NFL Free Agency 2016: Ranking the Top Available Wide Receivers

The 2016 NFL free-agency period is now only a week away, and the feeding frenzy is about to begin.

At 4 p.m. ET on March 9, the market will officially open, and teams will be allowed to sign unrestricted free agents. However, teams are permitted to contact agents and begin preliminary negotiations two day prior, so there could be a flurry of action when the clock hits 4 p.m. next Monday.

This year's free-agent class is deep with upper-level talent, and the wide receiver position is no exception. Though there aren't any legitimate No. 1 receivers heading to the market, there are a number of premier complementary receivers—like Mohamed Sanu, Marvin Jones and Travis Benjamin—slated for free agency.

This is why wideouts could litter the initial onslaught of opening-day signings—and why teams will target several more pass-catchers in the days that follow.

We're going to take a look at the wide receivers whom teams are most likely to target in the early stages of free agency. These are the guys who project as the top wideouts on the market. We'll then select and rank the 10 best based on factors like past performance, injury risk, physical attributes and age.

Do you agree with our list? Be sure to let us know in the comments section.

Honorable Mentions

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There are several wide receivers hitting the market this year who aren't making this list. However, there are many who can still be fine additions to new teams for a variety of reasons.

Teams looking for a short-term fix at one receiver position might look at guys like Jerricho Cotchery (33 years old, 485 receiving yards in 2015) or Nate Washington (32 years old, 658 yards in 2015). Teams looking for a young receiver with a lot of physical upside might want to check out converted quarterback Terrelle Pryor (6'4", 233 lbs) or former Super Bowl star Chris Matthews (6'5", 218 lbs).

Is your team looking for a part-time contributor who can also fill a special teams role? Guys like Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jordan Norwood could fit the bill.

Kamar Aiken had a wonderful season for the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, finishing with 75 receptions, 944 yards and five touchdowns. However, we're leaving him off our list because he is scheduled to be a restricted free agent, not one of the unrestricted variety.

Just because your favorite team doesn't sign a player off our list doesn't mean it won't add a noteworthy player to its receiving corps through free agency.

10. Percy Harvin

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There are plenty of reasons for teams to be wary of wideout Percy Harvin in free agency this season.

Harvin has attitude issues and injuries that could scare many teams away. According to Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, Harvin even came to blows with teammates while with the Seattle Seahawks.

In one-and-a-half seasons with Seattle, Harvin only appeared in six regular-season games.

Harvin also hasn't been an incredibly productive wide receiver in quite some time—the last time he topped 50 receptions in a season was in 2012. Harvin appeared in just five games for the Buffalo Bills in 2015 and finished with 19 receptions, 218 yards and one touchdown.

However, Harvin still makes our list because he possesses a ton of physical potential to go with versatility and relative youth. He will be just 28 years old when he enters his eighth NFL season this fall.

In the past, Harvin has shown the ability to impact games as a wide receiver, as a ball-carrier and as a return specialist. He has carried the ball 145 times in his career for a 6.3 yards-per-carry average, and he has returned 152 kickoffs with an average of 27.2 yards per return. Harvin has five touchdowns as a runner and five as a returner to go with the 22 receiving touchdowns and 4,020 receiving yards he has produced in his career.

At 5'11" and 184 pounds, Harvin is at the smaller end of the receiver spectrum. However, his elusiveness in the open field makes him a threat in all phases of the game.

Teams looking for a multifaceted player should have interest in Harvin, so long as they are willing to gamble on past issues not melding into the present.

9. James Jones

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Receiver James Jones wasn't a hot commodity last offseason. He was released a year into a three-year deal with the Oakland Raiders, and the New York Giants then signed and released him before the start of the 2015 season.

In fact, Jones might not have even found a significant role if not for the season-ending injury to Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson. The loss of Nelson opened things up for Jones' return to Green Bay, and he made ample use of his opportunity.

Jones hauled in 50 passes for 890 yards and eight touchdowns in 2015. He finished the season rated 48th overall among receivers by Pro Football Focus.

Jones will turn 32 at the end of March, and he has always been more of a complementary receiver than a top target. However, teams looking for both experience and consistency should draw a bead on Jones as soon as the legal tampering period begins on March 7.

Jones has nine NFL seasons under his belt, and he has produced at least 600 receiving yards in each of the past six campaigns. Only twice has he not appeared in all 16 regular-season games for a given year. He is a 6'1", 208-pound outside pass-catcher who should make an excellent addition to any team with an established No. 1 option.

8. Rishard Matthews

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Rishard Matthews had a strong season for the Miami Dolphins in 2015. He caught 43 passes for 662 yards and four touchdowns. It was easily his best campaign as a pro.

The problem for Matthews is that his best season wasn't even a complete one. Injuries limited him to just 11 games in 2015. Plus, the former seventh-round pick produced just 734 receiving yards in his three previous seasons combined.

Matthews has a lot of physical potential, and he is still relatively young—he'll turn 27 during the 2016 season. The 6'0", 217-pound pass-catcher proved this past season he can be a difference-maker on the field, but potential employers will have to believe that 2015 was only a starting point

Pro Football Focus rated Matthews 35th overall among receivers for the 2015 season.

Any team signing Matthews will be taking a bit of a gamble, but the potential for further improvement is certainly there. If the gamble does pay off, Matthews will be a guy who can contribute several years longer than some of the other members of our list, which is another reason he makes the cut. Matthews seems to be hoping teams will be willing to gamble on him as a No. 2 option.

“Wherever I go, I’m competing to get on the field right away. I don’t want to be looked at as a guy that’s anything less than a two," Matthews told the Joe Rose Show on 560 WQAM. "Wherever the opportunity is, that’s where I’m going.”

Matthews is far from a sure thing, but his breakout season, his physical skill set and his age all add up to give him enough positives to make our list.

7. Marques Colston

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A week ago, longtime New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston wouldn't have made this list. This is because a week ago, Colston was still a member of the Saints organization. New Orleans released Colston on Monday.

"His production, consistency, toughness and work ethic were second to none," Saints head coach Sean Payton said of Colston, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. "You always knew what you were going to get from Marques, and that was everything that he had."

Production, consistency and toughness are why Colston makes our list despite being 32 years of age. He has 9,759 receiving yards and 72 touchdowns on his NFL resume, and Colston has generally been a durable pass-catcher. Though he did miss three games in 2015, he missed just four in six combined seasons prior.

Though Colston is no longer the speedy, game-changing receiver he was earlier in his career, he can still be a reliable possession receiver and red-zone target—his 6'4", 255-pound frame is still in working order. As New Orleans' No. 3 receiver in 2015, he hauled in 45 passes for 520 yards and four scores.

Pro Football Focus rated him 92nd overall among wideouts for the 2015 season.

It's clear Colston is an aging receiver who is best suited for a short-term complementary role with a contending team. However, he can be extremely valuable in such a situation, which is why he has to hold a spot on our list. If this was the Colston of a couple of years ago, he'd be much higher on it.

6. Anquan Boldin

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Wideout Anquan Boldin is 35 years old and about to enter his 14th NFL season. However, the league's ageless wonder is still incredibly productive and should be a pass-catching asset for whichever team employs him in 2016.

Boldin is coming off a down season with the San Francisco 49ers by his standards—69 receptions, 789 yards and four touchdowns—but you have to take his numbers with a few grains of proverbial salt. Boldin missed two games due to injury, and the 49ers possessed a passing attack that ranked just 29th in the league.

The reality is that Boldin is a pure possession receiver at this point in his career, but you aren't likely to find many better possession receivers in the game today. He is a big target at 6'1" and 220 pounds, he catches virtually everything that comes near him and he is as tough and as physical as they come.

Boldin finished the 2015 season rated 33rd overall among wide receivers by Pro Football Focus.

In addition to being a terrific player, Boldin is a shining example of what a player can and should be off the field. On the eve of Super Bowl 50, he received the 2015 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his charitable endeavors.

“I think I speak for every other guy nominated when I say we don’t do this for the awards, we do it because it’s what in our hearts,” Boldin said after receiving the award, per the 49ers' official website. “For me, football is momentary. Helping people lasts a lifetime. And honestly, it goes on even after your [sic] gone.”

Boldin should be a great mentor for youthful receivers both on and off the field, though younger, rebuilding teams aren't likely to heavily pursue him. It will make much more sense for contending teams to try to  make Boldin a final piece of their potential playoff puzzles.

5. Mohamed Sanu

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Versatility is the name of the game for fifth-year receiver Mohamed Sanu. He has run the football, caught passes and even thrown them (he is 5-of-5 for 177 yards and two scores in his career) during his four years with the Cincinnati Bengals. Sanu has also shown he can thrive in the No. 2 receiver role, though he didn't serve in that capacity in 2015.

Last year, the Rutgers product performed primarily as Cincinnati's No. 3 wideout, and he finished with just 33 receptions and 394 yards. He did find the end zone twice, but both of his touchdowns came via the running game.

Two seasons ago, however, Sanu did serve as the Bengals' No. 2 wideout. Marvin Jones was out with an injury, and Sanu filled his role extremely well. He finished the 2014 season with 56 receptions, 790 yards and five touchdowns.

Sanu is more of a possession receiver than a downfield speedster—as evidenced by the 4.67-second 40-yard dash he ran at the 2012 combine. However, he is ideally built for the role at 6'2" and 210 pounds. He is stout, physical and has the ability to make the tough catch in traffic.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sanu dropped just one of 34 catchable passes in 2015.

Sanu will be 27 years old when the 2016 season begins. He also has a history of health, having played in every game over the past three seasons. This, along with his ability to serve as a true possession receiver, is why we have to place Sanu in the middle of our rankings.

4. Travis Benjamin

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Travis Benjamin is an intriguing free-agent option because he possesses the type of game-breaking speed that is difficult to find, even at the NFL level. The former Miami Hurricane clocked a 4.36-second 40 at the combine back in 2012, and it appears he has kept his top-end speed through his four seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

This past season was Benjamin's breakout season.

Benjamin produced 68 receptions for 966 yards and five touchdowns in 2015. He also averaged 14.2 yards per catch and had six receptions of at least 40 yards. Pro Football Focus rated Benjamin 86th overall among all wideouts for the year.

Benjamin should be high on the priority list for contending teams looking to add a secondary or complementary option to their receiving corps. He has the type of speed that cannot be coached, and the quickness can create absolute nightmares for opposing defenses.

Teams looking for special teams help should also have Benjamin high on their shopping lists. He has returned 68 punts in his career and has averaged 12.6 yards per return to go with three return touchdowns.

In fact, Benjamin would probably rank even higher on our list if not for a couple of factors. The first is that at 5'10" and 175 pounds, Benjamin is extremely undersized for the position. His slight frame could cause some teams to view Benjamin as an injury risk—and he does have a serious injury on his resume.

A torn ACL ended Benjamin's 2013 campaign after just eight games.

Still, Benjamin has a lot to offer potential employers, which is why he's on the higher side of our list. He's young—he just turned 26 back in December—and he has shown the ability to be a difference-maker in multiple facets of the game.

3. Jermaine Kearse

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Wideout Jermaine Kearse is one of the most underrated receivers to be entering free agency this year. He has never put up big numbers in a Seattle Seahawks offense that, until this past season, was primarily run-based. However, Kearse is only 26 years old, and he has done extremely well with the opportunities he has received to this point.

This is why, underrated or not, Kearse finds himself near the top of our rankings.

At 6'1" and 209 pounds, Kearse certainly looks the part of an outside receiver, and he possesses the polished route-running skills to back up that look. Kearse has used these traits to produce a 14.3 yards-per-reception average during his four-year career in Seattle.

Though Doug Baldwin's coming-out party overshadowed Kearse, 2015 was his best season as a pro. Kearse started all 16 games and finished the year with 49 receptions, 685 yards and five touchdowns.

Pro Football Focus rated Kearse 53rd overall among wide receivers for 2015.

If the Seahawks want to retain Kearse after his career year, they aren't going to be able to do so cheaply. Kearse has made it clear that a hometown discount isn't in his future plans.

"I love my hometown, but I've put in too much hard work to give a discount," Kearse said, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. "My No. 1 priority is to take care of my family's future, so I will consider all opportunities."

If this past season was an accurate indication of what Kearse can accomplish in a more pass-oriented offense, then teams should be lining up to get a crack at the emerging pass-catcher. He is young, talented and brimming with the potential for improvement.

2. Rueben Randle

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Wide receiver Rueben Randle never materialized into a true superstar during his time with the New York Giants, but he has been a consistent and regularly available contributor during his four seasons with the team.

Originally a second-round pick out of LSU in 2012, Randle has appeared in every possible regular-season game since being drafted. He has produced 2,644 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns in his four seasons. Randle also spent his first two pro seasons as a return specialist, returning 44 punts from 2012 to 2013.

However, Randle hasn't been receiving much hype among pending free-agent receivers this offseason, perhaps because he seemingly took a big step back in 2015. After producing 71 receptions and 938 yards in 2014, he racked up just 57 receptions and 797 yards this past season. After Randle's career year, 2015 was a bit of a disappointment.

“I just tried to make as many plays as possible with the opportunities that I had,” Randle said after the season, per Tom Rock of Newsday. “I wish I could have done more. I’m not really satisfied with the year that I did have. I’m just going to try to get better.”

The thing is, though, Randle has immense potential to go with youth and health, which should realistically make him one of the more popular targets on the open market.

Randle will be just 25 years old when the 2016 season opens, and he has a nearly ideal frame at 6'2" and 208 pounds. Significant injuries haven't been a part of his pro career, either. He could be a perfect long-term option for a team looking to fill the No. 2 or No. 3 receiver role. Teams looking to increase their red-zone potency should also look in Randle's direction—eight of his 57 receptions in 2015 went for touchdowns.

The fact that Randle also has experience as a special teams contributor only adds to his overall value in free agency.

1. Marvin Jones

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The top spot on our list would go to Chicago Bears wideout Alshon Jeffery, but the Bears announced earlier this week they would use the franchise tag on him.

With Jeffery out of the mix, our focus shifts to Cincinnati Bengals receiver Marvin Jones. There is an injury history with Jones, of course—he missed the entire 2014 season due to foot injuries. However, Jones returned to play in all 16 games this past season, and the risk of reinjury shouldn't be high.

Jones is also only approaching 26 years of age, and he appears to have the highest upside of any receiver on the market this year.

At 6'2" and 198 pounds, Jones possesses adequate size to play on the outside, where he can be a true No. 2 option for virtually any team. The former Cal standout also has enough speed to be a legitimate downfield receiving threat. He clocked a 4.46-second 40 at the combine back in 2012.

Over his last two healthy seasons, Jones has shown his ability to thrive as a No. 2 receiver in Cincinnati's offense. He finished this past season with 65 receptions, 816 yards receiving and four touchdowns. Jones finished the 2013 season with 51 receptions for 712 yards and 10 scores.

Pro Football Focus rated Jones 50th overall among wide receivers for the 2015 season.

While Jeffery didn't make it to the open market, there's a good chance Jones will. He's already made it clear that there will be no hometown discount in Cincinnati.

"I love Cincinnati," Jones told NFL Media's Scott Hanson (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). "But at the same time, I am a free agent. It wouldn't be good for me not to test the waters a little bit. It's just an exciting process."

Prospective employers should be excited about the idea of adding a receiver of Jones' caliber.