The Best Wide Receivers in Los Angeles Rams Franchise History Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s (Hill, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Wilson), Cliff Branch He probably shouldn't be in. Three: Chandler, Hill, Morgan, Reed, Rison, Hugh Taylor But we can certainly compare these players to their peers. I suspect it is here that Jackson's consistency has worked against him. James Jones: Julian Edelman had a very good career, but there's no way he belongs in the Hall of Fame. He didn't live up to his contract in Cleveland, he got a bad reputation, Left Eye burned his house down, and he played for seven teams, eight if you count the Argos. Work at the Hall; Buy Tickets; FAQs; Irving Fryar and Rison did a lot of the same things as Andre Reed, but the constant team-switching makes it hard, psychologically, to view them that way. All Rights Reserved. Top 25 Best NFL Wide Receivers of All Time Rison was better, at his best, than Fryar, and that matters quite a lot. Lets start by running through five obvious cases of overly-qualified receivers who have not yet been enshrined. In his 11-year career, Pearson led the Cowboys in receiving TDs only twice (1975-76). Hill is no Hall of Famer yet, but it will only take a few more deep playoff runs with Patrick Mahomes to put him over the top. Rison was a great player basically all the same years as Irvin, and if touchdowns are a big deal to you, you could easily regard them as more or less equal. No, it was Carter." The Hall of Fame also generally wasnt kind to receivers who played during the transition to the 16-game season era, unless they played for the Steelers. But thats a topic for another column. Neil Paine was the acting sports editor at FiveThirtyEight. Several years ago, Chase Stuart introduced a stat-based system that ranked Moore as the 23rd-most valuable wide receiver in history, ahead of players like Ellard (26), Reed (35), Art Monk (36), Gary Clark (46), Sterling Sharpe (48), Rison (72), and Fryar (unrated). Hopkins, like Edelman, made a little news on Monday when the folks at the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference named Hopkins acquisition by the Arizona Cardinals as the Best Sports Transaction of the Year. Those same seasons, he placed 23rd, 1st, 2nd, tied for 1st, and 8th in receptions an average of 7th. Smith is an unlikely first-ballot Hall of Famer, but hell get in some time in the next few years. Finally, the Seniors Committee and the Centennial Committee appear determined to enshrine just about every 1970s receiver except Branch. The argument against Brown is that he was consistent rather than exceptional. Both years, he caught just two TDs. 1990-99: Michael Irvin. The positions importance and its statistical benchmarks have evolved significantly over time, particularly as the passing game grew to take over the modern sport since the 1990s, but the Halls selection committee has struggled to apply an evolving standard to candidates resumes. He has a well-deserved tough-guy personality, a high television profile (all voters try to tune that sort of thing out, and a few succeed), and several signature plays, including the. He should probably be in. I immediately lost all respect for your credibility for this page because there is no mention of Andre Reed. There will be about half a dozen who have great seasons like Smith in '99, and about half of those will excel even further, push the records set by superstars like Moss and Owens and Harrison. He had over 900 receiving yards every year from 1992-98, with one other year at 434, and nothing else over 200. Instead of ripping Edelman, however, lets celebrate ten NFL wide receivers of the last 50 years or so who really do deserve Hall of Fame consideration. 743 receptions, 10,205 yards, 84 TD. "Flash 80" is the best WR of all time in NFL history. To me, they're both great players, but probably not Hall of Famers. HOF Qualifications: FAIR. Holt still has better numbers, but he played on a wild offense. Let's break this down a little more, looking at both the Hall of Famers and the contenders we've examined. He lacks Johnsons best seasons and Smiths image. Rice, for instance, was the premier receiver of the 1990s, and could easily fit into that block instead. But do all 15 of these receivers belong in the Hall of Fame, plus Edelman and your personal favorite whom I might have omitted? That distinguishes him from almost every receiver in history. For one thing, Carmichael ranked among the top 10 in receiving TDs eight times, and as a possession receiver, his yardage totals don't fully reflect his value. Harold Carmichael Four-time Pro Bowler whose size made him a unique threat to defenses. Ten Worthy Hall of Fame Receivers (Not Named Julian Edelman) Two: Carmichael. February 14, 2012 by Brad Oremland Print Story. Eagles great Harold Carmichael finally gets his Hall of Fame enshrinement Swann and Stallworth were legendary postseason performers. When they needed the key first down, who did they go to? 1973-83, Dallas Cowboys Fryar's career numbers are great for when he played, and he obviously was a good player for a long time. He led the league in receptions once, never in yards or TDs. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s (Chandler, Clark, Ellard, Morgan, Reed, Sharpe) Carter just doesn't have the highlight reel those guys do, and he never won a championship. Standing at 5-8, Hall's size scared off a number of NFL teams during the 2000 NFL draft, though his incredible versatility as a converted wide receiver caught the eye of the Kansas City Chiefs, who went on to draft him in the fifth round with the 153rd pick. But let's review each player's rsum, in alphabetical order. [Being sober] is not a victory because its a lifelong battle, Smith told Frenette. Well popularity rings and of course the team. But Harrison, Moss, Owens, Bruce those are all great players. If you're here for another era, check out our other articles in this series: Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s 579 receptions, 10,372 yards, 76 TD. Moore's other issue is that he played for the Lions at a time when (1) they weren't an elite team, (2) they had kind of a weird offense, (3) he was overshadowed by Barry Sanders. He probably shouldn't be in. When you think about his numbers in the context of 14-game seasons and the defense-dominated '70s, they're nothing short of remarkable. Receiving statistics are exploding, and their numbers don't look as glorious now that guys like Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens have played full careers. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns twice, and in receiving yards in 1974. That shifted with the end of the decade. The 10 Best Wide Receivers Not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Dean Hybl June 21, 2009 Best of the Rest 1 of 11 10. For Washington in the '80s and early '90s, that was Gary Clark, not Monk. Shortly before Jackson retired, the NFL moved to a 16-game schedule and made several rules changes to substantially open up the passing game. But Boldin has lots of Hall of Fame trappings: a Rookie of the Year Award, a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, a Super Bowl ring (and an important fourth-down Super Bowl reception) with the Baltimore Ravens, some playoff heroics for the Arizona Cardinals, lots of postseason production, and a pair of 100-catch seasons. Harrison is in the Hall of Fame, along with a number of Smith's other receiving peers: Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, Tim Brown, Cris Carter and, of course, Jerry Rice. He also had several very good seasons in the '80s, making the Pro Bowl in 1980 and going over 1,000 yards in '81. A wide receiver who was the 5th- or 6th-best of his generation is a player I'm okay leaving out of Canton. Moore: 670 rec, 9,174 yds, 62 TD. But again, heck of a player. 1965-74: Fred Biletnikoff, Bob Hayes, Charley Taylor, Paul Warfield They force some of us to denigrate a player like Edelmans legacy because other folks are either just praising a local hero or advancing a bad-faith or ill-informed talking point. Live From New York: Will AI Replace This Podcast. Best Wide Receivers Not in the HOF: 1970s - Sports Central The Best Damn Receiver Who Won't Make The Hall Of Fame He may be over-qualified, but Sharpe is not the most overqualified receiver on our list. A member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s, Carter had 10 or more touchdowns in a season six times and led the NFL in . 1955-64: Raymond Berry, Tommy McDonald, Bobby Mitchell His receiving TDs ranked 4th, 4th, 11th, 11th, and about 40th (actually a bazillion-way tie for 37th). Harold Carmichael set the all-time, repeat, all-time consecutive game catch streak! In 2007, though, they elected Irvin to Canton, and in each of the next five seasons, they've passed on Carter. That said, Boldin played second fiddle to Larry Fitzgerald in his signature seasons and was perceived as more of a gritty veteran than a playmaker in his final seasons. 1968-83, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks Pro Football WR Hall of Fame Monitor In 1979, Carmichael broke the NFL record for consecutive games with a reception, eventually stretching the mark to 127 before it was broken by Steve Largent in 1986. NFL Trade Rumors: Could Dalvin Cook, Austin Ekeler, or DeAndre Hopkins Get Moved This Week? Jacksonville Jaguars (30) He shared receiving chores with Keenan McCardell for a team just good enough to reach AFC Championship games, which means his stats were a little low and he never enjoyed any Super Bowl glory. 1970-79: n/a That said, Hopkins may have to wait in line behind another recent Houston Texans receiver and former teammate. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s (Hill, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Wilson) Charley Hennigan 1960-66, Houston Oilers 410 receptions, 6,823 yards, 51 TD Probably no one's HOF case is more hindered by disrespect for the early AFL than Charley Hennigan. Fryar never caught 90 passes in a season, was never first-team All-Pro, only caught double-digit TD passes once. Many fans identify the HOF plights of Cliff Branch and Pearson together. Julio Jones: Hes a Hall of Fame lock. Johnson becomes a Hall of Fame nominee next year. With that being said, here's my list for the top ten wide receivers in Redskins history. But he was a heck of a player. He didn't play at all the next two years. From recent years, when the passing game has reached levels of unprecedented importance, so far there's just Rice and Irvin. That set off a stretch of peak seasons for Smith that few other wideouts can top. 1. What To Do About A Problem Like Dianne Feinstein? . There's a bevy of top-end defensive players sitting atop the draft board Friday night. It's useful to me, in thinking about these issues, to break them down by era. Were Branch and Carmichael and Pearson really more outstanding than Henry Ellard and Andre Reed and Sterling Sharpe? Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s (Hennigan, Powell, Shofner, Otis Taylor) 1970-79: n/a The Jets' roster doesn't look wildly different in most spots compared to last season well, unless you count the Hall of Fame quarterback they just added last week. And yet, half his production came after '95: five of his eight 1,000-yard seasons, four of his six double-digit TD years, overall about 47% of his statistical value. 9:00 AM. But you can't really compare Jimmy Smith to Rison, because Rison was basically finished by the time Smith became a starter. The same is true for Brown. They were drafted just one year apart, both were great punt returners early in their careers, both had most of their best seasons in the '90s, both had career numbers that looked exceptional before the explosion of receiving stats in the last decade or so. Chiefs announce Dante Hall to be 2023 inductee into team Hall of Fame I don't buy that, for either one. Which is a shame, because he was secretly one of the greatest pass-catchers in NFL history. Branch: 501 rec, 8,685 yds, 67 TD Finally, the Seniors Committee and the Centennial Committee appear determined to enshrine just about every 1970s receiver, ) to stay in the loop on all things around the NFL. 590 receptions, 8,985 yards, 79 TD. But I believe it shows that even looking only at his best seasons, Moore is not strongly distinguished at least not statistically from other great receivers yet to be enshrined in Canton, most of whom had longer careers and more good seasons. I don't even know whether to group him with the '90s guys or the best of the early 2000s. Congratulations on your retirement, Julian Edelman. Here's someone who would fit there perfectly. According to computer vision, Addison has the third-fastest burst (speed achieved in the first 3 yards traveled) of any receiver in this draft class when . Monk was repeatedly dismissed as a guy who caught 900 eight-yard hooks, and who wasn't the most dangerous receiver on his own team. Zac Brown Band . He has also been shunted behind Holt and Wayne in the wide receiver queue and Alan Faneca in the ex-Steelers queue. Brown caught 90 passes for 1,344 yards. J.Smith: 862 rec, 12,287 yds, 67 TD But when you're talking about the Hall of Fame, does it distinguish him from guys like Cris Carter and Henry Ellard and Tim Brown?