It’s always fascinating to see the disconnect between football fans and the people making the decisions. This is especially prevalent as ESPN released its wide receiver rankings, polling executives, scouts, and coaches to get their personal Top 10 list at the position.
This is a consensus ranking, meaning everyone polled gave a list of one-through-10, and they were given a points system to come up with the final rankings, no dissimilar to All-Star voting. There were some surprises to say the least.
Ja’Marr Chase over Justin Jefferson at No. 1
This is one of football’s great debates, but those inside the league give the edge to Chase and his playmaking ability. One exec called him the “ultimate pick up and play” receiver, who can essentially do everything asked of him before, during, and after the catch.
Putting Chase over Jefferson isn’t really a shocker. They’re No. 1 and No. 1A in the league — and then there’s a big drop off. I personally like Jefferson’s route running more, and think he’s shown the ability to get his yards even with sub par quarterbacks, while Chase has benefitted much more from having an elite talent under center.
That said, I wouldn’t fault anyone for having thee two in either order.
Tyreek Hill is No. 3
Now this one we can make fun of for being bad. Front office folks are supposed to be able to look at a player holistically, and it’s wild to see Hill make it this high on the list despite having a down year and quitting on his team in Week 18.
If Hill was truly the No. 3 receiver in the league he would have been traded right now. If a guy has such a pronounced level of talent that you’re putting him amongst the best in the league then you wouldn’t balk at his large contract.
Hill finished 30th in the NFL in receiving yards last year. Sure, you can blame a lot of that on the injury to Tua Tagovailoa, but the best receivers in the league are still able to eat in spite of a change at QB. Hill just can’t.
It should have been several other guys in this position.
Brian Thomas Jr?
This one is absolutely mind boggling to me. The only way it makes sense that the Jaguars rookie didn’t make this list is because not enough people around the league saw him.
It was an abysmal 2024 season in Jacksonville, but Thomas Jr. was a mammoth bright spot. He finished third in the NFL in receiving yards, catching passes at all three levels and becoming one of the best young targets in the NFL. His 14.7 yards per reception ranked 6th in the NFL among receivers with over 100 targets, and truth be told it’s weird to have BTJ only get an honorable mention, while Malik Nabers ranked all the way up at No. 7.
No love for Drake London
It’s tough to even say that Drake London is “polarizing,” because execs were in lockstep that he doesn’t belong anywhere near the Top 10. That’s pretty wild considering he was 4th in the league in receiving yards last year, and one of only 10 receivers to catch 100+ passes in 2024.
It’s not so much that London didn’t crack the Top 10, but more that he didn’t earn a single vote to be in the Top 10 at all. Receivers the likes of George Pickens, D.J. Moore, and Cortland Sutton garnered at least one vote, but it was crickets when it came to London.
That likely speaks to the incosnsistent offensive coaching in Atlanta and their fluid quarterback situation. If Michael Penix Jr. can shine this season there’s no doubt he’ll rise.
Did the NFL forget that Puka Nacua exists?
Here’s a man who finished with 990 receiving yards despite only playing in 11 games. If we extrapolate out his usage rate he would have finished with 1,530 receiving yards — bettering his already ludicrous rookie season.
Nacua doesn’t have that one unicorn trait that blows you away, which is why he was such a steal in the 2023 NFL Draft — but he plays quick. Every movement he makes is intentional, efficient, and done with a goal in mind. There’s no wasted motion to Nacua, which is why he might not have the top-end speed or quick-twitch athleticism of some top guys, but because everything he does is so intentional he’s able to close the gap and match top receivers.
It’s dumb he didn’t crack the Top 10.
