The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are loaded at wideout, which lands them atop the standings in these 2021 NFL wide receiver power rankings.
It’s true that the NFL has become a pass-happy league, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
The rules benefit teams that will air it out deep and it’s not a shock to see that some of the rosters with the best wideouts made it far in the playoffs.
With all that being said, we look ahead to the 2021 NFL season and rank all 32 starting wide receiver corps, starting with one that leaves a lot to be desired.
32. Detroit Lions
After losing Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones in the offseason, the Detroit Lions enter 2021 with a pretty rough wide receiver corps. They have some solid secondary players such as Tyrell Williams, Breshad Perriman, and Geronimo Allison but none of them are a true No. 1 wide receiver.
Williams is clearly their best player and did top 1,000-yards in 2016 with the Chargers but missed all of 2020 with a shoulder injury and was released just two years into his four-year deal with the Raiders.
Perriman is an intriguing name who can get deep and burn teams and there’s some nostalgia here as well. His father, Brett Perriman, played in the NFL for 11 seasons — six of which were in Detroit. He had a late-career explosion, recording 1,488 yards at age 30 and 1,021 at age 31 for the Lions.
Maybe his son can find some success now that he’s in his dad’s old stomping grounds?
31. Houston Texans
Trading for Anthony Miller helped but it kind of evened out since they also traded away Randall Cobb. Still, the Houston Texans have a receiving corps led by Brandin Cooks who keeps putting up over 1,000-yards but never seems to make a ton of noise.
Outside of Cooks, there are a lot of question marks and it will only look worse if they have to move on from Deshaun Watson.
30. Philadelphia Eagles
They have spent two picks in the first round on wide receivers over the past two seasons, which should mean the Philadelphia Eagles are much better in this regard than they have been in years. The problem is, one of those players may have been a reach.
During the 2020 NFL Draft, the Eagles took Jalen Reagor at No. 21 overall which was immediately criticized with Justin Jefferson still on the board. As fate would have it, Jefferson went off as a rookie while Reagor had 396 yards and one touchdown on 31 receptions.
He was fine, but he wasn’t a No. 1 wideout, which is why they had to give up a third-round pick to move up two spots in 2021 for DeVonta Smith. From day one, Smith should be the top target but he still joins a roster needing a lot of help at receiver.
29. Las Vegas Raiders
Another team that over-drafted a player was the Las Vegas Raiders, but that was expected. As soon as Henry Ruggs III showed out with his wheels, we all knew he was going to be the pick for the Raiders.
He’s a good player but Jerry Jeudy, Justin Jefferson, and CeeDee Lamb were all taken after him and all looked to be more complete as rookies. Ruggs now enters 2021 as the potential No. 1 in Vegas after recording 452 yards on 26 receptions as a rookie.
Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfrow are there as well and can move the chains but there’s not a lot to keep defensive coordinators up at night.
28. New Orleans Saints
Michael Thomas is very, very good even though he had a rough season in 2020 due to injuries. However, the New Orleans Saints don’t have much at all behind him. Tre’Quan Smith will be elevated to the No. 2 role now that Emmanuel Sanders is in Buffalo and his best season was in 2020 when he had 448 yards.
Their third receiver is Deonte Harris, who is electric but has just 286 career receiving yards. New Orleans really needed to add more help at receiver this season and they just failed to do so.
27. New York Jets
The Jets could end up being very good at receiver but they do still have some concerns. They went out in free agency and added Corey Davis, who had a stellar 2020 campaign. The question is, can he do it again as the No. 1 target, or was he playing so well due to the attention A.J. Brown commanded.
There’s also Denzel Mims and Elijah Moore, who both could be special. They each have to develop though and Mims needs to make some big strides in his second season.
Jamison Crowder is their most accomplished wideout and is one of the best slot receivers in the game, but he could be in trouble if they feel Moore can do the job as well, while saving them money.
26. New England Patriots
New England failed to make the playoffs in 2020, so they did something they usually never do — they went overboard in free agency. They added two big-name tight ends by signing Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry but also went after a couple of wide receivers.
New England signed Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne who are both decent players but neither has been spectacular thus far in their careers. They might also be trading N’Keal Harry, who has requested the team move him.
Even after their additions, the Patriots receivers aren’t exactly top-tier talents.
25. Indianapolis Colts
Things have already gotten off to a rocky start for the Indianapolis Colts who lost Carson Wentz to a foot injury and he’s expected to miss the entire preseason ‚— at least. That’s a shame for him since he was hoping to move past his struggles with the Eagles and find a second life in Indy.
For the Colts, it’s also a huge loss since they were really counting on Wentz’s veteran leadership to help elevate the play of their wideouts. Sure, they have one star in T.Y. Hilton, but even he has been on the decline in recent seasons and hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2018.
Beyond him, there’s a lot of youth with Michael Pittman playing well as a rookie but still needing to take a step forward.
24. Chicago Bears
There’s one dominant receiver in the mix for the Chicago Bears and a bunch of players who are trying to prove themselves in the NFL. Allen Robinson recorded 1,147 yards in 2019 and 1,250 in 2020 with 13 total touchdowns.
He’s a legit No. 1 wideout and they might have something at No. 2 in Darnell Mooney who had 631 yards as a rookie. The Bears need more depth at receiver — especially after trading Anthony Miller — and if something were to happen to Robinson, things could get ugly.
23. Baltimore Ravens
The Achilles heel for the Baltimore Ravens for years has been their receiving corps. Over the past couple of seasons, they’ve tried to address this and in the 2021 offseason, they added three players who could make a huge difference.
Sammy Watkins was a free agent pick-up who could help out but their potential No. 1 receiver is going to be rookie Rashod Bateman. They also added another rookie in Tylan Wallace who does a lot right as a route0runner.
All these players will take some pressure off of the shoulders of Marquise Brown, who will be able to find even more holes deep in the secondary due to attention that will go elsewhere.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
D.J. Chark was one of the up-and-coming stars in the NFL in 2019 when he recorded 1,008 yards on 73 receptions during his second year in the league. He took a step backward in 2020 when he had 706 yards on 53 catches but the entire Jacksonville roster as a whole was a mess so that might not be on him.
They also added Marvin Jones to the mix and had Laviska Shenault, Jr. There’s plenty of talent on this team, especially if Trevor Lawrence becomes the player he’s supposed to be. They could definitely stand to have Chark return to his 2019 form, however.
21. Atlanta Falcons
After trading Julio Jones, the Atlanta Falcons went from the top of the food chain to one of the teams needing to prove they can get the job done. Calvin Ridley is the No. 1 target and he had 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns — but he’s also been getting the benefit of teams focusing on Julio Jones.
He has to prove he can be the guy now without Jones and Russell Gage needs to prove he can be a No. 2 receiver as well. They have guys who can play but they all need to take a step up this season to prove they can be the same even without Jones.
20. Carolina Panthers
Robby Anderson has emerged as a complete wide receiver after pulling in 95 catches for 1,096 yards in his first season with the Carolina Panthers. He’s one of two wideouts capable of crossing the 1,000-yard mark in Carolina since D.J. Moore has now done so twice — netting 1,175 yards in 2019 and 1,193 in 2020.
If there was any issue, it’s their ability to get in the end zone. Moore has never caught more than four touchdowns in a season and Anderson had three for the Panthers last season.
They hope the addition of Sam Darnold will help them get even better in 2021 and that could happen.
19. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers nearly lost Aaron Rodgers due in large part to their lack of receivers around Davante Adams, who is truly one of the best in the NFL. Adams was insane this last season, pulling in 115 receptions for 1,374 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Behind him was Marquez Valdes-Scantling who had 690 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 20.9 yards per catch. He’s a solid player but fits best as a No. 3 guy, which he might be now that Randall Cobb is back.
Cobb seemed to be the addition that kept Rodgers happy but he’s not the player he once was. Perhaps he will turn back the clock in Green Bay, but right now this receiving corps seems similar to what we saw in 2020.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
Believe it or not, Diontae Johnson was the No. 1 receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. With names such as Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster on the team, it would seem to be a safe bet that one of them was atop the Steelers’ leaderboard.
Claypool did have a great rookie season with 873 yards and nine touchdowns while Smith-Schuster went for 831 and another nine scores. There’s an expectation that Claypool will continue to improve as a player but Smith-Schuster needs to show that the game means more to him than making Tik-Tok videos and annoying opponents.
17. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals got better this offseason at wide receiver when they added A.J. Green, but even before his arrival, they were already pretty solid. DeAndre Hopkins transformed their offense in 2020 when he came in and had 1,407 yards on 115 receptions. Behind him was Christin Kirk who had 621 yards and six touchdowns.
Young players such as Andy Isabella and KeeSean Johnson are also talented and can make some noise when given the chance. Now they add Green, who could be solid in a No. 2 role opposite Hopkins. Of course, with his age things could still go the wrong way but the Arizona offense is pretty strong and he could be a solid addition.
16. Washington Football Team
The Washington Football Team has leaned heavily on Terry McLaurin over the past two seasons and has 2,037 yards and 11 touchdowns. He hasn’t had a lot of help but that should change in 2021 since they added Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown.
Samuel recorded 851 yards for Carolina last season and could be a solid slot receiver for them. As for Brown, he was an underrated player in the draft who can end up being a deep threat in the NFL.
Once he fully develops, this trio could be even higher but as of now, they’re a young team on the rise.
15. San Francisco 49ers
For the past few years, the San Francisco 49ers have been trying to improve their wide receivers corps and they have been able to bring in a few playmakers. Deebo Samuel is the best of the bunch but he’s struggled with health. He played in only seven games last season but if he’s healthy in 2021, he can probably put up some big plays like he did in 2019 when he helped them get to the Super Bowl.
There’s also Brandon Aiyuk who had 784 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. He could continue to develop and become a force — and having Trey Lance could help that. There’s still a need for more help as their top pass-catcher is still their tight end, George Kittle. He’s an elite player but he could use some help as well.
14. Los Angeles Chargers
One of the most slept-on receivers in the NFL is Keenan Allen. The Los Angeles Chargers star receiver does nothing but put up insane numbers. For his career, he has 624 receptions for 7,3979 yards and he just fell short of his fourth-straight 1,000-yard season when he had 992 last season in 14 games.
With him and Justin Herbert working together for the second season in a row, he could be even better this year as should Mike Williams. The former first-round pick was really good with Herbert last season, grabbing 48 passes for 756 yards and five touchdowns. Third-round pick Josh Palmer rounds their starting trio out, giving them a pretty strong group.
13. Cleveland Browns
There’s a lot of talent at wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns with Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry leading the way. Landry did take a step backward in 2020 but he was also dealing with hip and rib injuries. OBJ, on the other hand, suffered a torn ACL and missed most of the season.
If both are healthy, they could be among the best in the game. They’re also deep when you look at Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and rookie Anthony Schwartz who has the speed to take the top off of any defense. They come into the season middle of the pack, but if everything goes right, they could climb higher.
12. Cincinnati Bengals
They lost A.J. Green in free agency, but it’s still hard to argue that the Cinncinatti Bengals wide receiver corps didn’t improve in the offseason. They returned Tee Higgins who had 908 yards on 67 receptions as a rookie and Tyler Boyd who had 841 yards on 79 catches.
Boyd is a solid slot receiver and they know Higgins was great as a rookie on the outside. What they needed was another player on the outside to take over for Green, which they landed in Ja’Marr Chase.
Some have criticized the selection of Chase since they needed offensive line help, but he was phenomenal at the collegiate level with Joe Burrow as his quarterback and if he’s anything close to that, this will be a great group.
11. New York Giants
This was a very good offseason for the New York Giants. They made a huge move in the 2021 NFL Draft to add future picks in a trade with the Chicago Bears and still ended up with a good wide receiver in Kadarious Toney. They probably should have taken Rashod Bateman, but that’s a debate for a different day.
Toney isn’t the only addition at wideout either as they signed Kenny Golladay and John Ross to a team that had Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard. All those players will now slide to more appropriate roles with the addition of Golladay and that means the Giants have gone from bottom-feeders to a team that’s flirting with the top-10 in terms of receivers.
10. Miami Dolphins
Another team that went out and made some great additions at receiver this past offseason was the Miami Dolphins. They signed Will Fuller, giving them a former first-round pick who has the ability to take the top off a defense.
There was also the addition of Jaylen Waddle who was their top pick, and he too can get to the other side of the field in a hurry. Of that wasn’t enough, they already have DeVante Parker who has had some great seasons in the NFL, and Preston Williams who has the talent to put up big numbers.
Everything will hinge on the performance of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but if he makes some strides as a signal-caller, this could be a fun offense.
9. Los Angeles Rams
Losing Josh Reynolds could actually be a problem for the Los Angeles Rams because he was an underrated player for them. But they do still have a lot of talent, enough to put them at No. 9 in our standings.
Cooper Kupp is one of the best in the game — and don’t let his dip in performance last season fool you on that. With Matthew Stafford now under center, he will look more like the player who had 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019.
He’s joined by Robert Woods who flies under the radar but is just solid all-around and missed his third-straight 1,000-yard season by 64 yards this past season. Van Jefferson is also in the fold and he should have a chance to step up in the absence of Reynolds.
Lastly, they have a wild card in DeSean Jackson. He’s been an elite player for years but is on the back nine of his career. Still, he might be able to put up some big plays when he is on the field.
8. Seattle Seahawks
When the Seattle Seahawks landed D.K. Metcalf in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, there was no shortage of opinions on the move. Some thought it was a steal while others thought his questionable agility and his need to develop a route tree would lead to him being a bust.
Since then, he’s proved to be a stud meaning those who called the pick a steal were dead on. Metcalf has 2,203 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons and is one of the hardest players to cover due to his mix of size and speed.
Across from him is Tyler Lockett, who has crossed the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past two seasons. Throw in rookie D’Wayne Eskridge and this is a solid group that defenses will struggle with.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
With the Kansas City Chiefs being one of the best passing teams in the NFL, it seems as though they should be just a little higher than No. 7 overall — which isn’t an insult putting them here by any means — but the truth is, they’re lifted quite a bit by the play of Patrick Mahomes and they have one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Travis Kelce.
Having said that, they have one of the absolute best deep threats in the league in Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman is also a very talented player as well. He had 560 yards receiving last season and Demarcus Robinson had 466.
There will be more passes to go around with Sammy Watkins leaving in the offseason and they have the talent to keep putting up elite numbers.
6. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos were supposed to be one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL last season when they used two draft picks on talented wide receivers in Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. They were joining Courtland Sutton who broke out in 2019 with 1,112 yards on 72 catches.
Unfortunately, they lost Sutton to an injury after three receptions then had to deal with terrible quarterback play which affected the numbers for both Jeudy and Hamler. Jeudy still had 856 yards which instills confidence but Hamler had just 381 yards.
They did see a great leap from Tim Patrick who had 742 yards which gives them confidence that they can continue to be a deep unit even if Hamler doesn’t develop as quickly as they hope.
With Sutton returning, this is a pretty talented unit. They just need to see if they can get better play under center to take advantage of their talent.
5. Minnesota Vikings
When the Minnesota Vikings traded Stefon Diggs last year, they decided to replace him with Justin Jefferson ‚— and the rookie didn’t disappoint. He had 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a great complement to Adam Thielen who had 925 yards and 14 touchdowns on 74 catches.
They’ve also got Chad Beebe, K.J. Osborn, and Dede Westbrook but they lean heavily on their top two receivers, who are among the best in the game.
4. Tennessee Titans
When Corey Davis left in free agency, the Tennessee Titans elected to sign Josh Reynolds which was a good move. Reynolds had 618 yards for the Rams last season and while he wasn’t an even replacement for Davis, he still can hold his own. He’s also now the No. 3 guy since they added Julio Jones in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.
Jones might not be the same player he was early in his career but he’s still a guy who commands double-teams. Not only that, but he’s also arguably the No. 2 guy with A.J. Brown lining up across from him.
They’re still going to be a run-first team with Derrick Henry as their running back but this wide receiver trio is one of the best in the business.
3. Buffalo Bills
The entire Buffalo Bills offense made huge strides when Stefon Diggs joined them in 2020. The former Minnesota Viking had 127 catches for 1,535 yards which helped Josh Allen put up some MVP-level numbers.
Cole Beasley is one of the best slot receivers in the game and had 967 yards last season, continuing to be a secure option for Allen. They’re joined by Emmanuel Sanders but he could be challenged for snaps by Gabriel Davis who had 599 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.
The Bills are deep and talented at receiver, which isn’t something we were saying just a couple of years ago.
2. Dallas Cowboys
There can be an argument made that the Dallas Cowboys have the best wideouts in the entire NFL but as of now, they enter the 2021 season with the second spot in our 2021 NFL wide receiver power rankings. Perhaps that could have been different had Dak Prescott not suffered a broken ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 campaign.
While Dak was out there, this entire receiving corps was looking dominant. Amari Cooper was coming off his fourth 1,000-yard season in five years and while he had 1,184 yards and five touchdowns with Prescott sidelined for 11 games, he could have done more.
The same could be said for Michael Gallup who had 1,107 yards in 2019 while averaging 16.8 per catch. He finished 2020 with 59 catches for 843 yards which is still respectable but he could have been even better.
Their starting receiving corps is rounded out with CeeDee Lamb who had 74 catches for 935 yards as a rookie. He too should be better with Prescott back in the mix.
Even their options behind them can get the job done with Cedrick Wilson going for 107 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3 against Seattle. Rookie Simi Fehoko is an intriguing prospect and Noah Brown is another guy who can make plays. Overall, this is a talented depth chart that deserves to be mentioned among the best in the game.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When looking at the top three players on the Dallas Cowboys, it’s easy to make the case that they have the No. 1 wide receiver corps in the game right now. But they still come in behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply because the Bucs seem to be able to just keep going down the roster to find talented players.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are both capable of being the top receiver on just about any team and Evans went off last season with 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns. Godwin finished with 840 yards and seven touchdowns and would have easily crossed the 1,000-yard mark had he played all 16 games — he missed four in 2020.
Third on the depth chart is Antonio Brown who played in just eight games for the Bucs last year but still had 483 yards and four touchdowns. He’s been a mess off the field but this is a guy who not too long ago was considered one of the best in the league.
As if those three weren’t enough to put them in the discussion, they also have Scott Miller who showed that he can be a clutch player in the postseason, and Tyler Johnson who could develop into a real threat.
Tampa Bay even added Jaelon Darden in the 2021 NFL Draft which gives them a player who can move all over the field and make plays.