Best Wide Receivers Ever – #2 Randy Moss
#2 – Randy Moss
The greatest deep threat in NFL history. The Super Freak. Randy Moss was an athlete that nobody had never seen before. His tall 6 foot 4 frame combined with his freakish speed and athleticism demanded attention and it’s a travesty 20 teams passed on him in the draft.
Cris Carter will be the first to tell you that it took him a single practive before he knew Moss was destined for greatness. The Vikings immediately became the most potent offense with Moss and Carter forming arguably the greatest receiving duo in NFL history. In only 8 seasons with the Vikings, Moss scored 92 touchdowns and 9316 yards!
Then it happened. After 2 seasons with the dysfunctional Raiders, Bill Belichick wisely went and acquired the “washed up” Moss. He had his best Quarterback ever throwing to him, and what do you know! After only a season he and Tom Brady broke the single season touchdown reception record with 23. This man was putting up record breaking numbers in his 30’s!
It makes me wonder what Moss would be capable of stat-wise if he had a hall of fame Quarterback throwing to his entire career. Regardless, you can still make a case for Randy Moss being the best Wide Receiver in NFL history because of the fact Jerry Rice had Joe Montana and Steve Young throwing to him the majority of his career while Randy Moss only spent a couple of seasons with Brady.
Top 10 Wide Receivers in NFL History – #1 Jerry Rice
#1 – Jerry Rice
Sometimes I have to make some really tough calls when making a top 10 list, but this was not one of them. Take a moment and compare Jerry Rice’s stats to the other Wide Receivers on this list. Sure, he had the benefit of Joe Montana and Steve Young throwing to him for the majority of his career, but c’mon!
He is the all-time leader in receiving yards by almost 7000. He is the all-time leader in receiving touchdowns by over 40. This was arguably the hardest worker in NFL history and it translated to a statline that is seemingly impossible to surpass from a longevity standpoint.
Whether it was his route running, or the way his sleeves looked before games, Jerry Rice fixed and polished every part of his game so he could play to perfection on route to 3 Super Bowl victories.
It’s hard to pinpoint Jerry Rice’s best season in the NFL because he had so many, but for me it was in 1995. What was thought to be a young mans game, Jerry Rice recorded 1848 yards, 122 receptions and 15 touchdowns at 33 years old. I doubt we find any Receiver who will play as long and be as consistent as Jerry Rice even in the pass dominant league we see today.
