The NFL may have had one of the most racially and ethnically diverse rosters after 1985, but professional football has had tremendous popularity since at least the 1930s. At now, the wide receiver position is the most important one in the NFL.
When things go well or wrong for a team, the biggest outs, next to the quarterback, seem to garner the most scrutiny. Many wide receivers (WRs) over the years have won championships and even reigned as “kings” of the sport.
Even superstar athletes like Odell Beckham and Antonio Brown are always in the spotlight these days, as they serve as the public face of their respective teams and the NFL itself. What follows is a ranking of the best three wide receivers in NFL history.
3. Randy Moss
The tone for Moss’s career was established early in his debut year when he led the league with 17 goals. Moss led the NFL with five touchdown catches and was selected to the First Team All-Pro four times. He scored 23 touchdowns in a single season in 2007, setting a new record.
2. Marvin H. Harrison
Marvin Harrison, an eight-time Pro Bowler who played for 13 years and amassed 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns, retired from the NFL in 2009. He finished his career with the Indianapolis Colts.
When the Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, Harrison got his hands on a ring. He has previously been a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist in 2014 and 2015.
1. Jerry Rice
Having been selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times and to the All-Pro first team 10 times, Rice holds NFL records that will never be broken. Twice he had the most receptions in the league, and on six occasions he had the most receiving yards or touchdowns.
His thirties were a time of great improvement, as he amassed more yards than his twenties had seen. By the time he retired in 2006, Rice had thrown for 1,549 yards and 197 scores.
