Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network shared some old scouting notes from New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick, dating back to Jeremiah’s time as a scout with the Baltimore Ravens. The notes, dated from 1991, provide tremendous insight into how the coach views the offensive positions:
I think you’ll enjoy this… We were given this handout during a scout school from my time with the Ravens. Coach Belichick has held true to almost all of this over the years. pic.twitter.com/pWB3oqo5JU
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 31, 2020
Given the proximity to the draft – and the fact that Tom Brady had just decided to leave New England for Tampa Bay – many focused on the quarterback section of this scouting sheet to try and ascertain what Belichick might do about the quarterback position.
But take a look at the wide receiver notes, and see how many of those still hold up today. Winning at the line of scrimmage; hands; route-running; discipline; ability after the catch, and more. Speed? Well that enters the equation “only…in relation to players’ ability to escape the [line of scrimmage]. Good leap and timing are more important than speed.”
Keep those traits in mind when you work through this list of the game’s best boundary wideouts.
Best Wide Receiver Duo
There are many potential choices for the best receiver pair in the game today. You could make a case for what the Dallas Cowboys are building in the NFC East, with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. Oh, and adding CeeDee Lamb to the mix certainly does not hurt. The New Orleans Saints have another great pair now, between Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. You could also make a case for Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill in Kansas City, or even Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry in Cleveland. I, for one, am very excited to see what Justin Jefferson does as a rookie with Adam Thielen alongside him.
But it is hard to bet against what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have in place this upcoming season. Yes they added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, but shift your eyes towards the boundaries and you’ll find a pair of tremendous receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. They combined for 153 receptions, 2,490 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and they did that with a quarterback throwing 30 interceptions. With Brady now under center, those numbers could skyrocket.
Honorable Mentions
When I was given my assignments for this Top 100 project, there were two lists that I knew would be next to impossible to put together. Quarterbacks was the first that came to mind, since everyone has a quarterback take. I mean, everyone. But I also knew that whittling a list down to the Top 11 boundary WRs was going to be a tall task. I’d rather spend a day at the dentist atop a skyscraper. That sounds silly but I get queasy on a stepladder so…
Conservatively, you could make a case for around two dozen players to be included on a list like this. In a passing league dominated by 11 personnel, you are going to generate a ton of choices for inclusion. How can you take off a player like Terry McLaurin, who put up impressive numbers as a rookie, and as basically the main option, in a struggling offense? Or Kenny Golladay, who looks to be the next in a long line of tremendous Detroit WRs? Stefon Diggs is an incredible route-runner and an elite-level downfield target, how can he not make such a list? A.J. Green usually shows up in these pieces, but missing all of 2019 made him ineligible. What about other younger players such as A.J. Brown, who was tremendous last season for the Tennessee Titans, or Courtland Sutton with the Denver Broncos? Every single one of those wide receivers is worthy of inclusion. T.Y. Hilton? Emmanuel Sanders? DeVante Parker, who seems to be living up to the expectations coming out of college? Parker posted 72 receptions for 1,202 yards last year and nine touchdowns, and had a heck of a game against Stephon Gilmore in Week 17.
You know, the Defensive Player of the Year and a new member of the “Madden 99” club?
And yet, here they are, on the outside looking in.
That just speaks to the level of talent at this position in the NFL today.
This list was tough to put together. If your favorite player or your team’s best receiver did not make the cut, I apologize. Dock me ten thousand internet points and pray for my soul.
And now, the Top 11.