Mark Morales-Smith and Brendan Pignataro have another Sunday Debate for you this weekend. This time they’ll be debating who has the best WRs corps in the NFL. Brendan likes the depth of the Washington Redskins, but in this article Mark will make his case for the star-studded group of wide receivers on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Let me start by talking about the Redskins wideouts. They have great depth and a lot of talent, however, no one really wows you on the roster. DeSean Jackson is a boom-or-bust guy that has struggled with his health and Pierre Garcon is coming off back-to-back mediocre years. I was higher in Jamison Crowder than anyone I know last season and ranked Josh Doctson as the top receiver in this year’s class, but need to see him play first and more from Crowder. I view the Redskins WRs as good with potential, nevertheless, they are far from the best in the NFL.
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Remember Jordan Reed is a tight end so he and Niles Paul aren’t in this conversation. In fairness, I’ll also exclude the quarterbacks. Blake Bortles is clearly the superior QB, but I won’t use that in my argument because it’s beside the point. I’m pretty sure Brendan heavily favors Bortles as well.
Now let’s get to the dynamic duo that heads the Jags dominant WR corps. Allen Robinson is a superstar who I ranked as the No. 5 WR in his incredible draft class ahead of Sammy Watkins and projected as first-round pick. A-Rob was an absolute monster last season! He caught 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns.
That’s compared to the Redskins top receiver Garcon who caught 72 passes for 777 yards and six TDs. I mean, Hurns is the WR2 and missed a game. He caught 64 passes for 1,031 yards and 10 touchdowns. I really don’t see an argument here.
The Jags have a monster like Robinson and Hurns went on a seven game run when he caught a TD every single week. During that span he was more than just a touchdown guy too, he added an abundance of yards and receptions. He topped 100 yards five times, had an 11 catch game and only failed to catch at least three passes four times all season. The former Miami Hurricane is a star in his own right.
I will concede Marqise Lee is a nightmare and even when they picked him I though he was a waste of a second-round pick. I love Rashad Greene though. I believe he can be a top slot receiver in this league. I ranked him right up there with Crowder coming out of Florida State. In his first game last season he caught seven passes and a TD. Unfortunately he was hurt the following week and never really got back on track after missing two dull months. That shouldn’t be an issue in 2016 and I anticipate a breakout year. This was my take on Greene a few days after he was drafted in 2015:
“How you can watch Greene on film and allow him to fall to the fifth round is beyond me. He had just as big of an impact during Florida State’s 2013 national championship run as Kelvin Benjamin. While Greene wasn’t a combine star, he’s an excellent football player and more NFL-ready than most in this year’s rookie WR class. There’s really nothing he doesn’t do well. His route-running is superb, and he has shined on the biggest stage, in the biggest moments. Greene is better than at least two of the receivers selected in the first round last Thursday.”
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I like the Redskins receivers’ potential, but love the Jags wideouts right now. They have both proven they can be great and have potential to be even better. This is a no-contest for me. If any Redskins fans can make a compelling argument, please do so in the comments section because I’m interested to hear it. I just don’t see any logical way you can say the Redskins WRs are better than the Jags without a ton of “but, ifs and maybes.”