Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers

1. Larry Fitzgerald-Arizona Cardinals

Larry Fitzgerald was
sandwiched between some NFL Drafts that produced busts at the wide
receiver position early. In 2003, The Detroit Lions selected Charles
Rogers from Michigan State and he only lasted three seasons. In
Fitzgerald’s 2004 class, The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Reggie
Williams with the ninth overall pick and by 2008 he was out of The NFL.
The Arizona Cardinals took Fitzgerald with the third overall selection
as then Cardinals head coach Dennis Green saw the potential in him as
Fitzgerald was a ball boy with The Minnesota Vikings during training
camp in the mid-to-late 90s when Green was the head coach. Fitzgerald
was able to learn the ins and outs from Viking receivers such as Randy
Moss and Cris Carter.

It didn’t take Fitzgerald that long to solidify himself as an elite
receiver. In his second season in the league, Fitzgerald led The NFL in
receptions with 103. At only 28-years of age, Fitzgerald is already The
Cardinals franchise leader in receiving yards (9,615), receiving
touchdowns (73), and receptions (693). In 2008, Fitzgerald helped The
Cardinals win their first division title since 1975 when the team still
called St. Louis home. The Cardinals went on to their first Super Bowl
appearance where Fitzgerald appeared to make the game-winning 64-yard
touchdown with under three minutes left, but he and The Cards were
bested by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and The Pittsburgh Steelers.

Barring injuries, Fitzgerald should become the latest receiver to reach the 10,000 receiving yard plateau this season.

2. Calvin Johnson-Detroit Lions

What
a difference for Calvin Johnson when his quarterback Matthew Stafford
is healthy for a full season. The man that is affectionately known as
“Megatron” led The NFL in receiving yards last season with 1,681. At
6’5″, Johnson is a match-up nightmare for most cornerbacks. Johnson has
the ability to box out defenders as if he is playing basketball and snag
the football in double and triple coverage. Most receivers who are that
big are not that fast, but Johnson was able to run a 4.33 at The NFL
Draft Combine in 2007 to solidify his status. The scary thing for the
other teams in The NFC North is that Johnson is only 26-years old and he
is only going to get better.

3. Andre Johnson-Houston Texans

As Andre Johnson goes,
so do the fortunes of The Houston Texans. Johnson has been a man among
boys since coming to The NFL from The University of Miami. In his
nine-year NFL career, Johnson has led the league in receiving yards
twice and last season he helped The Texans make the playoffs for the
first time in franchise history. With 344 yards in the upcoming season,
Johnson will reach 10,000 yards for his career.

4. Steve Smith-Carolina Panthers

Hands down Steve
Smith is one of the toughest competitors that pro football has ever
seen. At 5’9″, Smith talks the talk, but more importantly he backs it
up. In the first game of his career, Smith returned the opening kickoff
in what would be The Panthers only victory of the season. Since then,
Smith has been one of the best in the game as he has 10,278 receiving
yards for his career. Now that Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is coming
into his own, Smith should once again have a big year for The Panthers.

5. Wes Welker-New England Patriots

Wes Welker came
into The NFL as an undrafted free-agent, but he has worked everyday to
make himself a better player. Welker made his mark as a kick returner
for The San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins, but once Nick Saban was
leaving Miami in 2006 to become the head coach at The University of
Alabama, he convinced his friend in New England Patriots head coach Bill
Belichick to do everything in his power to get Welker to Foxboro.
Belichick and The Patriots sent a second and seventh-round draft pick in
2007 to acquire Welker. Welker teamed with wide receiver Randy Moss and
quarterback Tom Brady to form the best offensive juggernaut that The
NFL has seen as The Patriots scored 589 points in 2007 en route to
becoming the first team to win all 16 regular-season games. Since then,
Welker has become Brady’s most dependable target as he has caught over
100 passes in four seasons with The Patriots while leading the league in
the category twice. Welker has become a four-time Pro Bowler in New
England as he has become the epitome of consistency.

6. DeSean Jackson-Philadelphia Eagles

DeSean Jackson
has the potential to be higher on this list if he can put it all
together for a full season. Jackson entered The NFL as a second-round
pick by The Eagles in 2008 out of The University of California. Jackson
had first-round talent, but scouts were scared off by his size at 5’10”,
170 lbs. soaking wet. Jackson’s speed and play-making ability has never
been questioned as he has averaged nearly 18 yards per catch throughout
his brief career. The next step for him is to harness it all for a full
season and hopefully help The Eagles finally win a Super Bowl.

7. Hakeem Nicks-New York Giants

Hakeem Nicks is only
24-years old and he has already accomplished so much. Nicks is the main
target of Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Nicks led The NFL in receiving
yards in the 2011 playoffs with 444 yards. Included in the barrage was a
72-yard touchdown reception against The Atlanta Falcons in The Wild
Card Round followed by a 66-yard touchdown against The Green Bay Packers
in The Divisional Round. The icing on the cake was his 10 receptions
for 109 yards in Super Bowl 46 against The Patriots. Nicks is a steady
and dependable receiver for Manning and it doesn’t hurt that his hands
are so big that he can palm a Buick with them.

8. Greg Jennings-Green Bay Packers

At first, Greg Jennings was looked at as another receiver that
was brought to prominence by former Packer quarterback Brett Favre. Once
Favre left Green Bay after the 2007 season, Jennings was able to
develop a repoire with current Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Now
Jennings is the top target for Rodgers. Since entering the league in
2006, Jennings has gone over 1,000 yards in a season three times in his
career and he enters 2012 in eighth place on The Packers all-time list
for receiving yards. Not bad for the receiver from Western Michigan.

9. Roddy White-Atlanta Falcons

In 2009, The Atlanta Falcons shocked a lot of people when they gave
Roddy White a six-year, $48 million extension which at the time made him
the highest paid wide receiver in football. White was unproven as The
Falcons passing game never took off with quarterback Michael Vick at the
helm.  Since 2007, White has gone over 1,000 yards receiving in each
season and he led The NFL in receptions in 2010 with 115. White is The
Falcons all-time leader in receiving yards with 7,374 and he is also a
four-time Pro Bowler. The combination of White and quarterback Matt Ryan
have the people in Atlanta thinking about The Super Bowl.

10. Vincent Jackson-Tampa Bay Buccaneers