings’ offense. In such a system, Beckham could very well return to the top-flight form we have seen from him in year’s past.
10. Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
Christian Hackenberg. Blake Bortles. Mitchell Trubisky.
If it sounds like the answer to a “Jeopardy!” question, that is because it is. The question: “What is the Murderer’s Row of quarterbacks Allen Robinson has played with over the past eight years?” But even with those prodigious passers slinging him the pigskin, Robinson is one of the game’s consistent performers at the position.
Watch this route from him, a simple slant against the Kansas City Chiefs:
You cannot run this route better than that. He gets right on the toes of the defender, presses a leverage advantage, and then immediately crosses his face to get open. From there, Robinson extends the hands, makes the sure catch – only three drops last season – and immediately transitions from receiver to ball-carrier.
On this play against the New York Giants, he runs a deep over route from the left slot. Again, he presses a leverage advantage at the top of his vertical stem, as he drives his left foot into the turn. Notice how that gets the defender to open up his hips, allowing Robinson to then cross the defender’s face and get separation on his cut:
The explosion into and out of the break is impressive. Robinson does not lose any speed coming out of the fake, and that enables him to get and then maintain his separation on the play.
Now a post route out of the left slot. Once more, he gets the defender into a pretzel with his footwork and ability to press leverage, and explodes into and out of his break. He also makes a great adjustment to a low throw, and finishes this with a score:
Robinson is one of the game’s greats. Now about the guys on the other end of those throws…
9. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen is another player who provides teaching tape at the wide receiver position, but still seems to fly under the radar when lists like this are assembled. But when you study Allen, you get a sense of what it takes to play the WR position at a high level. Over the past three years Allen has posted over 100 receptions, over 1,100 yards and over five touchdowns in every single campaign.
Watch this touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs:
Allen runs an out route against a safety, and he is able to exploit a leverage advantage to the outside. But look at the body control, as he both goes up to get the football yet manages to get both feet down inbounds. This is not an easy play, but he makes it look as such.
Watch this next route from the left side of the field, and as you do, please keep the phrase “full-body route-running” in mind:
Allen sells this route perfectly. At the top of his vertical stem he sinks his hips – and his upper body – into the cut, baiting the cornerback on a move to the inside. The CB bites and jumps underneath, but Allen feels that impeccably and uses that moment to make his true intended cut, diagonally on the corner route. But his work is not done. He needs to stop and work back to an underthrown ball and make the catch.
Which he does. A thing of beauty.
Allen will be playing with a new quarterback this season, in either Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert. But his tremendous talent and skillset makes him a dangerous target every time he steps on the field.
8. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys
Amari Cooper is the player who first showed me the value of “full-body route-running.”
It was during his time with the Oakland Raiders. He was running a vertical route against the Baltimore Ravens, and on his break he used his shoulders and his head to sell the defender on a different pass pattern.
It was this play:
Did you catch it? That look that Cooper flashed on his quick cut to the inside. As soon as he brought his eyes to the quarterback while slicing towards the middle of the field, the DB tried to jump the route. It was then that Cooper accelerated away from the defender and left him behind.
Full-body route-running.
Of course, “catching” was the issue that plagued Cooper during his time with the Raiders, which made him available on the open market a season ago. In stepped the Dallas Cowboys, and his impact on the offense was immediate. Thanks to Cooper’s ability to separate, Dak Prescott was an improved quarterback after the acquisition.
That success continued into 2019, as Cooper tied or surpassed career-high numbers in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He also set a new career-high number in yards per reception, averaging 15.1 yards per catch. Prescott also had an NFL passer rating of 117.3 when targeting Cooper, which for the WR was his best mark as a professional.
And yes, the full-body route-running is still there. Watch this route against the Green Bay Packers. Cooper is at the top of the screen:
Cooper really sells the under route, putting his whole body into the deke. But then he accelerates vertically, and Prescott hits him in stride. From the route to the finish, perfection.
7. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is not just the “Brady Effect,” although having the veteran passer on the other end of the connection will certainly put Mike Evans in a position to be successful in 2020.
This has more to do with the simple fact that since coming into the league in 2014, Evans has been one of the NFL’s most consistent producers at the wide receiver position. Over 100 targets, over 60 receptions and over 1,000 yards every single season in the league. That is consistency.
All receivers have a calling card or two. For Evans, one of his is his catch radius. Perhaps a trait he honed at Texas A&M with Johnny Manziel throwing him “YOLO” balls on every drive, Evans is a ball-winner. If the pass is thrown in his direction, odds are he is coming down with it.
But beyond what he can do at the catch point, Evans is smooth as silk off the line of scrimmage. Watch this video package on his releases at the line of scrimmage:
There are many ways to “win” a route. If a receiver can get a clean release at the line of scrimmage, he makes life easier on himself. This video package shows the myriad ways Evans can beat defenders immediately. Using a combination of footwork, upper body strength, and leverage, Evans can get inside or outside a defender in the blink of an eye.
Just watch the quick change-of-direction on this release:
Get yourself some Mike Evans shares now, before it’s too late.
6. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
As the expression goes, “speed kills.” Tyreek Hill certainly checks that box. Among the fastest players to suit up, Hill is a home run threat every single time he touches the football. Combine that with the fact that he has the combination of Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy designing the plays for him, and Patrick Mahomes getting him the football, and he is a highlight reel in cleats.
Watch this touchdown against the Denver Broncos. Hill is the single receiver aligned to the left side of the formation:
This is a variation of the “throwback” or “leak” design that is all the rage in today’s NFL. Here the Chiefs run X Leak, with Hill dragging across the formation and then getting vertically along the opposite numbers. From the otherside of the formation the Chiefs run a shallow crossing route with the tight end and a deep post route. Those routes create traffic, and Hill gets an assist as he works across the field against Chris Harris Jr. Matt Moore hits him in stride, and it’s an easy TD.
But Hill’s speed, as well as designs like this, overshadow what he has developed in terms of route-running. You might think that a player with his burst and acceleration could simply rely on raw speed to get open, but Hill has developed some nuance to his game that is worthy of appreciation.
On this late season TD against the Broncos, watch how he beats the CB with his route-running, before racing away from the free safety:
Hill sells Harris on the crossing route, getting the DB to bite, and then bursts away from both him and Justin Simmons. Harris is probably wishing he left the AFC West in the rearview mirror…
In the AFC Championship Game Hill reached the end zone on a simple seam route, but his footwork on the release was anything but:
This is like one of those receiver workout videos you see posted during the summer, with the quick footwork against a ladder. Hill is doing it in the AFC Championship Game with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Adding nuance to his game is much like when Happy Gilmore learned to putt. Game over friends. Game. Over.
5. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sure, this is human:
That’s just your average, ordinary everyday dude fighting off a jam from a defensive end, erasing the eight-yard cushion from one of the NFL’s better coverage linebackers, making a catch in traffic and forcing a missed tackle from a safety who had a free shot at him. Normal stuff. (Bonus points if you recognize the song lyric used here).
Completely normal things:
Just adjusting to a low throw and outrunning the defense to the end zone. Normal things.
Not human things:
I mean:
Last season he posted a stat line of 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception. Quarterbacks posted an NFL passer rating of 121.7 when targeting him.
And in 2020, he’ll have Tom Brady targeting him. Whew.
(Oh, and it was “Let’s Get Rocked” by Def Leppard. 15 year-old me loved that tune).
4. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
You can probably start the discussion here:
In fact, that’s almost a case for moving Davante Adams higher up this list, so…maybe forget I said that, Packers fans.
But there is no question that over the past few seasons Adams has played himself into the “top receivers in the game” conversation. With his combination of footwork, releases, and athleticism, Adams is one of the game’s top talents at the position. Matt Harmon, who devotes the bulk of his work to studying the position for his Reception Perception series, posted this after studying Adams’ 2019 season:
That line of analysis, based on the film, is great insight into what makes Adams so dangerous as a receiver. There are almost no holes in his game, from the snap to the finish he is a complete study at the position.
Watch this touchdown catch against the Detroit Lions, working out of the right slot:
That’s just filthy. Adams slow plays this route to perfection, using multiple gears as he sells the shallow route and then just explodes on the corner. But he is facing off coverage here, and as Harmon found with his film study, Adams is also very effective against press alignment.
As he is on this play:
Ross Cockrell tries to get a jam on him, but it comes much too late. Adams has already won the route, and then makes a tremendous adjustment on the throw to complete the play.
Sure, the Packers lost in the NFC Championship Game, but here is Adams getting Richard Sherman all turned around on a big play late in that game:
A few weeks later, Sammy Watkins would use a similar move on Sherman for a huge play late in Super Bowl LIV.
Adams is among the game’s elite at the position. This is one of those cases where the numbers – and the film – do not lie.
3. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
It still seems odd to put Arizona Cardinals next to his name. And yes, for those wondering, I almost used our favorite Bill O’Brien photo out of habit.
You know, this one:
Like a warm face cloth and a shave. Two bits.
If you are going to crack the top three of a list like this, you need to have every club in the bag as a wide receiver.
DeAndre Hopkins has every club in the bag. Let’s go from snap-to-finish.
Releases? Check:
Beating press? Check:
Route-running? Check:
Awareness? Check:
Catch-point? Check:
From the line of scrimmage to the catch-point, Hopkins is teaching tape. He can vary his releases off the line to keep defenders off-balance, he is savvy throughout his routes and especially into his vertical stem, and he displays an incredible catch radius that will make any quarterback happy.
This season, that quarterback will be Kyler Murray, and not Deshaun Watson.
Don’t make me post that picture again…
2. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Whether Michael Thomas belongs in the conversation regarding the elite talents at WR has become a point of contention over the past few months. Detractors point to the route tree he is asked to run, as well as the fact that some of his routes come from the slot, and say that there are more complete players at the position.
But from where I sit, he’s among the best there is.
This route is a perfect example of what he brings to the table:
When stacking players in a position group, it becomes easy to get caught in the scheme trap. Digging in a little deeper, you can see beyond what they are asked to do, and into what they can do in other systems. Sure, Thomas gets the benefit of playing in a friendly offense, with a great quarterback in Drew Brees, and with some talent around him. And no, he doesn’t run “just slants.”
Watch the move he makes, and the separation he gets, on this route breaking towards the left sideline:
Look at this double-move at the bottom of the screen to convert a 3rd and 17:
Hey, if the book on you is that you “only run slants,” use it to your advantage, right?
Here he is beating press coverage at the line of scrimmage with footwork and strength. This play was reviewed for potential Offensive Pass Interference, but upon review the completion was left to stand:
Thomas has put up elite numbers every season in the NFL, and for his career Saints’ passers have an NFL passer rating of 118.5 when targeting him in the passing game. That is elite, as is Thomas himself.
1. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
There is not much else to say about Julio Jones. The Atlanta Falcons’ standout is elite in every single facet of the game. So much so that Ted Nguyen, who does tremendous work covering the NFL for The Athletic, has named a route after the receiver:
Frankly, in my mind this discussion ended a few years ago, on this very moment:
This was arguably better than the Julian Edelman catch from earlier in the game, and is for my money the best play from a losing team I’ve ever seen in the Super Bowl. (Note to editors: Future column idea).
But Jones continues his high level of play to the current day. In what was a down season for the Falcons he still posted absurd numbers, catching 99 passes for 1,394 yards and six touchdowns. Crazier still? Those were actually down a bit from 2018, when he caught 113 passes for 1,677 yards and eight touchdowns. In fact, that was the first season since 2013 where Jones did not haul in 100 passes or crack 1,500 yards receiving. He is the complete package. From the line of scrimmage:
To downfield:
With the ball in his hands:
And everywhere in between:
And sure, this is a different era. But this is crazy to think about:
For these reasons, and so many others, he is the best of the best.
