2012 NFL Free Agents: Why Wide Receiver Is the Deepest Position on the Market

This offseason should see a lot of movement around the NFL, but no position has as many options available as wide receiver. Six guys I think are capable of locking down the No. 1 receiver spot on a team will hit the market very soon, and four of them are former Pro Bowlers.

Teams in need of help at receiver should be able to find it this offseason if they are willing to shell out a considerable amount of dough. 

Guys like Vincent Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, DeSean Jackson, Brandon Lloyd and Steve Johnson have posted big numbers and will hit the open market in a few weeks. With the NFL having turned into a passing league, those guys should all cost a pretty penny. 

Vincent Jackson, Bowe and Colston are all big targets who boast incredible athleticism and are certified playmakers. Meanwhile, DeSean Jackson and Lloyd are smaller guys who can take a pounding and still make plays, and Johnson is a 25-year-old who has absolutely blown up out of nowhere the last two seasons.

At 6'2" and 210 pounds, and coming off of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, he could have the most upside of anyone in this group.

There are also a number of other solid receivers set to hit free agency. Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon out of Indianapolis, Super Bowl hero Mario Manningham of the New York Giants, Denver's Eddie Royal, New Orleans' Robert Meachem and Dallas' Laurent Robinson could all find themselves getting very nice contracts in a few weeks. 

This list doesn't even include New England's Wes Welker, since I think there is zero chance the Patriots let him walk away.

The bottom line is that if your team has a need at wideout, there is no shortage of options this offseason.