NFL's Top WR Groups After 2023 NFL Draft

While there's no specific formula to building a strong NFL roster, stacking the receiving corps is a great choice.

Even as the league's scoring averages dipped in 2022, the current era is the most pass-focused time in NFL history. Since offenses want to push the ball downfield, a deep group of receivers is invaluable.

Last season, for example, five teams had a pair of 1,000-yard receivers. All five of those franchises made the playoffs.

The focus is exclusively on depth charts for the 2023 campaign, not long-term projections. Rookie expectations are considered, though past NFL production is a major factor of the selections. Elite talent carries the most weight, followed by the extent of proven depth.

Honorable Mentions

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Christian Kirk

Several of the closest misses share a commonality: one superstar wideout, a decent second option and a question of depth.

Notably, that group includes the Buffalo Bills with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, as well as the Minnesota Vikings with Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn. Minnesota picked Jordan Addison in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, so the Vikings have a clear route to improvement.

The Dallas Cowboys are perhaps a step closer after complementing CeeDee Lamb with Brandin Cooks. But the Cowboys need Michael Gallup to have a bounce-back year.

Additionally, the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams are in the neighborhood.

Cleveland needs one of Donovan Peoples-Jones or Elijah Moore to break through, while Jacksonville will hope Calvin Ridley regains his All-Pro form to headline a solid unit with Christian Kirk. Los Angeles must see its depth improve behind Cooper Kupp.

7. San Francisco 49ers

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Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel

Based on 2022 production, you could bump the San Francisco 49ers into the honorable mentions. Deebo Samuel, as exciting as he is, ended the campaign with a modest 632 receiving yards.

You watched him in 2021, though, right?

Samuel paced the NFL with 18.2 yards per reception, showing off as a dynamic and versatile playmaker.

Brandon Aiyuk, meanwhile, has become an exceptionally steady secondary option. He's risen from 748 yards to 826 to 1,015 over his three seasons with the Niners.

Given how much San Francisco uses a fullback or second tight end, depth isn't an immense priority. Still, the 49ers have Jauan Jennings, who is coming off a decent 35-catch season in 2022.

6. Miami Dolphins

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Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle

Do you prefer considerable depth or high-end talent?

I lean toward the latter, but the Miami Dolphins are another great example to include in that debate.

Tyreek Hill excelled in his first season in Miami, bringing in 117 passes for 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns to earn first-team All-Pro honors. Jaylen Waddle provided explosiveness with an NFL-best 18.1 yards per catch on 75 receptions, collecting 1,356 yards and eight scores.

Behind them, the unit could be thin. The redeeming note is that both Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Braxton Berrios have a 400-yard season in their respective careers.

Hill and Waddle, however, showed in 2022 how difficult two elite players can be to contain.

5. Seattle Seahawks

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Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf

In each of the last four seasons, Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf have recorded no fewer than 900 yards apiece. They are the backbone of a bolstered Seattle Seahawks unit.

The flashy new guy is first-round selection Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Although it's fair to label the Seahawks a more speculative choice, JSN's upside is outstanding. He missed much of 2022 with injuries but racked up 95 catches for Ohio State in 2021 while sharing the receiving corps with now-NFL stars Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.

Smith-Njigba should fit nicely next to the towering Metcalf and versatile Lockett in Seattle.

4. Las Vegas Raiders

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Davante Adams

During the last two offseasons, the Las Vegas Raiders have reshaped their receiving corps.

Last year, the Raiders traded for Davante Adams. This year, they signed Jakobi Meyers and DeAndre Carter in free agency.

The changes put Las Vegas in an intriguing spot.

Adams notched his third straight All-Pro campaign in 2022, while Meyers surpassed 800 yards despite playing in a coordinator-less New England Patriots offense. Carter tallied a career-high 538 receiving yards for an injury-riddled Los Angeles Chargers unit.

The open question is whether Hunter Renfrow stays with the Raiders in 2023 or is released for salary-cap reasons. For now, he's on the roster and two years removed from a 1,000-yard season.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

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Keenan Allen and Mike Williams

As always, the Chargers' key asterisk: when healthy.

Keenan Allen sat seven games in 2022, but he posted five straight years of 97-plus catches before then. Mike Williams missed four, but he's an explosive wideout who has averaged 15.7 yards per receptions in his career.

To the Chargers' credit, they upgraded the room's depth—and prepared for the future—in the draft. Los Angeles used a first-round pick on Quentin Johnston and added TCU teammate Derius Davis in the fourth round.

For good measure, Joshua Palmer had 72 catches for 769 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Justin Herbert should have no shortage of options in 2023, even if the ever-present injury bug bites the Chargers yet again.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

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DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown

The value of a first-round pick has had a tremendous impact on the Philadelphia Eagles in contrasting ways.

Philly added DeVonta Smith with the No. 10 selection in the 2021 draft. One year later, the Eagles sent an opening-round choice to the Tennessee Titans for A.J. Brown.

Both decisions worked wonderfully.

Smith had a solid rookie year before climbing to 95 catches for 1,196 yards and seven scores last season. Part of his improvement can be attributed to the arrival of Brown, who turned in a second-team All-Pro campaign with 88 receptions for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns.

They return to headline the unit in 2023, but Philadelphia also picked up Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency.

Zaccheaus and Quez Watkins—who have combined for nearly 2,000 yards over the last two years—give the Eagles a strong rotation, especially when you factor in the impact of tight end Dallas Goedert.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

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Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Ja'Marr Chase

The clear choice is the Cincinnati Bengals.

Unfortunately for us—though not for their AFC North competition—the 2023 campaign will probably be the final season when the Bengals showcase their homegrown trio. Cincinnati drafted Tyler Boyd in 2016, Tee Higgins in 2020 and Ja'Marr Chase in 2021.

Chase has rocketed into the NFL with consecutive 80-catch, 1,000-yard seasons and a second-team All-Pro selection as a rookie, while Higgins has recorded three straight 900-yard years. Boyd is the ultimate No. 3 wideout, shifting from a two-time 1,000-yard receiver to a complementary target with three 700-yard seasons.

Boyd is entering the final year of his contract, and it's easy to see him as a more featured option elsewhere.

This season, however, Joe Burrow will continue throwing to a stacked group of receivers.