Ranking The Top Five Receiving Corps In The NFL Right Now
The NFL regular season is a few months away so let's take an early look at some of the best receiving corps in the league right now. Below are my top five teams with the best trio of wide receivers.
Top Receiving Corps
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles AJ Brown
AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith continue to be a great duo with two straight seasons combining for 2,500 or more receiving yards. They don’t call them Swole Batman and Skinny Batman for nothing.
The Eagles' offense struggled late in the season last year, but the two receivers still put up great numbers. Brown closed out the season with 106 catches, 1,456 yards, and seven touchdowns, and Smith caught 81 balls for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns. Philly brings in a new offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, so I expect these two guys to have an even better season.
Despite the team having two stars with Brown and Smith, they do lack a solid third receiver as Parris Campbell will be the third option for Jalen Hurts going into next season. Last year Campbell played on the Giants and was limited to 20 catches for 104 yards.
4. Minnesota Vikings
Vikings Justin Jefferson
It is hard to keep the team with the best receiver in the league off this list. Justin Jefferson is in a league of his own and is a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators who have to gameplan against him. Jefferson only played 10 games last year due to a hamstring injury in the middle of the season, but in those 10 games, he racked up 68 catches for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns.
The Vikings' number two receiver, Jordan Addison, emerged as one of the top rookie receivers last season. Addison had 70 receptions, 911 yards, and led all rookie receivers with 10 touchdowns. With a solid rookie campaign under his belt and a lot of focus on Jefferson, Addison should be able to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in his sophomore year.
Like the Eagles, the Vikings also lack a solid third receiver as Brandon Powell fills the third spot. Last season Powell totaled 29 receptions, 324 yards, and one touchdown.
The only thing that could hold the Vikings receiver room back is their quarterback play. They will have either Sam Darnold or rookie JJ McCarthy throwing them the ball after having an experienced Kirk Cousins from last season.
3. Houston Texans
Texans Tank Dell
The Texans surprised the league last year with their playoff bid and one of the big reasons for their success was because of their rookie quarterback, CJ Stroud, and their young receivers.
Tank Dell was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and became an instant deep threat in his first season. His breakout game came in Week 3 where he had 5 catches, 145 yards, and a touchdown. He would put up several more monster weeks like this before going down with a fractured fibula in Week 13.
The Texans also saw a breakout season from third-year Nico Collins. After recording 37 receptions, 481 yards, and two touchdowns in 2022, Collins exploded last season with 80 receptions, 1,297 yards, and eight touchdowns. He had three games with 165+ receiving yards and quickly became someone Stroud could rely on.
What is better than having two good receivers? Three! The Texans traded for former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs in April after he spent the last four seasons in Buffalo. It will be a fresh start for Diggs who seemed unhappy with the Bills towards the end of his tenure with them. Although he seemed non-existent in the second half of the 2023 season he is still an elite receiver who will compliment Collins and Dell.
2. Miami Dolphins
Dolphins Jaylen Waddle
The speed on this team is absurd and it starts with the receivers. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle can get open in the blink of an eye and are problems for any defense when they have the ball in the open field. The Waddle and Hill duo combined for 191 receptions, 2,813 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns last year. Waddle’s production from last season helped him ink a 3-year 84.75 million dollar extension so we will see this duo tear it up for at least another three years.
The team also added Odell Beckham Jr during the offseason and although he may be well out of his prime he should be able to play a decent role in the offense if he can stay healthy.
1. Chicago Bears
Bears DJ Moore
The Bears went from one of the least feared offenses to potentially one of the most feared offenses in the blink of an eye. The Bears went from Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Dante Pettis to DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze in two years. Hats off to the front office.
At 31 years old Allen was a top-three receiver last year before going down with an injury. In 13 games played he racked up 108 catches, 1,243 yards, and seven touchdowns. His best game last year came in Week 3 where he was a ball magnet with 18 receptions for 215 yards. Moore was also a top receiver last year on a struggling offense. In 17 games he reeled in 96 balls for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns.
Odunze is walking into the best-case scenario for a rookie receiver. He will have Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, throwing to him and he has 17 years of combined NFL experience between Moore and Allen to guide him. Odunze +2500 for Offensive Rookie of the Year is definitely intriguing.
Honorable Mentions
Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trenton Irwin
San Francisco 49ers: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings
Los Angeles Rams: Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson
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