Top 10 Wide Receiver Units in the NFL

The Vikings receivers aren't anything to call home about, but they are a talented group who will get even better with the likes of Brett Favre throwing them the ball.

Bernard Berrian was signed as a free-agent following the end of the 2007-2008 season. He had the option to go to the Raiders or the Vikings. As we all know, he picked the Vikings.

That was an "in your face" to Oakland fans.

In his first year with Minnesota, Berrian caught 48 balls for 964 yards, and seven touchdowns.

On the opposite end is rookie, first-round-pick, Percy Harvin. Harvin hasn't looked great in preseason, but I fully expect him to pick it up once his nervous worries are gone.

I expect Harvin to be a candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year with how well he can return the ball, as well as running with it on hand-offs.

In the slot is Bobby Wade. In my opinion, Wade is one of the best slot receivers in the NFL.

Bobby had a career-high 53 catches for 645 yards, and two touchdowns in 2008. I doubt he will match these numbers in 2009 with all of the other targets Minnesota has.

At fourth on the depth chart is Sidney Rice, a former second-round selection.

He hasn't shown signs of stardom, because he has been injured throughout most of his short NFL career.

I didn't include Craig "Buster" Davis in this list because he hasn't shown me signs of why he was a first-round selection.

Vincent Jackson has worked his way up to become a number one receiver ever since the Chargers drafted him from Northern Colorado in 2005.

His best season came last year when he caught 59 passes for nearly 1,100 yards, and seven touchdowns.

Behind him is former Pro-Bowler, Chris Chambers. Chris is now 31 years old and is on the down-slope of his NFL career.

Nonetheless, Chambers is still a very solid No. 2 receiver who can burn receivers when he wants to.

In the slot is Malcom Floyd. Malcom had 27 catches for 465 yards, and four touchdowns in his fifth season in the league.

Behind these three is Legedu Naanee. He only had eight catches for 65 yards last season, but his numbers will improve next year when he has many more opportunities to catch the ball.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not known for having great receivers because of how much their defense over-shadows them.

Believe it or not, Pittsburgh has very talented receivers that are an underrated key to their success.

Hines Ward is a phenomenal receiver who has very reliable hands. He caught 81 balls for 1,043 yards, and seven touchdowns in 2008.

On the opposite side is up-and-coming star, Santonio Holmes. He is known for having the infamous game winning touchdown catch in last season's Super Bowl.

When all is said and done, Santonio could become the number one receiver for the Steelers if he stays out of trouble.

Behind these two are Limas Sweed and Mike Wallace.

Limas had a very disappointing rookie season where he only caught six passes for 64 yards.

Keep in mind that he was fourth on the depth chart behind Ward, Holmes, and Nate Washington.

Fourth on the chart is rookie receiver, Mike Wallace. Wallace has had a very good preseason and could move up over Sweed in the depth chart.

The Houston Texans are known for having a great offense because of how talented their receivers are, especially former first-round-pick, Andre Johnson.

Andre Johnson is viewed as the second best receiver in the NFL besides Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald.

Some even view Andre as the best receiver because of how many receptions he had last season (115).

Kevin Walter is the Texans other starting wide receiver. He was one yard shy of 900 receiving yards last season.

He also matched Johnson with eight receiving touchdowns.

Behind these two are Andre Davis and David Anderson.

Davis is mainly known for his kick returning efforts. Occasionally, he will make a play receiving the ball.

As for Anderson, he is a young player with potential. He showed signs of a future star last season.

He was signed to a contract sheet by the Denver Broncos, but the Texans elected to match the deal.

The Bills won't be a great team in 2009, but they will rely on their big play receivers to give them at least seven or eight wins this season.

After Terrell Owens was released, Buffalo went out and signed the former pro-bowler. Owens signed for a one-year-deal.

In 2008, Owens caught 69 passes for 1,052 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

Some Cowboys fans considered this a disappointing season for Owens' standards.

Lee Evans is a five-year star from the university of Wisconsin. His best season came in 2006 where he caught 82 passes for nearly 1,300 yards.

Last year, Evans had over 1,000 yards receiving, but had a very low touchdown total of three.

James Hardy as a rookie was surprisingly limited. He didn't get many opportunities to catch balls.

Hardy caught only nine passes, but two of them were for touchdowns.

Josh Reed was a phenomenal player for the Bills last season. He stepped up big time and had nearly 600 yards receiving.

In all likelihood, Reed will overtake Hardy for the third spot on the depth chart.

The Bengals are a team that usually relies on how well their offense does. They have two studs in Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles.

Chad Ochocinco is a player who is looking to regain his once pro-bowl form. He had a very disappointing 2008 campaign where he only had 53 catches for 540 yards, and four touchdowns.

Laveranues Coles was released after the 2009 season by the New York Jets. He was quickly signed by the Bengals who were in need of a No. 2 receiver.

He will have a big responsibility in trying to replace new Seahawks receiver, T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

The third receiver on the depth chart is Chris Henry. Henry has stumbled upon some legal troubles, but he is looking to put his problems behind him and only focus on the NFL.

Look for Chris to put up some big numbers in the 2009 season.

Behind the three main receivers is Antonio Chatman. He caught 21 passes for 194 yards last season

Brandon Marshall could find his way on another team in 2009, but as for now, he is a member of the Denver Broncos.

Brandon is a very talented wide receiver who needs to grow up a little bit. He has been arrested over a dozen times since entering the league in 2006.

Marshall wants to be traded to another team that will give him the long-term contract that he's looking for.

Nonetheless, Brandon is a great receiver who was a Pro-Bowler in 2009.

Eddie Royal, as a rookie, was easily the best receiver to come out of the 2008 draft class.

He was second on the team in receptions with 91, had 980 yards receiving, and five touchdowns.

Royal could wind up being the Broncos No. 1 receiver in 2009 if Marshall is traded.

In the slot is Brandon Stokley. Stokley is viewed by some to be one of the top three slot wide receivers in the NFL today.

Stokley caught 49 passes for 528 yards, and three touchdowns in 2008.

Behind these three starters is Jabar Gaffney. Gaffney was signed by Denver after his contract with the New England Patriots expired.

The New England Patriots have a very good receiving core. Tom Brady had the best year of his career when they brought in the likes of Wes Welker and Randy Moss.

As I just mentioned, New England has Randy Moss on the roster. He rejuvenated his career after the Raiders traded him to the Patriots for only a fourth-round-pick.

Moss holds the record for most single-season receiving touchdowns with 23.

In the slot is Wes Welker. Wes is easily the best slot receiver in the NFL. He was second in the league with 111 receptions last season.

Welker is a very quick receiver who plays hard for how small he really is.

Wes is only 5'9", but is still one of the tougher receivers in the game.

On the opposite side of Randy Moss is Joey Galloway.

Joey was released by the Buccaneers after the 2009 season, and quickly signed with the Patriots who wanted another speedy, burner receiver.

Galloway rarely played last year because of an injury that limited him to only starting in four games.

Behind these three is rookie, Brandon Tate. Tate was selected in the third-round by the Patriots.

Tate is known for having his fair-share of problems. Hopefully under Bill Belichick he will be able to become a star receiver without issues.

I've been told by many people that the Packers have a better receiving group than the Arizona Cardinals. However, I disagree with this for many reasons.

Arizona had three receivers who had over 1,000 yards receiving last year. They also have two pro-bowlers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Green Bay's No. 1 wide receiver is Greg Jennings.

Greg Jennings is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL who could easily become a top five receiver after this season.

Jennings will receive a lot of opportunities with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the football.

On the opposite side is Donald Driver. Driver is getting older, but he is still a threat that can't be ignored.

When Jennings is getting double-covered, Driver will be wide open waiting for his chance to break away and score a touchdown.

In 2008, Driver caught 74 balls for over 1,000 yards.

In the slot is Jordy Nelson. Nelson was voted as the Packers offensive rookie of the year.

He will receive more chances this year with the Packers being an offense that loves to throw the ball.

Behind these three is James Jones.

James Jones is a 25-year-old receiver who can make big plays if he is ignored by the defense.

The Cardinals wide receivers will scary any defense. They had two starting pro-bowlers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Kurt Warner had one of the best years of his career because of how talented all of his receivers are.

Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the NFL without a doubt in my mind. He makes the big plays, and can catch the ball no matter where it's thrown.

Without Fitzgerald, I believe that the Cardinals wouldn't have even made the playoffs. He is that important to them.

Anquan Boldin would be a number one for most teams, but for the Cardinals he is their second option.

Boldin had 89 catches for 1,038 yards, and 11 touchdowns last season. You don't often see these kind of numbers for a guy who is No. 2 on the depth chart.

Steve Breaston is a great receiver who had over 1,000 yards last season. You rarely ever see a third receiver on the chart get 1,000 yards.

Breaston recently turned 26 years old. His best days are yet to come.

As a back-up, Jerheme Urban had 34 receptions for 448 yards, and four touchdowns.

My gut tells me that this guy will have even a better season in 2009. He is only 28 years old, and will have the chance to catch more balls.

There are still a few teams out there that have very talented receiving cores. I will list a few teams for my honorable mention.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jeremy Maclin, Reggie Brown)

The Eagles have two young receivers in Jackson and Maclin that will have great season's with Donovan McNabb throwning them the ball.

12. Indianapolis Colts (Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon)

How will the Colts replace Marvin Harrison? Anthony Gonzalez will have to step it up big time in 2009.

13. Seattle Seahawks (T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Deion Branch, Deon Butler, Nate Burleson)

T.J. Houshmandzadeh will have a big year with Hasselbeck throwing him the ball. Rookie, Deon Butler, should have a good season if he starts for Seattle.