Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers of All Time.

It started with Randy Moss saying he was the best of all time. Then Jerry Rice replied that he's letting the fans (and his rings) speak for themselves. Then Terrell Owens decided to speak up that Rice is 1a and he is 1b on the list. Finally, Cris Carter gets his Hall of Fame bid at last.

But it got us all debating: Who really are the best WRs of all time? We asked you, the fans, to give us your top five wideouts of all time. We compiled your picks and completely from your votes created a top ten list of the best receivers in NFL history. See where your favorite made the list!

10. Don Hutson (1935-1945)   

Received 13% of the vote. Highest Ranking: 3

He is considered by many to be the first modern receiver. He practically invented the position, as he is credited with creating many of the pass routes that are still used in the NFL today. He held over a dozen receiving records upon his retirement. He finished his career with 488 receptions, 7,991 yards, and 99 TDs. He still holds the highest career TD/game average (0.85). Nobody could stop him. He was the best of the era, and deserving to make an appearance on this list.

9. Hines Ward (1998-2011) 

Received 19% of the vote. Highest Ranking:3

You cannot argue that Hines Ward changed the definition of NFL wide receiver. He did it all. He was a special teamer, pass-catcher, occasional thrower, and prominently a run-blocker. His physicality as a blocker sets him apart from the other players on this list. He was sometimes even dubbed as dirty because of the uniqueness of his physicality. He also was a great pass-catcher, ranking eighth all time with 1,000 receptions. He holds Steelers records in receiving yards (12,083) and TDs (85) as well, and was named Super Bowl XL MVP. Some will argue that he was not a dominant receiver compared to others during his era. But his versatility and changing of the position put him in our list for sure.

 

8. Fred Biletnikoff (1965-1978)  

Received 19% of the vote. Highest Ranking: 1 (6% of 1st place votes)

Taken in the proper context, Biletnikoff’s numbers are the best ever. He had 589 career receptions, including 10 straight seasons with 40+ receptions. He had 8,974 yards and caught 76 TDs in his 14 year career. However, those numbers came during a era where teams heavily emphasized the run game. Also, all but one season during his career was a 14-game season. With so much fewer opportunities than others on this list, imagine the numbers he could have put up. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XI, and each year the Biletnikoff Award is given to the best WR in college football.  If you have an award named for you, then it is difficult not to call you the greatest ever.

7. Marvin Harrison (1996-2008)
Received 25% of the vote. Highest Ranking: 3

Mr. Consistency. He averaged 84.77 receptions per season, trailing only Sterling Sharp (85). Prior to a 20 reception season in 2007 due to a knee injury, he  averaged 93 catches each year. He owns or shares pretty much every record for touchdowns per season, including having eight-straight seasons with double-digit trips to the end zone. He holds the NFL record for most receptions in a season (143). He finished his fabulous career with 1,102 receptions (4th all time), 14,580 yards, and 128 TDs. 

 

6. Steve Largent (1976-1989)  

Received 31% of the vote. Highest Ranking: 2

Sometimes it takes a tough start to get to greatness. After an All-American college career, Largent was drafted in the fourth round, but was about to get cut. He was traded to the Seahawks for an eighth-round pick. He would spend all 14 seasons of his career with Seattle, catching 819 passes for 13,089 yards and 100 touchdowns (all NFL records upon his retirement). He also held the record for 177 consecutive regular season games with a reception. He was a unique WR, and the only one on our list under 6 foot tall.

5. Terrell Owens (1996-2010) 

Received 31% of the vote. Highest Ranking:2

1,078 receptions (6^th all time), 15,934 yards (2^nd all time), 153 touchdowns. He is the only player in NFL history to score a touchdown against all 32 NFL franchises. He caught 9 passes for 122 yards in Super Bowl XXXIX in his first game since breaking his leg just six weeks prior. His toughness was second-to-none. So was his attitude, and the fact that he feels like he was so much better than anybody else is the main reason he doesn’t appear on our list any higher.

4. Cris Carter (1987-2002)  

Received 63% of the vote. Highest Ranking: 2

He’s the man most people forget about when it comes to the best wideouts of all time. He’s been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2008 but has not received his ticket to Canton yet. He is one of two players in history to receive 120+ receptions in two seasons. He finished 2nd (now 4th) in career receptions with 1,101 yards. He is also second with 130 career TDs and finished with 13,899 yards. He never had a standout QB throwing him the ball, and never made it to a Super Bowl. That’s what kept him from being a Hall of Famer until this weekend, and what keeps him from being higher on the list of greatest wideouts.

3. Michael Irvin (1988-1999) 

Received 81% of the vote. Highest Ranking:2

A three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer, he flourished while in the NFL with Troy Aikman throwing him the ball. His statistics are a bit lower than others on the list (750 receptions, 11,904 yards, 65 TDs), but that’s due to his career being cut short by injury in 1999 after only 12 seasons. It also didn’t help that he had Emmitt Smith to run the ball all of those years as well. Fact of the matter: He was known as the “playmaker” throughout his career. When his team needed to make a play, Irvin was the one to do it.

 
2. Randy Moss (1998-Present)  

Received 88% of the vote. Highest Ranking: 2

Despite a troubled college beginning, he would end up breaking or tying just about every collegiate record that Jerry Rice had set. Nobody had the combination of speed, size, and strength like Moss had. The Cover 2 defense was essentially created to defend Moss. He holds nearly every single-season receiving record, including his 23 receiving TDs in 2007 and 17 receiving TDs in his rookie 1998 campaign. Other than his couple of years with Tom Brady and the Patriots, Moss really never had great QBs throwing to him. 954 receptions, 14,869 yards, and 153 TDs. And he’s still going. 

1. Jerry Rice (1985-2004) 

Received 13% of the vote. Highest Ranking:1 (94% of 1st place votes)

 Record-holder in nearly every offensive category. 1,549 career receptions (445 ahead of Tony Gonzalez in 2nd). 22,895 receiving yards (6,961 ahead of 2nd place Terrell Owens). 197 career touchdown catches (44 more than Randy Moss in 2nd). 208 career total touchdowns (33 more than 2nd place Emmitt Smith). A 13-time Pro-Bowler, 3-time Super Bowl champion, and the MVP of Super Bowl XXIII. He was never the quickest, never the biggest, never the strongest. But he always got the job done. The only possible argument you could make is regarding the QBs he had throwing to him: Hall of Famers and MVPs like Steve Young, Joe Montana, and Rich Gannon. Even so, it’s tough not to call him the greatest of all time.

Others receiving votes: Lance Alworth, Lynn Swann, Isaac Bruce, Cliff Branch, Tim Brown, Calvin Johnson