ESPN: Davante Adams, Hopkins Lead Top 10 NFL WRs Ranked by Execs, Players, Coaches
July 14, 2021
Green Bay Packers star Davante Adams has been voted the best wide receiver in the NFL heading into the 2021 season by over 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players.
Per a survey conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Adams was listed at No. 1 "on more than half the ballots" cast coming off a stellar 2020.
DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals, Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills, Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs and Julio Jones of the Tennessee Titans round out the top five receivers.
Here's the full top 10 list:
1. Davante Adams (Green Bay Packers)
2. DeAndre Hopkins (Arizona Cardinals)
3. Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills)
4, Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs)
5. Julio Jones (Tennessee Titans)
6. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers)
7. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
8. Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints)
9. DK Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks)
10. A.J. Brown (Tennessee Titans)
Adams, Hopkins, Hill and Jones were the only four wideouts who received at least one first-place vote.
"Just starting to get his due," one AFC coordinator said about Adams. "He wasn't this [good] a few years ago, but you've seen him come into his own. So hard to deal with on the line of scrimmage."
Adams led the NFL with 18 touchdowns and 98.1 receiving yards per game last season. He ranked fifth with 1,374 yards and set a career high with 115 catches.
Hopkins had no problems adjusting to Arizona's offense in 2020 after spending the previous seven years with the Houston Texans. The five-time Pro Bowler tied his career high with 115 receptions for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns.
"With those big hands and long arms, and the way he competes, I'm not sure I'd want anyone else to make a catch for me if I needed one play with the game on the line," one coach for an NFC team told Fowler about the Cardinals star.
Jones had the widest variance in his rankings among the top 10. He ranked as high as first overall, but as low as No. 13 due in part to injury concerns. He missed seven games last season with a hamstring issue.
The three biggest risers among the top 10 this year were Diggs (honorable mention in 2020), D.K. Metcalf at No. 9 (unranked in 2020) and A.J. Brown at No. 10 (unranked in 2020).
Like Hopkins, Diggs was playing with a new team last season. He was brilliant in helping the Bills rise to the top of the AFC East. The Maryland alum led the league in targets (166), receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535).
Metcalf is one of the most electrifying talents in the NFL. He's averaged 15.6 yards per reception in two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. His 15.7 yards per catch in 2020 was the second-highest in the league among players with at least 80 receptions (Justin Jefferson led the league with 15.9 yards per catch on 88 receptions).
Brown has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his first two years in the league. The Titans star also has 19 touchdowns in 30 career games.
Jefferson, Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons, Allen Robinson II of the Chicago Bears and Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns were among the notable honorable mentions.
The Titans were the only team that had two receivers ranked in the top 10. The Bucs came close to joining them, with Chris Godwin included among the honorable mentions.