Davante Adams does so many things well. The leader in the NFL’s triple crown in 2018 admissions is like Alan Iverson off the line, a flawless runner on routes and a safe pass. He is the only active wide receiver to have five seasons in his career with double-digit touchdown grabs. In fact, only five players have more and each is equipped with gold threads: Randy Moss (nine), Jerry Rice (nine), Terrell Owens (eight), Marvin Harrison (eight) and Chris Carter (six). He would be the number one red zone target for Brady QB1 on that list; Adams has 53 trips to the final zone since the 20s since 2016 – 17 more than the next closest player (Mike Evans, 36).
The leader of the NFL in deep receptions (59), yards (2410) and touchdowns (25) over the past five seasons, the very presence of Tyrick Hill limits what opponents can do in defense. Not to mention that he is the only player in the Super Bowl era with at least 50 touchdowns, five quick touchdowns and five reverse touchdowns. Hall of Fame Bobby Mitchell is the only other player to do so in NFL history.
The course and division of Justin Jefferson can be opposed to any player in the league. In his third year, the pro is ahead of all players by 3,016 reception yards since joining the NFL in 2020, and he is the first player to start his career with consecutive 1,400-yard reception campaigns. Already at the top of the record for taking a yard in the first two seasons per player, he must register 1148 in 2022 to break Randy Moss’ record of 4163 in the first three players.
Tee Higgins provides an athletic, talented target of 6 feet and 4 meters who can win at the point of capture. He finished in the top six in the NFL with 16 contested catches (PFF) and 245 yards for admission in narrow windows (next-generation statistics) last season. The three-year-old professional really started to shine towards the end of the season. In Weeks 12-17 (the Bengals rested at the beginning of Week 18), only Cooper Coop had more receiving yards (688) than Higgins (645).
Darnell Mooney accounts for 28 percent of total bear intake in 2021, the 10th highest in the NFL. His 1,055 yards for admission in 2021 ranks seventh among all players under 25, after Jefferson, Higgins, Ja’Mar Chase, DJ Moore, CD Lamb and Michael Pittman Jr. The last time Gabriel Davis was on the field, he recorded eight catches for 201 yards and a record in the NFL playoffs, four touchdown receivers. The choice of the fourth round for 2020 is a cheap option with a big plus.
Others consider: Deebo Samuel (49ers), Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals), CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys), AJ Brown (Eagles), Diontae Johnson (Steelers), Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions).
The hardest decision: Attracting the two highest-paid broadcasters in the NFL to their Year 1 roster and Justin Jefferson on a rookie contract seems criminal enough, but to do anything for Deebo Samuel on that roster would be amazing. The scenario for him to sign an extension and blow up this list is very likely to be ignored. Still, Samuel’s favorite statistic I discovered last season: He was the first player to lead the NFL in admission yards (18.2) and receiving yards after admission catches (10.1) in the same season since the last one was tracked in 1992 ( min. 50 receptions).
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