RANKING THE TOP 5 WIDE RECEIVER CLASSES IN NFL DRAFT HISTORY

Headlined by Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze, the 2024 NFL draft class of wide receivers may one day rank among the greatest in history. With that said, it’s obviously difficult to know exactly how strong a class is until many years after the draft, as the best players and classes can often come as a surprise.

It will take quite a bit for the '24 class — or any future class, for that matter — to rival the best of years prior. With that in mind, here's a look at the top five wide receiver classes in NFL draft history.

1996

The 1996 draft's depth is unrivaled

The class with the strongest claim to the top spot is 1996, as it had such a vast pool of talent. For starters, Terrell Owens and Marvin Harrison Sr. are in the Hall of Fame and rank among the top 10 in career receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

Owens, taken 89th overall by the San Francisco 49ers, became infamous for off-field antics, but his dominance on Sundays was undeniable.

Harrison, selected at No. 19 by the Indianapolis Colts, wasn’t as flashy as Owens on or off the field, but he was extremely consistent and was paramount to the development of Peyton Manning.

Where this class separates itself from the rest, however, is its strength in numbers. Keyshawn Johnson, who remains the last wideout taken with the No. 1 overall pick, Terry Glenn, Muhsin Muhammad, Eric Moulds, Amani Toomer, and Eddie Kennison are just some of the other notable receivers taken.

In total, this class comprises four receivers with 10,000 or more receiving yards, six with at least 9,000, and nine with 8,000. For those who value high-end talent above all else, perhaps the 1985 class would take the cake, but when looking at each class as a whole, it’s evident 1996 is in a league of its own.

1985

The 1985 wide receiver draft class is led by Jerry Rice

The 1985 draft class could make it onto this list off Jerry Rice’s name alone. The greatest wide receiver of all time holds virtually every career receiving record imaginable and is considered by some to be the greatest football player ever. Rice wrapped up his career with 1,640 receptions, 22,895 receiving yards, and 197 receiving touchdowns on top of 13 Pro Bowls and three Super Bowl victories.

While Rice may not need a supporting act, his draft class certainly has one in Andre Reed. Reed put together an impressive career of his own, making seven Pro Bowls and the Hall of Fame. He was an integral part of the Buffalo Bills’ four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl and is widely believed to be the best receiver in franchise history.

Beyond the two Hall of Famers, the class features three Pro Bowlers: Eric Martin, Al Toon, and Eddie Brown. While none of them had the longevity of Reed and Rice, they added serious depth to the class.

The 1985 NFL Draft had a solid balance of high-end talent and depth. Rice and Reed can go toe-to-toe with the top receivers from any draft in league history, and they’re accompanied by several other respectable players.

1988

The 1988 draft was more talented than the numbers show

The 1985 and 1996 classes are the consensus top two in NFL history. After that, however, it becomes wide open. The 1988 Draft had a great deal of hype at wide receiver, as four went inside the top 15: Tim Brown, Sterling Sharpe, Michael Irvin, and Anthony Miller.

All of these players had successful careers and made several Pro Bowls. Brown and Irvin proved to be the best of the bunch, both ending up in the Hall of Fame and surpassing 10,000 receiving yards.

For as great as this class is from a numbers and accolades standpoint, these achievements don’t fully encapsulate the talent. Brown spent much of his career hauling in passes from subpar quarterbacks, hindering his statistical output, while Irvin suffered a career-ending injury early in the 1999 season when he appeared to have a couple more years left.

Finally, Sharpe suffered a neck injury in his seventh season that forced him to retire. He made five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams in his brief career and was playing the best football of his career before getting hurt.

Even with these unfortunate circumstances, the class of 1988 doesn’t get this spot out of pity. Despite the numerous obstacles these players endured, they still produced at a high level. With two all-time greats headlining the show and multiple other notable performers, this spot is well deserved.

1964

The oldest class on this list was loaded with talent

To say the league was in a different place in 1964 than it is today would be a massive understatement. The game of football was played completely differently, which is why the raw numbers don’t properly illustrate how great the 1964 receiver class was. The 11th overall pick, Paul Warfield, was among the best of his time, making eight Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams between his time with the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins.

Although he only eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards twice in his career, that’s more of a testament to the era played in than his talent. Warfield was named to the Hall of Fame’s All-Decade team for the 1970s and was later inducted in Canton.

Charley Taylor was drafted as a running back but was later converted to wide receiver. Even when he was technically considered a running back, he had more receiving yards than rushing yards, and by Taylor’s fourth season, his rushing ability was basically a non-factor in the offense for the franchise now known as the Washington Commanders. Taylor made eight Pro Bowls and is in the Hall of Fame.

The third Hall of Famer from this class was track star Bob Hayes. An Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter dash, Hayes torched opposing defenses and finished his career averaging 20 yards per reception.

Hayes’s game wasn’t built to last, as everything he did centered around twitch and explosiveness. By his age-30 season, he was expendable, but Hayes made three Pro Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys during his career and is still considered one of the best deep threats to ever play the game.

Top overall pick Dave Parks had a solid-enough career as well, racking up 5,619 yards during his 10-year NFL career.

2001

Despite having no Hall of Famers, the class produced several excellent receivers

The 2001 class was difficult to rank. Despite the immense talent, there isn’t a single receiver in the Hall of Fame today. The numbers suggest that both Steve Smith Sr. and Reggie Wayne should eventually get in, as both have over 1,000 receptions and 14,000 receiving yards.

Still, whether they’ve been enshrined in Canton doesn’t change their on-field performance. Wayne and Smith combined for 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams.

Wayne was Manning’s right-hand man once Marvin Harrison began to age and continued producing once Indianapolis transitioned to Andrew Luck.

Smith was a feisty 5-foot-9, 195-pounder who attacked the football like someone six inches taller.

In addition to Wayne and Smith, Chad Johnson/Ochocinco, Santana Moss, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chris Chambers, all of whom made at least one Pro Bowl in their career, heard their names called in 2001.

The trio of Johnson, Smith, and Wayne is one of the best from any draft in NFL history, with all three having legitimate Hall of Fame cases. To say any of them need to get in would be a stretch, but it would certainly strengthen the class’s already solid resume.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

2024-04-22T08:58:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd