My man Ed from EdTheSportsFan asked me and a few other to put together a Top 10 Wide Receivers in the NFL list. The way I do my list is a little bit different than others might approach it, because I take into account not only the players history, but also their future. For instance, Marvin Harrison is pretty much washed up, so he won't be making my list, even though he has had one of the best 10 careers of any wide receiver in the NFL right now.Top 10 WR In The NFL
1.) Larry Fitzgerald: Like you didn't know Larry was gonna be #1 on my list after this and that was before his performance against the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game and his almost legendary performance in the Super Bowl. Larry is going to have some big expectations to fulfill next season, but seeing that he is part Jerry Rice and part Randy Moss, I think he'll have no problem seeing through on those expectations.
2.) Randy Moss: I strongly considered Andre Johnson for the # 2 spot, but the fact is that Moss is still averaging more yards per catch and scoring more TDs than Andre Johnson is. Combine that with his history and I have to put Moss at # 2, at least for now. In a year or two, it might be a different story.
3.) Andre Johnson: Johnson is certainly a beast, but he has two knocks against him. The first is that he is seen as an injury prone player. However, he has played in 16 games in 4 of the 6 seasons he's played in the NFL, so that knock is not 100% true. The second is that he has never scored more than 8 TDs in a season and to be a great WR, you need to get into the endzone more frequently than that.
4.) Terrell Owens: Love him or hate him, when he isn't dropping passes, he's usually getting into the endzone. He's scored double digit touchdowns in 8 seasons over his career, including 3 straight with the Cowboys. I could probably bump him up to third on this list, but I dinged him a spot for all the drops he's had the last few seasons.
5.) Steve Smith: Smith is a big time play maker who has got to be considered one of the Top 5 WR in the NFL. He puts up big numbers despite playing with a not-so-great QB. Yeah, I'm talking about YOU, Jake Delhomme. Makes you wonder what he would do with a Pro Bowl level QB. I'd love to see him in San Diego's offense, who loves to throw the deep ball.
6.) Reggie Wayne: Wayne is a consistent WR who has 5 straight years of 1,000 yards and more than 77 catches. He has replaced Marvin Harrison as Peyton Manning's go-to-guy. The only question about him is if he is a product of Peyton Manning's greatness or if he is just a real damn good WR.
7.) Plaxico Burress: Wow, this was a tough decision, because who knows what's going to happen to Plax next season, but he has to make the list, for now at least. One of the best playmakers in the NFL in the redzone, Plax probably would have been good for 10 plus TDs again this season, if not for, you know, that little incident with a gun and his leg.
8.) Calvin Johnson: Truth be told, by this time next year, this guy could shoot up all the way to # 2 on this list. I probably could put him there now and it wouldn't cause TOO much argument, but for now I have to leave him behind some other strong WR who have been doing it a lot longer than he has. There's not to many WR who would make this list after having just one great season.
9.) Anquan Boldin: I initially was not going to include Boldin on my list, but after looking things over, he is one of the few WR's left who has a track record of more than a couple good seasons, who is still in the prime of his career. Boldin is a tough SOB after getting knocked out against the Jets and coming back to play after a face fracture, but he is also a really damn good WR, who could be someones # 1 wideout next season.
10.) Chad Johnson: I decided on Johnson because he has the biggest track record of any WR left and I'm banking on his poor 2008 being due to injury. So I'm rolling with Ocho Cinco for now, but he's close to dropping out if he doesn't bounce back in 2009. If he does bounce back, you can bump him up a spot or two on this list.
Now let's get to who didn't make the list and the explanation for leaving them off:
Hines Ward: Hines Ward has shown no signs of slowing down and is still the Steelers #1 WR. I wanted to put him on this list because he's one of the few WR's who can knock out a LB with a block, but in the end he just missed.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh: I see him as less of a playmaker than the other WR in the Top 10. He's solid, but I'm not sure he's great.
Wes Welker: He's a slot WR and a possession guy, who might be the best possession WR ever, but that still isn't enough to get him in the Top 10.
Guys who just haven't done it long enough(not named Calvin Johnson): Brandon Marshall, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, Marques Colston, Dwayne Bowe, Vincent Jackson, Braylon Edwards, Eddie Royal
Solid but not spectacular: Derrick Mason, Jerricho Cotchery, Santana Moss, Laveranues Coles, Lee Evans, Donald Driver
These guys are probably past their primes(AKA would have been on the list 3 years ago): Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce
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