Ranking the NFL?s top wideouts
Here we are on the eve of the draft and all is silent when it comes to wide receivers, the very players who spread the field and make or break a team?s offense.
Looking at mock draft boards, there?s just not a whole lot of meat when it comes to receivers. You?ve got Santonio Holmes out of Ohio State, Chad Jackson of Florida and Sinorice Moss out of Miami, getting any talk of first round respect. This in the same year when constantly hear the names of Trojans Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and potential future Titan Vince Young of the Longhorns.
With this famine when it comes to obvious blue-chippers in the receiving corps coming out of the draft, you?d think teams would be putting more stock in the free-agent market when it comes to wideouts this year. We?ve already seen one of the best players, Terrell Owens, go to the Cowboys after his blow-up last year at Philadelphia. However, aside from Owens, there aren?t really any big-time movers unless you count someone like Antwaan Randle El, who went from the Super Bowl champs to the Redskins this year.
El himself isn?t that big of a deal, even though he was able to get quite a bit of notoriety for himself down the stretch last year, much of which came from his throwing arm. What makes the El so interesting is he will be playing on the same field as Santana Moss, who is already one of the more explosive receivers in the league. After languishing for yours in the worst passing team in the league in the New York Jets, Moss is starting to make a name for himself as one of the elite five receivers in the league.
Add Moss and El to the human highlight film from San Francisco, Brandon Lloyd, which the Redskins have also acquired, and this is probably the tightest receiving corps in the league. Yes, even more so than the Colts receiving corps headed by Marvin Harrison, especially in light of the loss of Edgerrin James, a loss of which will be more of a factor than people think this year.
With that said, who is the best receiver in the league now? I?d have to say Steve Smith of Carolina. He stunned defenses and the viewing audience with moves that broke ankles during the playoffs. This is a guy you can get the ball to 12 times a game, a guy who is capable of going for 150-plus every week.
Smith stands just ahead of Terrell Owens in my book. When he is allowed to play, Owens is overpowering and probably will still be dominant for a couple more years.
Just behind them I?d have to say Torry Holt would be third. He has quietly averaged nearly 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns for the past three seasons despite some downtime for the former Greatest Show on Turf up in St. Louis. He is quite opposite to my number four receiver in Chad Johnson, who has also posted similar numbers in Cincy. However, in Johnson?s case, he lets you know about every yard he gets.
Rounding my top five is Moss, not Randy, but Santana. As I said earlier, his incredible speed makes him a Steve Smith-type receiver, and, with his new teammates, Santana Moss could move up even higher in the receiver ratings. Randy Moss, who used to top the list, has been hampered by injuries lately so the jury is still out on whether he will return to form.
Given the absence of any obvious impact draft picks in the receiving corps, it?s this established veterans who will be king of the long ball in the NFL this year.