The value of the wide receiver only continues to increase as the NFL, and the sport of football at large, becomes more and more geared toward passing.
Seven receivers -- DeVonta Smith, Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, Nico Collins, Jaylen Waddle, Justin Jefferson and DJ Moore -- all signed contracts with an average per year value of at least $24 million, and Jefferson, with his four-year, $140 million contract ($35 million APY) is the league's highest-paid non quarterback.
With that in mind, which of the NFL's eight divisions flex the most collective talent across their four teams? Here is a ranking of all eight from least to most stacked at the wide receiver position since the 2024 NFL season is fast approaching.
8. AFC West
Notable wideouts:
Raiders: Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers
Chiefs: Rashee Rice, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Xavier Worthy, Kadarius Toney
Broncos: Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims Jr.
Chargers: Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, DJ Chark
The AFC West was the obvious last-place pick here despite Davante Adams' excellence. He totaled 103 catches that went for 1,144 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns despite Las Vegas cycling through Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and fourth-round rookie Aidan O'Connell at quarterback in 2023. That's a down year for him, but a year that kept him in the four-man club of players with at least 100 catches in each of the last two seasons, joining Amon-Ra St. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, Stefon Diggs and Tyreek Hill.
Speaking of Hill, the Chiefs' wide receiver core struggled without him even though Kansas City eventually won its second Super Bowl in a row. Their wide receivers had the most drops (28) and the highest drop rate (12.0%) in the NFL last season, per SportRadar, and Patrick Mahomes averaged a career-worst 7.7 yards/attempt targeting wide receivers in 2023 (20th in NFL). Rashee Rice was Mahomes' top pass catcher outside of future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce, but he faces a likely suspension. Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is talented, but he also has a history with drops. The Chiefs also spent their first-round pick on Texas speedster Xavier Worthy in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The combined talent in the Broncos and Chargers' wide receivers could not elevate Adams and the AFC West division out of last place this year.
7. AFC North
Notable wideouts:
Bengals: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins
Ravens: Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor, Rashod Bateman
Browns: Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore
Ja'Marr Chase and Amari Cooper are two high-end talents, and George Pickens, who led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch last season, is on his way to being one as long as he remains locked in. Tee Higgins struggled mightily with injuries in 2023, and no else in the division produced at a high-enough level to lift the AFC North any higher on this list. Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers had a nice season for a rookie (858 yards and five touchdowns on 77 catches), but it wasn't jaw-dropping.
6. NFC South
Notable wideouts:
Buccaneers: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin
Saints: Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed
Panthers: Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans remains as consistent as ever with his 10th consecutive season with over 1,000 receiving yards, the most ever to start a career and the second-most ever at any point in a player's NFL career behind only Jerry Rice's 11 seasons in a row from 1986 to 1996. He also co-led the NFL with 13 receiving touchdowns last season alongside Tyreek Hill. Teammate Chris Godwin also remained steady with his fourth 1,000-yard season (1,024) in the last five years.
Chris Olave joined Marques Colston and Michael Thomas as only the third New Orleans Saints wide receiver to begin their career with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Rashid Shaheed's 16.3 yards per catch ranks as the third most in the NFL since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022. New Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson is one of 16 players to total at least 50 catches and at least 600 receiving yards in each of the last five seasons since 2019, the span of his entire career. Adam Thielen remained steady as Bryce Young's sole reliable target in Carolina a year ago with over 100 catches (103) and 1,000 yards (1,014).
Drake London, a top 10 pick two years ago, remains oozing with potential and ready to maximize his talents with competency at the quarterback position in Kirk Cousins.
5. AFC East
Notable wideouts:
Dolphins: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Odell Beckham Jr.
Jets: Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams
Bills: Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman
Patriots: K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne
If the Bills and Patriots had anything close to Pro Bowl talent at their wide receiver positions, the AFC East would be a lot higher. Tyreek Hill became the first player in NFL history to total multiple career seasons with over 1,700 receiving yards -- marks he has hit in both seasons with the Miami Dolphins in 2022 and 2023. He led the league in receiving yards with 1,799 in 2023 and co-led the league in receiving touchdowns with Mike Evans (13). Hill can certainly stake a strong case for the title of the league's best receiver.
Hill's Miami running mate in Jaylen Waddle is only the ninth player in NFL history with 1,000 or more receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson is the first Jets player with 1,000 or more receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, and Wilson accomplished this feat despite playing with six different quarterbacks: Joe Flacco, Mike White, Zach Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian. New Jet Mike Williams' 15.6 career yards per catch ranks as the second best since 2017 among those with at least 500 targets in that span.
4. NFC East
Notable wideouts:
Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks
Eagles: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith
Commanders: Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson
CeeDee Lamb broke Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin's single-season catches and receiving yards records in 16 games en route to leading the NFL in catches (135) and ranking second in the league in receiving yards (1,749) in 2023. Lamb's 12 touchdown catches were the third most in the league, and teammate Brandin Cooks' eight were tied for the eighth most in the NFL. Cooks will attempt to become the only player in NFL history to over 1,000 receiving yards with five different teams in 2024.
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown's 33 catches of 25 or more yards since joining the Eagles in 2022 are the second most in the NFL behind only Tyreek Hill's 35. He has registered consecutive 1,400-yard receiving seasons since joining Philly, the most in team history, and his 86.8 receiving yards per game since 2022 stands as the fifth most in the league. Fellow Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith is one of eight players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in each of the last two seasons.
Despite not having consistent quarterback play in Washington, Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is one of only six players with at least 900 receiving yards in each of his first five career NFL seasons, joining DK Metcalf, Mike Evans, A.J. Green, Randy Moss and Jerry Rice.
Hope returned to the New York Giants wide receiver room after selecting LSU's Malik Nabers sixth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He ranked second in college football in both receiving yards (1,569) and receiving first downs (69). That will be a nice breath of fresh air for a squad that hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. back in 2018, the longest active drought in the entire league.
3. AFC South
Notable wideouts
Texans: Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell
Titans: DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd
Jaguars: Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr., Gabe Davis
Colts: Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell
New Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs leads the NFL in catches across the last four seasons (445) since he teamed up with Josh Allen up in Buffalo in 2020. Nico Collins racked up the eighth-most receiving yards in the league (1,297) last season while averaging 3.1 yards per route run, tied for the second most in the NFL with Brandon Aiyuk. He trailed only Tyreek Hill's league-leading 3.9 yards-per-route-run average. Tank Dell's seven receiving touchdowns through the first 13 weeks of the season were tied for the fifth most in the entire league before he went down with a season-ending fibula injury that occurred while he was blocking on a goal-line run. Both he and Collins are age 25 or younger.
Tennessee Titans five-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins had a resurgence in 2023, putting together his first 1,000-yard receiving season (1,057) since 2020, his first year with the Arizona Cardinals. Calvin Ridley switches teams within the division from the Jaguars to the Titans after leading Jacksonville in both receiving yards (1,016) and receiving touchdowns (eight) last season. Tyler Boyd, whose 513 career catches are the fourth most in Bengals history, followed new head coach Brian Callahan on down to Tennessee in the offseason.
Christian Kirk dealt with injuries in 2023, but when healthy in 2022, he was far and away quarterback Trevor Lawrence's go-to guy. Gabe Davis is a reliable, downfield threat, averaging 16.7 yards per catch since entering the NFL in 2020, the second most in the NFL behind only George Pickens (16.9). His 33 receiving touchdowns since entering the NFL in 2020 are tied for the 10th most in the league, including the postseason. The Jaguars also selected LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. 23rd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft after he led college football in receiving touchdowns in 2023 (17).
Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.'s 109 catches last season were the fifth most in the NFL last season and the most in Indianapolis since Reggie Wayne's 111 catches back in 2010.
2. NFC West
Notable wideouts:
49ers: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings
Seahawks: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua produced the greatest receiving season by a rookie wide receiver ever with NFL records in catches (105) and receiving yards (1,486) in 2023, and he remains in tandem with 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel remains as shifty as ever, leading all wide receivers in yards after catch per reception (8.8) in 2023, while running mate Brandon Aiyuk led the NFL in percentage of catches to go for either a first down or a touchdown (81.3%).
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf was similarly efficient in 2023 with 78.8% of his catches resulting in either a first down or a touchdown, the third-highest rate in the NFL. He also joins Terry McLaurin, Mike Evans, A.J. Green, Randy Moss and Jerry Rice as the only six players ever to have at least 900 receiving yards in each of their first five seasons. Tyler Lockett is the second-best statistical receiver in Seahawks history, ranking second in franchise history in catches (612), receiving yards (7,994) and receiving touchdowns (59) behind only Pro Football Hall Famer Steve Largent in each category.
The Arizona Cardinals selected generational wide receiver prospect Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall out of Ohio State in the 2024 NFL Draft after he posted consecutive unanimous All-American seasons in which his 28 receiving touchdowns led all of college football.
1. NFC North
Notable wideouts:
Bears: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze
Vikings: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison
Packers: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks
Lions: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams
The NFC North is an embarrassment of wide receiver riches. Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson averages the most receiving yards per game in NFL history (98.3), and his 5,839 career receiving yards and 29 career 100-yard games are both the most in a player's first four seasons in NFL history. Despite dealing with injuries and the loss of Kirk Cousins, Jefferson became just the third player ever with 1,000 or more receiving yards in 10 or fewer games played in a season in 2023.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown's 119 catches and 1,515 receiving yards both ranked third in the NFL behind only Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb. Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore's 6,565 career receiving yards are the seventh most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2018 despite having a laundry list of different quarterbacks throwing to him: Cam Newton, Sam Darnold, Kyle Allen, Justin Fields, Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Tyson Bagent, Baker Mayfield, Taylor Heinicke, Will Grier, Garrett Gilbert, Jacob Eason.
New Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen caught a career-high 108 passes last season despite only playing in 13 games (sixth most in the NFL), and his five seasons with at least 100 catches are tied for the third most in NFL history. Rookie ninth overall pick Rome Odunze gets to learn from both Moore and Allen after leading college football in receiving yards (1,640) last season at Washington.
The Green Bay Packers young receiving core of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks heavily contributed to the 2023 Packers having the most catches (302), receiving yards (3,642) and receiving touchdowns (31) by first and second year players in a single season since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger in Year 1 of the Jordan Love era. Crazy thing is with how young both Love and his pass catchers are, the 2023 season will likely be the worst that bunch ever ends up being. The sky is the limit.
