As much as the NFL is defined on offense by multi-receiver sets in which the routes and route combinations set the table and force defenses to do what they do, there comes a point in a game when the quarterback needs his best receiver to stack up against the opponent’s best cornerback and win with pure physical dominance.
At that point, the game isn’t much different than it’s ever been — it’s my best against your best, and my best needs to get the ball. Those top outside receivers who have the physical characteristics and evolved attributes to win the battles are justifiably seen as the marquee players at their positions. The X-iso guys who need nothing more than their own games to dominate.
In a recent edition of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell,” Greg and I discussed the importance of the outside receiver as the “Boundary X” in the kinds of multi-receiver sets that have become the standard in today’s NFL.
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Beyond all that, here are the primary characteristics we’re looking for when creating this list of the best outside receivers:
- Great outside receivers must be able to win those one-on-one battles with the opponent’s best cornerback (and other coverage defenders) without help from scheme and formation. There are a lot of great receivers in the NFL who win with help more often than not, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but if you want to hit this list, you need to be able to get and stay open for explosive plays without it.
- These receivers are threats to every part of the field, from taking a screen or glance route to the house, to leveraging a cornerback or safety upfield to establish real estate in a consistently victorious fashion.
- These guys don’t need complete route palettes, because most receivers can’t run every route to the same standard. But they need to have those routes they’ve practices and perfected to the point where it barely matters who’s covering them — when those routes are called, success must follow more often than not.
- When these outside receivers are part of stacks and bunches, they must be the ones to extract the most attention from opposing defenses — there are times when the No. 1 guys are clearing out space for everybody else, simply by virtue of the threat he presents on every snap.
The NFL’s 11 best slot receivers
The NFL’s 12 best tight ends
The NFL’s 12 best interior offensive linemen
The NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles
The NFL’s 11 best interior defensive linemen
The NFL’s 11 best edge defenders
The NFL’s 11 best linebackers
The NFL’s 11 best slot defenders
The NFL’s 11 best cornerbacks
The NFL’s 11 best safeties
And now, here are the 12 best outside receivers in the NFL as we head into the 2023 season.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated).