Welcome back. It might be way too early for NFL positional rankings, but let’s continue the run of 2023 rankings with the top 10 NFL wide receivers right now.
Previous Lists: Quarterbacks, Running Backs
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 10 – Mike Evans
Evans produces with metronomic efficiency every season. He is a premier red-zone threat, and he is one of the more unstoppable deep threats in the league. He’s not quite as good of a route runner in the short to intermediate game as the rest of the list, but Evans is terrific at the catch point, and he often more than makes up for any separation issues with his large catch radius.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 9 – CeeDee Lamb
Lamb is best described as a supernova. He is immune to going down upon first contact. Lamb has a large frame which helps him bring in awry passes, but he possesses great contact balance in space and consistently generates chunk plays. He also brings crisp route running to the equation. Lamb will be wearing No. 88 in Dallas for the foreseeable future for good reason.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 8 – Terry McLaurin
McLaurin is the full package. He plays much bigger than his frame, and he has vice-like hands. He is slippery in his route and has the whole route tree at his disposal. He makes the difficult look routine and the easy look majestic. One can hope Sam Howell develops into a star quarterback so McLaurin’s production can match the talent.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 7 – Cooper Kupp
Kupp had perhaps the greatest season by a receiver in league history in 2021, culminating in a Super Bowl MVP. He has back to his normal self in 2022 before sustaining a season-ending injury. At other positions, Kupp would still be near the top, but the crop of receivers is so deep and talented that Kupp takes something of a tumble.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 6 – Stefon Diggs
Diggs might be the best route runner in the league. He is incomparable in his ability to track the deep ball, but he also brings some elusiveness in the open field and some swagger in traffic. Diggs produces at a historically relevant level, and he always seems to be open (even if Josh Allen doesn’t look his way). Like Kupp, Diggs is pulled down because of the depth of talent in the position
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 5 – A.J. Brown
Physical. With many receivers, the idea of physicality can be overblown based on a player’s height or weight. With Brown, calling him physical might be a disservice. He is a force of nature, a destroyer of worlds, pure devastation. Brown is a good route runner and a burner, but the element of strength and power turns into unbridled anger on the field. Brown seamlessly makes the transition from Wes Welker before catching the ball to being Earl Campbell with the ball in his hands.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 4 – Davante Adams
The operative word with Adams is “class.” His hands are of first-class quality. He is a tremendous route runner, and few in the league consistently get Adams’ separation. Adams runs a nuanced route tree with maybe the best release package in the NFL. He is elite in the middle of the field, on the perimeter, in the short to intermediate range, and deep down the field.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 3 – Ja’Marr Chase
When it matters, Chase will get the ball, and he will score. Unless a team overcommits to stopping Chase, he will post 100 yards and a touchdown without breaking a sweat. He is a force with the ball in his hands, and he has enough technical savvy to turn seasoned veterans into deli meat. He is the best deep threat in the NFL with his combination of contested-catch ability, pure speed, and shiftiness.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 2 – Tyreek Hill
Speed kills. Hill might not be as technically refined as the others on the list (merely great instead of awesome), but he has the great equalizer of track speed. He is a one-of-a-kind deep threat, but he can score any time he touches the football. He is a demon near the line of scrimmage, in the intermediate range, or deep. There can be some inconsistencies – especially with his hands – but Hill is as good as it gets.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers: No. 1 – Justin Jefferson
Jefferson plays football as if he asked the other team to respect COVID mandates to give him six feet of separation on every play. Jefferson likely leads the league in empty TV frames as he is constantly running free and turning defensive backs into garden gnomes. He has great hands, good shiftiness, and an elite release package both at the line of scrimmage and at the top of his routes. His whole routine is textbook.
