Top 5 All-Time Wide Receivers (with highlights)
Published:Before the invention of the forward pass, the game of football was a dull, monotonous sport, with low scores and limited excitement. And then came Don Hutson, who paved the way for the modern aerial attack, and every other wide receiver who you have ever heard of! Learn more about Don and the rest of our Top 5 All-Time Wide Receivers!
1) Jerry Rice
- All-time leader in most major statistical categories for wide receivers, including receptions (1,549), touchdown receptions (197), and receiving yards (22,895)
- Three-time Super Bowl Champion
- Most 1,000 yard seasons by a receiver with 14
- Holds NFL Record for most all purpose yards with 23,546
- Chosen by NFL Network's production The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players as the greatest player in NFL history
2) Don Hutson
- Considered by many to have been the first modern receiver, and created many of the receiving routes that players still use today
- Holds many NFL records, including most seasons leading the league in pass receptions with 8
- The NFL Network named Hutson the greatest Green Bay Packer of all time, beating out other greats like Brett Favre, Bart Starr, and Paul Hornung
- Hutson's record 99 TD receptions stood for 44 years, not being broken until well into the modern era
- Ranked sixth on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Some football historians consider him the best receiver of all time
3) Randy Moss
- Seven-time NFL Pro-Bowl selection and one-time Pro-Bowl MVP
- Holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record (23 in 2007)
- NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie (17 in 1998)
- Second on the NFL regular season touchdown receptions with 156
- Four-time Receiving Touchdowns season leader (‘98, ‘00, ‘03, ‘07)
4) Terrell Owens
- As renowned for his flamboyant touchdown celebrations and public persona as he is for his talent on the field
- The only player in NFL history to score a TD against all 32 NFL teams
- One of six players to have at least 2 receptions of 90+ yards
- Second all-time in receiving yards behind Jerry Rice
- Six-time NFL Pro-Bowl selection
5) Lance Alworth
- Selected as a member of the AFL All-Time Team, and in 1994, he was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, the only player to be named to both teams
- Pro Football record 5 career games with 200+ yards (tied with Calvin Johnson)
- Fastest player in NFL history to reach 9,000 receiving yards (93 games)
- Fastest player in NFL history to reach 50 receiving TDs (54 games)
- Ranked number 31 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, making him the highest-ranking Charger and the highest-ranking player to have spent more than one season in the AFL
