Ranking The Top Ten Receivers in The NFL

With many young exciting receivers making noise in the league right now, it seems worth it to stack the best of the best up against each other and see who’s ranked where. This a comprehensive analysis of the best ones. The signature grading formula for receivers has been updated and now takes into account different schemes for the position. Instead of making tiers, the grades on their own establish tiers in a sense. Many games of film and analytics went into making this and a full breakdown is given for each player. Some of these rankings may seem controversial but the full context shows why any player may fall in a surprising order. Production from receivers is often a result of other elements in the game, so general stats don’t have much effect on this. Their ranking is an accurate reflection of the total value they may bring to any given team. Because there are so many talented ascending receivers right now, a lot of great players didn’t make the list. An honorable mention is given to those who were close but didn’t make the cut. If anyone has any feedback or differing opinions, let us know on Twitter @FootballIntell4.

WR Formula key

Grading scale: 1-7

Honorable Mentions

Terry McLaurin (87.1), Chris Godwin (86.4), DK Metcalf (85.4) Jaylen Waddle (85.3)

Terry McLaurin is someone who could very well make the top ten once he’s paired with a high-end QB. He is already one of the true best deep threats right now. Chris Godwin is a personal favorite who is often underrated. He always gets good production when healthy and has all-around good traits. Jaylen Waddle is another who’ll likely make the list in the future but just has to prove his consistency first. Waddle has been one of the most explosive players in football this year. How could DK Metcalf not get mentioned as he’s a true freak of nature at 6’4, 236 with world-class speed. Metcalf isn’t very versatile but when played in the right role, his production shows. Keenan Allen and Mike Evans are two well-established veterans who were close to cracking the top ten as well. They are just not as relevant as the others mentioned due to them likely regressing soon.

10. CeeDee Lamb

In the 2021 season, CeeDee Lamb emerged as one of the many star receivers in the league. He hasn’t quite had the same season so far, but he still looks like a true X-receiver with elite potential. Lamb is a lengthy player with elite burst and great ball skills. Since his second year, he has been a very good route route-runner and has developed a quick-release package. In addition, he’s been a reliable target on contested catches for Dak Prescott as he caught 53 of them since entering the league. He has a very good catch radius and comes down with really impressive catches but hasn’t consistently made a lot of catches in traffic yet. He makes up for it, however, by being an elite RAC threat. If he continues to develop his release and becomes a better-possession guy, the sky is the limit for him. Lamb has an excellent base of traits to rely on, but he needs to continue developing certain elements of his game to reach his full potential. Because he has a good QB, he’ll likely do this, but he still has a lot to prove.

9. Deebo Samuel

Kyle Shanahan and Deebo Samuel are among the very best player-coach pairings in the league. Samuel is literally built to play in this play-action-style offense as it creates a ton of opportunities for him in space. In addition to him being used as a runner, he also makes a huge impact as a run blocker. Samuel does everything from making catches over the middle to making contested catches on the sideline and everything else mentioned. His routes aren’t on too high of a level but he creates separation with speed and by beating press coverage. There is no other player in the league who can create yards after the catch as Deebo does – he’s essentially like an elite running back with a receiver’s skillset. Both his contact balance and vision are rare for a receiver and he possesses breakaway speed as well. He also understands leverage in routes very well and knows how to position himself to turn a catch into a run. While Samuel isn’t an elite traditional receiver, he has a skill set that brings elite value to the right offense.

8. Ja’Marr Chase

As someone who gave Ja’marr Chase an extraordinarily high draft grade, it is no surprise to see him become such a star so early on. His burst at the pro level isn’t quite as explosive as it appeared in college, but he still is an elite athlete. His elite speed combined with his strength makes him very hard to tackle and he also shows elite vision for a receiver. The release package is explosive and he uses his hands excellently to beat press coverage. His change of direction ability on routes is extremely sharp which allows him to get open with ease. He and Joe Burrow have a great connection and Chase is also excellent at finding soft spaces against zone coverage. Many fans thought drops would plague him but that has yet to be an issue. He has also demonstrated elite ball skills which help him even further as a deep threat. The one notable weakness is his lateral agility and short route running which still is well above average. He also has room to improve as a run blocker but that is a flaw you can live with. As time goes on, it’s inevitable that Chase will become a consensus elite receiver.

7. A.J. Brown

The trade Howie Roseman made to acquire A.J. Brown was simply unfair looking back at it. While they had to pay him an enormous contract at 25 million per season, he has played at a dominant level this year and is only 25 years old. Brown isn’t the prototypical true X-receiver and is instead a true physical freak of nature. He has the size and speed combo paired with a very scary RAC ability. In addition, Brown has come into his own this year as a possession receiver. Before this year, he only had elite ball skills but also suffered from drops. This season, however, he improved his drop rate from 11.7% to 6.5% and with even more targets. With 40 contested catches hauled in on 72 targets over the past three seasons, Brown now has an all-around elite possession skillset. Paired with his vertical speed and ability to beat the press, he poses a serious threat in the deep passing game. He has also helped the run game tremendously for only being a receiver. Besides his true route-running skills which are still very good, there are so many elite traits in his game. Because he’s in such a beneficial situation, the future outlook for Brown’s career is tremendous.

6. DeAndre Hopkins

After returning from the PED suspension, DeAndre Hopkins is still an elite receiver and has the most reliable hands in the league. He has never been an elite athlete and has had to win with finesse and smarts so even at an older age, he is his same old self. He consistently comes down with contested catches as he’s had eight already in 2022 on just ten targets. An underrated element of Hopkins’s game is his route running as he makes very smooth and decisive cuts. Despite the lack of elite athletic traits, he’ll find crafty ways to gain separation. This also shows in his release as he has a nice balance of finesse and strength to rely on. Although he doesn’t have perfect hands, they are currently the best in the NFL as he consistently makes catches of all variations. His 33.38″ arm-length and 10″ hand size greatly benefit him by allowing him to have secure hands with a massive catch radius. The physicality is also always there with Hopkins, whether it’s run blocking or making tough catches. It’s still pretty crazy looking back at the trade Arizona made to get Hopkins as he’s been nothing but elite since acquiring him.

5. Stefon Diggs

Stefon Diggs is one of those players that’s impossible not to like because he essentially checks every single box. Both his traits on film and the production strongly back this ranking up. While he’s benefited greatly from Josh Allen, reaching 9000 career yards in just his eighth season is absurd. Diggs has a great balance of hands and the ability to separate. He also separates with both great speed and elite route-running. According to PFF grades, Diggs has also been one of the league’s best receivers since getting with Allen. In addition, he had a 4.4% drop rate last year followed by a 4% drop rate this year. Despite his league-average vertical ability, he can come down with some spectacular-looking catches. Whether it comes to getting yards after the catch, beating press, or even run blocking, Diggs can literally do it all. At this point, there is nothing you can knock him for, and people are crazy for not considering him an elite receiver.

4. Cooper Kupp

Cooper Kupp is the ultimate slot receiver and is a perfect pairing with Matt Stafford and Sean McVay. There are a number of traits Kupp performs at an elite level which gives him the edge playing out of the slot. Although he lacks vertical speed, not many players in football have a better first step than Kupp. This helps set up his short-intermediate routes and also allows him to be an elite RAC threat. His lateral agility and play strength are other reasons he’s able to be so good after the catch. He particularly excels at running crossing routes and out-routes. He creates space with finesse and by being in sync with Stafford. What makes Kupp so special is how consistent he is both as a route-runner and as a possession receiver. He’s maintained a 53.8% contested catch rate over the past two years and has only dropped one pass so far this year. He’s racked up 3,244 receiving yards (including postseason) since getting with Stafford and has 1,496 yards after the catch during that stretch too. As he creates separation so easily at the slot, he is constantly getting open and creating offense. The knock on Kupp is that he can’t be a truly elite player on the perimeter due to his athletic limitations and lack of a high-end release. When he’s used correctly though, he’s undeniably an elite player and has a character you want in your locker room. With his elite ability to run intermediate routes and his ability to run-block, he fits extremely well in this play-action offense. It may seem like the teams that passed on him were stupid, but Kupp is a true outlier at receiver as it’s rare to see players like him have such success. The type of character and work ethic he has is special and hard to predict. Although Kupp has some limitations in his game, it’s hard not to love what he does at such a consistent rate.

3. Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson is another that was a personal favorite as a draft prospect who’s been absolutely sensational since entering the league. It did not make any sense why teams and draft analysts were lower on him as he had size, speed, and route-running skills coming out of college. Jefferson becoming an elite contested catch receiver has been the final piece in becoming a true superstar. What’s even better is that Jefferson is proving he can consistently play at an elite level against some of the best players. He just had ten catches for 193 yards in a massive game and also has made some of the best corners look foolish this year. His release package is explosive and he’s developed some of the best all-around route-running in football. He combines his elusiveness very well with his play strength which shows in his 400 yards after the catch this year. He will need to have more consistent hands heading forward, but that’s good room for improvement to have. Jefferson essentially has every trait to look for in a receiver and he is only in his third season playing with an average starting QB. The Vikings are very lucky to have this type of player as he’s the perfect non-QB to build your offense around.

2. Davante Adams

It may seem foolish to rank Davante Adams this high at this point in time, but given his unfair circumstances at the moment, it’s still well deserved. He has still put up very high PFF grades with good film to back it up and this is with Josh McDaniels as head coach and play-caller who’s been a massive disappointment. Derek Carr behind one of the worst pass-pro units doesn’t help his production either. The difference shows in his yards per route run as it went from a staggering 2.81 to 2.32. He still has world-class foot quickness and an insane release package. What’s been worse from Adams is his contested catch ability as he just hasn’t come down with as many. If he had a good passing game situation, his production would still be dominant, but that just is far from the case right now. We are only one year removed from one of the greatest receiver seasons in the past decade and his athleticism has not taken a step down. While the rest of this year won’t look too special, he will be a massive asset for this franchise heading into the future.

1. Tyreek Hill

Tyreek Hill is simply a cheat code and has been on a mission to prove he’s the single best receiver in football this year. While his possession skills could be more desirable, he is as good of a deep threat as you can possibly get. When you are both an elite RAC option and take the top off of the defense like no other, it is borderline impossible to stop. There is simply no defender in football who can match his speed and change of direction ability. His 40-yard dash score of 4.29 does not even represent how hast he really is as he’s recorded by far the fastest mph score with the ball in his hands at 23.24 mph. ‘The numbers back up the eye test: Tyreek Hill is the NFL’s fastest player‘ by Des Bieler has a great analysis of why this is. Furthermore, Hill with the ball in his hands is extraordinarily elusive and possesses great vision. His small size doesn’t shy him away from being physical as he shows great contact balance and can beat press very well. Now that he has weeded out the drops and is consistently coming down with contested catches, it is genuinely hard to argue anyone else is the best right now. Given Hill is on pace to reach 2000 yards this year, this season has been absolutely historic. He is doing this with a QB that has a league-average arm, which further proves how versatile he is. There are many players that could one day hold the receiver crown, but for now, Tyreek Hill is the most deserving of it.