TOP 5 WIDE RECEIVER GROUPS IN THE NFL TODAY!

- By Brandon Brown

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Let me start by throwing out some names for you. Mike Evans: 4x Pro Bowler, 1 All Pro selection. Chris Godwin: 1x Pro Bowler, 1 All Pro selection. Julio Jones: 7x Pro Bowler, 5 All Pro selections. Russell Gage: over 700 yards on one of the league’s worst offenses last year—and that’s just the starting lineup, folks. Even on the bench, the depth at wideout is ridiculous with Breshad Perriman, Cyril Grayson, and UNT’s very own alumni Jaelon Darden! I would be shocked if this Tampa Bay offense fails to finish inside the top 5 this season.

2. Cincinnati Bengals - Coming in as a surprise to nobody, the former AFC Champs receiver core easily makes this top 5 list. Ja’Marr Chase proved he was worth the #5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by putting up 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. Tee Higgins put up a 1,000 yard season behind that, all while Tyler Boyd managed 800 yards of his own! This room is stacked with potential Pro Bowlers, and it’s scary to think what this passing attack is going to look like with the O-Line upgrades Cincinnati made this offseason.

3. Los Angeles Rams - Cooper Kupp had a historic season last year, totaling a whopping 1,947 receiving yards, 145 catches, and 16 touchdowns. While hitting those highs again in 2022 is more than likely going to prove difficult, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that Kupp will have another great season with Stafford throwing him the ball and Pro Bowl receiver Allen Robinson taking some of the pressure off, much like Odell Beckham Jr. did for the latter half of last season. Speaking of Robinson, did you know that he has had at least 1,100 yards and 6 touchdowns when completely healthy during his tenure in Chicago? However, partly due to being trapped in the Windy City with a less than desirable quarterback carousel, he remains one of the more underrated receivers in the NFL. In an offensive heavy LA, however, I think Robinson is going to truly have a chance to shine and put up near WR1 numbers alongside Kupp. With Van Jefferson making up the back part of the trio, this group is set to make some big plays this upcoming season.

4. New York Jets - New York? The New York JETS!? Have I gone mad!? Well, after taking a second look at the receiver groups for each team, I noticed that the New York Jets’ offense has real potential to do some damage. We’ve got Corey Davis, who had an injury riddled season last year, but had a near 1,000 yard season the year before. Elijah Moore has some scary potential and could break out with a 1,000 yard season this year, and Garrett Wilson! Arguably the top receiver in the draft this year, this explosive rookie could establish himself as Zach Wilson’s top target. I’m not saying he will have a Ja’Marr Chase like season, but he could be in the running for OROY.

Green Bay Packers - Nah, I’m just kidding! It’s the Las Vegas Raiders. As I touched on in my last article about the top 10 questions I had for this NFL season, I am smitten with this Raiders receiver room! The number #1 receiver in the league, Davante Adams, helps this group make the list, but Hunter Renfrow, who proved himself a premier receiver with a Pro Bowl bid last year, has me convinced the Raiders have a one-two punch. With former starters Mack Hollins and Keelan Cole—who just a few seasons ago was starting and recording good games as a WR2 on the Jaguars—backing them up, I feel confident in saying Vegas has one of the most complete rooms moving into 2022.

Teams that just missed the cut: New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers