NFL Rankings: 10 best wide receivers in the league

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Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) dunks the football over the goal post after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of a NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /

1) Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

After arguably the greatest season by a wide receiver in the history of the NFL in 2012 (122 catches, 1,964 yards), Calvin Johnson missed two games last season and finished with “just” 1,492 yards and 12 touchdowns. The fact that the 2013 season was a downturn from the previous year tells the story in full.

At 6-foot-5 and nearly 240 pounds, Calvin Johnson is one of the fastest wide receivers in the league, and of course, he presents elite power and hands for the position. As a route runner, he isn’t quite as potent as some other members of this list (largely due to his massive size and other abilities), but we are picking nits at that point.

Johnson is still just 28 years old, and if he can avoid injury concerns that limited him last season, Matthew Stafford will be feeding him endlessly during the 2014 campaign. Calvin Johnson is arguably the best player in the NFL when evaluating him against the rest of the players at his position, and any list of best wide receivers in the league should begin and end with him in the top spot.

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