The NFL Draft and Free agency are in the rear-view mirror of the 2023 offseason.
Now teams are beginning to prepare for training camp, here is a look at the top 5 receivers and analysis in the NFL according to ProFootball Focus:
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The masses think Justin Jefferson is the best receiver in the NFL, but I see no white towel thrown in on Adams’ career. Last season, his first without Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Adams caught 100 passes for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns, six more than Jefferson. He averaged 2.45 yards per route run, and over the past three seasons he leads the NFL in PFF receiving grade (94.5) and yards per route run (2.67), with Jefferson placing second in each category. Adams remains the king of receivers until somebody topples him.
I’m not sure you can say Jefferson is better than Davante Adams, but he’s joined him atop the mountain. Jefferson is second to Adams in a whole variety of categories since entering the league and has been phenomenally productive for the Vikings in his young career. He is an outstanding route runner, can win contested catches and already has one of the greatest catches in NFL history on his resume — a fourth-and-18 one-handed snag against Buffalo.
There is no more dangerous receiver in the league than Hill, whose combination of speed and instant acceleration makes him a threat to score any time he touches the football. Hill gained an absurd 3.2 yards per route run last season, his first in Miami, almost half a yard more than any other receiver. For a smaller receiver, he has also always been exceptional with the ball in the air, catching 52.0% of his contested targets last season.
(Note, Hill is being investigated for an allegation of assault and battery, the Miami-Date (Florida) Police Department confirmed on Tuesday due to an incident on June 18th).
Chase didn’t quite replicate the crazy performance of his rookie season in 2022, but what he did manage was to show that he can be just as effective without the element of surprise, even if some of the unsustainable big plays went away. Passes thrown toward Chase over his first two seasons in the league are generating Joe Burrow a 112.4 passer rating, and that number actually went up to 118.2 during the playoffs last season. Chase is a dominant receiver and is just getting started.
Diggs has been unleashed in Buffalo, having been capped in terms of opportunity in Minnesota’s offense before he was traded. Since that move, Diggs has 469 targets, second in the league behind only Davante Adams. His receiving stat line includes more than 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns, and he continues to be one of the most well-rounded receivers in the game.
Last season, 4 of 5 of these receivers helped lead their teams to the playoffs. The lone exception being Davante Adams and Las Vegas. This season Adams will hope to be among the elites but still make the postseason.
