The 50 Most Sure-Handed Receivers in NFL History
Some receivers are great because they make acrobatic catches. Some receivers are great because they're always open.
But the true mark of a great receiver is the one who always catches the ball. He's the guy you throw to at the back of the end zone, on third-and-long, or when you absolutely, positively, have to move the chains.
Here are the top 50 most sure-handed receivers of all time.
50. Cliff Branch
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Cliff Branch was one of the biggest names on the Raiders Super Bowl teams because he caught 67 touchdowns over the course of his 14-year career.
Branch was an early highlight-reel star on ESPN because of his ability to not only come down with the ball, but look good doing it.
He also had 8,685 yards in an era when games were won on the ground.
49. Todd Christensen
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Todd Christensen was one of those tight ends who became known as a "receiving" tight end because of his ability to catch the ball and get downfield with it.
Christensen's ability to beat the blockers and get open allowed him to lead the league in receptions twice, and he finished second to Kellen Winslow in 1982.
48. Reggie Wayne
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With Peyton Manning as your quarterback, Reggie Wayne has had a good guy sending him the ball. He has caught 721 passes for 9,995 yards through Week 7 of the 2010 season, his tenth in the league.
Wayne is a guy who steps up when the team needs him. Starting in Marvin Harrison's shadow, Wayne's knack for beating coverage, plus Harrison's age and off-field troubles, eventually made Wayne the No. 1 receiver.
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47. Ed McCaffrey
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Ed McCaffrey didn't have the kind of numbers that blew people away. But he became one of John Elway's favorite targets once he reached Denver because of his sure hands.
McCaffrey's talent was his reliability. When the ball went in his direction, neither the quarterback, the coach, or the fans worried about whether the ball would be caught. McCaffrey found ways to make the play work.
46. Andre Johnson
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In his eighth season, Andre Johnson already has 619 catches for 8,436 yards. He has 44 career touchdowns with two so far this season.
Johnson is Mr. Reliable for Matt Schaub, and is one of the main reasons the Texans are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the AFC South. Johnson has become the definition of the term "playmaker" as he consistently makes plays few other receivers can make.
45. Charley Hennigan
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Charley Hennigan is one of the best receivers the Houston Oilers ever had. He holds the all-time records for: most games in a season with more than 200 yards receiving with three and most games in a season with more than 100 yards receiving with 11.
Hennigan was George Blanda's main target, totaling 51 touchdowns in seven seasons, all of which came before the 16-game season.
44. Drew Hill
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Drew Hill was another Houston Oiler whose name gets lost to flashier wide receivers.
Over his 15 seasons, Hill amassed 9,831 yards on 634 receptions. Of those catches, 60 of them were for touchdowns.
43. Dwight Clark
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Dwight Clark made "The Catch" in the 1982 NFC Championship game that advanced the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl.
While Clark wasn't always the flashiest or best receiver on the field, Joe Montana knew when he threw Clark the ball, Clark was going to come up with the catch.
Clark even made a beer commercial that played off of his reputation of having "sticky hands."
42. Bobby Mitchell
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Bobby Mitchell caught 65 touchdowns and racked up 7,954 yards on 521 receptions with Cleveland and Washington.
He did all of this while still spending some of his career as a halfback.
41. Steve Smith
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While Steve Smith's talents are getting lost on a very bad Carolina Panthers team this year, Smith already has been to the Pro Bowl four times and led the league in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdowns in 2005.
Smith's ability to beat defenders became so feared, and his numbers so great, in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Seahawks put four men on him to neutralize him as a target for starting quarterback Jake Delhomme in the NFC championship game in the 2005 postseason.
Smith has been able to be a reliable target despite numerous changes in quarterbacks and constantly having to beat double coverage.
40. Stanley Morgan
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Stanley Morgan wasn't just one of the fastest receivers in the game. He also was one of the most reliable, catching 557 passes for 10,716 yards and 72 touchdowns in his 14 seasons with New England.
39. Harold Jackson
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Harold Jackson showed the Rams fans the meaning of "possession" receiver as, in his 16 seasons, he caught 579 passes for 10,372 yards and 76 touchdowns.
Like several other receivers on this list, Jackson excelled at being a "go-to" guy in the air during a run-the-ball first era.
Jackson's 1973 season stands out as one of his best, including a four TD, 238-yard day.
38. Antonio Gates
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Antonio Gates just catches everything that comes his way. Gates already has 67 TDs and 6,763 yards on his career going into this weekend, in his eighth year.
He is Phillip Rivers' favorite target, and it's because he always catches the ball.
37. Wes Welker
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Wes Welker and Tom Brady are a tandem New England fans have come to worship.
While Welker's production has fallen this year, his legacy as a clutch receiver is secure.
Since coming to the Patriots, Welker has caught more than 100 passes a season for more than 1,000 yards. In that span, he's also caught 15 touchdowns despite having Randy Moss on the team until recently.
So far this season, with Moss out of the picture, Welker already has three TDs.
36. Kellen Winslow
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The elder Winslow became the first tight-end ever to lead the league in receptions in back-to-back seasons in 1980 and 1981. Winslow also caught an NFL-record five touchdown passes in one game in 1981.
Unlike other tight ends of his era, Winslow became known as a "receiving" tight end rather than a "blocking" one because of his athleticism in getting difficult catches, speed after the catch, and ability to be a playmaker.
One of Winslow's most memorable games was the 1982 playoff game "Epic In Miami," when Winslow caught 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown.
35. Tony Gonzalez
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Tony Gonzalez was known as a sure-handed tight end from his time at the University of California-Berkeley.
Spending most of his career in Kansas City, Gonzalez played well even in years the offense wasn't so great.
Gonzalez has absolutely great hands and his numbers in touchdowns and receptions for tight ends reflect that.
34. Mark Duper
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Mark "Super" Duper became one of Dan Marino's favorite targets, and in his 11 seasons, Duper caught 511 passes for 8,869 yards and 74 touchdowns.
This was on the same team as Mark Clayton, adding yet another reason why Dan Marino was such a prolific passer.
33. Charley Taylor
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Charley Taylor was a very gifted athlete who played multiple sports growing up and finally settled on football.
His natural gifts prompted the Redskins to switch him from running back to wide receiver in 1966. The rest is history as he led the league in receptions in 1966 and 1967.
His ability to get open and not drop the ball earned him eight Pro Bowls and several first-team NFL honors.
Taylor served as wide receivers coach for the Redskins from 1981-1994.
32. Derrick Mason
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In his 14th season, Derrick Mason catches everything. He has eight years with more than 1,000 yards receiving.
Mason's career isn't over yet, and with Joe Flacco as his quarterback now, Mason will continue to cement his legacy as a guy who won't let his quarterback down.
31. Charlie Joiner
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In addition to having good hands, Charlie Joiner was known as an intelligent player and an all-around good route runner, which meant he was open more for the ball.
Joiner had more than 1,000 receiving yards in four seasons and made three Pro Bowls.
Joiner was part of the famed "Air Coryell" offense, and it was his ability to catch the ball that helped gain that offense fame.
30. Sterling Sharpe
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Sterling Sharpe's career was cut short by a neck injury. But up to that point, he was on his way to being one of the best clutch receivers in the game.
He broke Don Hutson's team record for receiving yards and receptions in a season in 1989 and later became a favorite target of a young Brett Favre. With Favre, Sharpe became one of only seven players in NFL history to lead the league at the three key components of the receiver position; receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receptions.
29. Torry Holt
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Torry Holt is the only receiver in NFL history to post six consecutive years of 1,300 yards receiving. Beginning in 2000 Holt reached at least 1,300 yards every season through 2005.
He had a great career with the Rams, but now he can't find a team and his career may be over.
28. Don Maynard
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Don Maynard and Joe Namath were quite the duo their first year together.
Maynard had 1,218 yards on 68 receptions and 14 TD's in Namath's first season with the Jets in 1965. In 1967, Maynard had 1,434 yards from Namath's passes, including 10 touchdowns and averaged 20.2 yards per catch.
For his career, Maynard had 633 receptions, 11,834 yards, and 88 touchdowns.
27. Michael Irvin
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Michael Irvin's fame precedes him, but there was a reason Troy Aikman liked throwing to him. He caught the ball.
Irving caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns in his 12-year career.
26. Andre Rison
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Andre Rison, except for his time in Cleveland, consistently was one of the best receivers in the game.
With Atlanta, Rison finished near the top of every receiver category every year he was with the team and then won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1996.
For his NFL career, he had 743 receptions, 10,205 yards and 84 touchdowns.
Then there's his CFL career, but that's a different list.
25. Wayne Chrebet
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Wayne Chrebet went from an undrafted walk-on player to being second on the Jets franchise reception list with 580 catches. He also has the third-most receptions in the history of the NFL among players who were not drafted.
Chrebet's nickname was "Mr. Third Down" because 379 of his 580 career receptions were third-to-first down conversions.
24. Andre Reed
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Andre Reed cemented his legacy in Buffalo, but his career 951 receptions for 13,198 yards and 87 touchdowns says a lot about how reliable he was.
23. Keyshawn Johnson
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Keshawn "Just Give Me The Damn Ball" Johnson had a reputation for sometimes being difficult, even being deactivated for seven games in Tampa Bay when his relationship with head coach Jon Gruden went south.
However, Keyshawn caught the ball when he was on the field. He led the Cowboys in receiving yards in 2004, and always was a threat when on the field.
21. Paul Warfield
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Paul Warfield is one of those Cleveland Browns legends who modern Browns cling to and hope to see prowling the field again.
Warfield caught 427 passes for 8,565 yards and 85 touchdowns in the 1960s and 1970s. He was known for his speed and his hands, which didn't often drop the ball.
22. Keenan McCardell
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Keenan McCardell became known as the "Thunder" half of "Thunder and Lightning" with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he emerged as a middle-of-the-field threat.
McCardell continued his career of being a clutch receiver in Tampa Bay, winning a Super Bowl, before retiring after stints with the Chargers, Texans, and Redskins. He finished his career with 883 receptions.
20. Marvin Harrison
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Marvin Harrison is another receiver who had talent but also had a great quarterback who made racking up catches much easier.
Harrison, along with Keyshawn Johnson, became one of the most prolific receivers of the 1996 draft class, and finished his career with 1,102 catches for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns.
19. Mark Clayton
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Mark Clayton, of the Miami Dolphins and the Dan Marino era, was the other half of the "Marks Brothers."
The five-time Pro Bowl player, Clayton finished his career with 582 catches for 8,974 yards and 87 touchdowns.
18. Art Monk
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All Art Monk did was make 940 receptions for 12,721 yards, catching 68 of those passes for touchdowns in his 16 seasons.
Nine times during his career Monk exceeded 50 catches in a season and gained more than 1,000 receiving yards on five occassions.
17. Isaac Bruce
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Isaac Bruce's career stats say it all: 1,024 receptions, 15,208 yards, and 91 touchdowns.
That's a reliable receiver, but the 49ers in the last few years couldn't build on anything around him.
16. Randy Moss
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Randy Moss isn't ready to retire yet, but he could retire today and make the Hall of Fame. Other than the time he took off while with the Oakland Raiders, Moss has been Mr. Reliable wherever he has played, and that's why the Vikings wanted him back.
Moss currently has 947 catches for 14,770 yards and 153 TDs going into Week 8 of the 2010 season. Brett Favre even tries to throw to Moss when other receivers, namely Percy Harvin, are open.
Being a reliable receiver causes things like that.
15. John Stallworth
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John Stallworth was the leading receiver in Steelers history until Hines Ward came along. But Stallworth always came up big in the big games, including eight-consecutive postseason games with a touchdown.
14. Fred Belitnikoff
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Fred Belitnikoff is another in a long line of Raiders legends from the glory days.
Belitnikoff caught 76 touchdowns out of 589 receptions for 8,974 yards in seasons that only were 12 games long when his career began.
Belitnikoff's legacy is the guy who always found a way to be open and always caught the ball, especially in clutch situations.
13. Steve Largent
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The most-famous Seattle Seahawk receiver there is, Steve Largent got that way by catching , 819 passes, 13,089 yards, and 100 touchdowns.
12. Hines Ward
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Remember a few slides back where I talked about John Stallworth setting all kinds of records with the Pittsburgh Steelers for receptions and yards?
Yeah, Hines Ward broke a bunch of them.
11. Jimmy Smith
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Jimmy Smith became the best clutch receiver the Jacksonville Jaguars have had in their relatively brief history, catching 862 passes for 12,287 yards, and 67 touchdowns.
10. Chad Ochocinco
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Six years younger than T.O., Chad Ochocinco is on pace to break Owens numbers with catches and receiving yards. He currently has 720 catches for 10,376 yards.
9. James Lofton
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James Lofton was the first player to reach 14,000 yards for his career, finishing with 14,004 yards with the Rams after a long career with the Green Bay Packers.
8. Herman Moore
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Herman Moore was the Detroit Lions' first-round draft pick in 1991 and went on to break just about all of Detroit's receiving records.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Moore holds the Lions' career, season and single-game receiving marks.
7. Tim Brown
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Oakland Raiders receiver Tim Brown had nine-consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. In a year where the Raiders finished 4-12, Brown had 1,408 yards and five touchdowns.
6. Raymond Berry
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If there is a definition of a sure-handed receiver, then it would be Raymond Berry. Berry was not known for dropping the ball.
Berry led the league in receptions three times during his career. In an era when passing wasn't an emphasis, he only fumbled twice in his career running the ball from scrimmage, just reinforcing how good his hands were.
Once Berry got his hands on the ball, he didn't let go. There's a claim on Wikipedia that Berry only dropped two passes his entire career, but there's no stat on profootballreference.com to back that claim up. Still, the claim is out there, and given Berry's play and reputation, it's not that outlandish to think the claim is true.
5. Don Hutson
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Don Hutson pioneered the modern wide receiver position, and it was his hands that set just about every NFL receiving record, many of which still stand today.
Hutson was a featured wide receiver in an era when no one but the hardcore fans knew who the wide receivers even were. His slender build made him an ideal receiver, and the Green Bay Packers took advantage of that, recognizing the positive attributes of Hutson's build before the rest of the NFL caught on.
Hutson had 99 career touchdowns, a record that would stand until Steve Largent broke it. In fact, according to his stats, Hutson held 18 different NFL records at the time of his retirement at the conclusion of the 1945 season. He earned those numbers before there even was a 14-game season.
4. Lynn Swann
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Lynn Swann has deceptively-low career marks of 336 receptions for 5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns, but he also played during a run-heavy era of football.
But Terry Bradshaw wouldn't be where he is without him, and it's scary to think what Bradshaw and Swann's numbers would be like today, in the era of the quarterback.
Swann was the first wide receiver to earn the Super Bowl MVP for Super Bowl X, and he did that after spending two days in the hospital for a severe concussion sustained during the AFC championship game versus the Raiders.
Overall, Swann gained 364 receiving yards and 398 all-purpose yards in his four Super Bowl appearances, which both were records at the time.
3. Lance Alworth
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Lance Alworth was nicknamed "Bambi" by his teammates, for his slender build and leaping ability.
Alworth's leaping ability enabled him to catch 542 passes for 10,266 yards for an impressive career average of 18.94-yards per catch. In Alworth's 8 AFL seasons, he led the league in receiving yards and receptions three times.
Alworth's catching ability was so respected, he made the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Alworth held records for the most consecutive games with a reception at 96, and still holds the record for the most games with more than 200 receiving yards with five. Alworth caught 85 touchdowns.
Alworth was a big star for San Diego before being traded to Dallas in 1971, where he won a Super Bowl before retiring after the 1972 season.
2. Jerry Rice
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Jerry Rice is the complete receiver, which is why he's No. 2 on this list. The difference between Rice and the No. 1 sure-handed receiver is a razor-thin margin, even if some of Rice's stats are better.
Rice is, hands down, one of the greatest receivers in the history of the game and excelled at every aspect of the position. Rice is one of the main reasons that Joe Montana and Steve Young are in the Hall of Fame. His ability to get open and always catch the ball supports that.
If you wanted that ball caught, or it was the game, Rice caught it.
1. Cris Carter
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"All he does is catch touchdowns," was the phrase often-repeated on ESPN whenever there was a highlight featuring Cris Carter.
Often times it seemed like it, and Carter was the Eagles primary red-zone receiver in 1989, catching 11 touchdowns.
In Minnesota, Carter's ability to get the big catch and get touchdowns continued. Carter led the team in receptions and touchdowns in several different seasons with several different quarterbacks.
When the ball went Carter's way, he came down with it, and he finished his career with more than 14,000 receiving yards and more than 1,000 receptions.
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